It expands beyond common knowledge as a reason for omitting documentation and introduces passing mentions, allusions, and epigraphs. This section focuses on recognizing and avoiding plagiarism through quoting, paraphrasing, and identifying when documentation is optional. Through these general principles, writers are encouraged to think critically about their language, contexts, and audiences.

This new chapter on inclusive language recommends focusing on relevance, precision, respectfulness, thoughtfulness, and awareness of exclusionary pronouns, judgement, and offensive terms. Finally, MLA provides extensive examples of how to correctly format names of persons, organizations or groups, titles of works, and numbers into your writing. The chapter also asserts the use of italics for emphasis, word references, letters referred to as letters, and foreign words. It provides in-depth examples of the correct and incorrect uses of commas, colons, dashes and parentheses, hyphens, apostrophes, and slashes. It also provides guidance on using plurals correctly. MLA 9 confirms that various spellings are acceptable but must be used consistently, except in quotations from another text. Updates have been provided on spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and use of italics in prose. General formatting guidance has remained consistent from MLA 7 while this edition expands upon table, illustration, and list formatting. Expanded guidelines on grammar mechanics.Īfter a brief, 1-edition reprieve, MLA 9 has reintroduced their guidelines for formatting a research paper.Reintroduction of MLA guidance on research papers, absent in MLA 8, with expanded instructions.A deeper dive into in-text citations, a category many users expressed struggles with.The MLA 9 was designed so that the core element strategy will become even more accessible through more examples and explanations, such as how to use notes, websites, interviews, and YouTube videos. More guidance on how to use MLA core elements to create a Works Cited list by explaining the definition of each element in different types of documents (it will not always be literal), where to find each element, and how to style it.While the rest of this overview will go into more detail regarding individual changes in this edition, the major changes are as follows: Location) in different contexts of documentation. While retaining the overhauled system of core elements for documentation of MLA 8, MLA 9 responds to feedback asking for clarification and expansion on the meaning of each category (1.

MLA 9, however, provides more guidance and focus for those seeking it after the last update, especially warranted with emerging sources, digital and otherwise. The use of core elements for Works Cited was designed to be more user-friendly, with built-in flexibility that allows writers to cite their sources in ways that works best for their specific projects. This 9th edition focuses on clarification, guidance, and expansion on MLA 8, an edition that featured extensive changes. Specific circumstances, such as class formatting instructions, project demands, and additional relevant information, may give cause for appropriate deviation, something the MLA encourages. However, MLA continues to emphasize that these guidelines are simply that: guidelines. By helping us express our ideas in a standard way in which varieties of readers can understand where we found our information and how we chose to express our own ideas, MLA hopes in an age of mistrust of information, we can use their standards to legitimize our writings. By updating and clarifying these standards, MLA seeks to build trust in the information and ideas we share. The MLA Handbook is a living document hoping to meet the ever-changing needs of writers while creating uniform standards for documentation. The Modern Language Association (MLA) updated its style manual in April 2021. The equivalent resource for the older MLA 8 can be found here. Note: This page reflects the latest version of the MLA Handbook (i.e., MLA 9), which released in April 2021. MLA Ninth Edition: What's New and Different Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Writing Letters of Recommendation for StudentsĬopyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University.

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