Why Cite?

You will recall from the previous section that citing is important because:

• citations help others find the information you used in your research paper
• citing your sources accurately helps establish the credibility of your research
• citations connect your work to the work of other scholars
• citations are one way that scholars enter into a dialogue with one another
• citations are a way to honor and acknowledge the work of others who have made your own research possible

The following video demonstrates the practical importance of always giving credit where credit is due.

MLA Documentation

MLA style is one of the most common citation and formatting styles you will encounter in your academic career. The MLA, which stands for Modern Language Association, is an organization of language scholars and experts that aims to present a straightforward process to standardize the format and presentation of academic writing. MLA format It is widely used by in many high school and introductory college English classes, as well as scholarly books and professional journals. If you are writing a paper for a literature or media studies class, it is likely your professor will ask you to write in MLA style.

The 9th Edition

The newest edition of the MLA Handbook, the 9th Edition, was released in April 202, but you should be aware that some institutions or instructors may still utilize the previous 8h edition of the handbook. Very little in terms of citation style and formatting have changed from the previous addition, so the new guidelines to the 8th edition to always include a URL of an internet source, usage of alternative author names, such as Twitter handles, and omission of the publisher (in some instances) and the city where a source was published remain. With this, MLA citation generators and conventions are still acceptable, but the main differences to note, if one runs into situations where they apply, are as follows:

1. Recommendation to use language that is gender neutral and does not specify religion, age, class, and ethnicity if not pertinent to the discourse of the paper.
2. Avoid overgeneralizations of certain groups when possible (e.g., use Mohawk tribe instead of Native Americans) and religious beliefs (e.g., specify the group or belief under consideration is Baptist vs, the general term Protestant or even more general term Christian).
3. Include works that are most generally consulted (that do not warrant an in-text citation) to works cited entries, and indicate such references via “and Consulted” to the heading “Works Cited” at the top of a works cited page.
4. Recommendation that for web pages, Facebook posts, tweets, art works, songs, and verses from the Bible (there are some other instances) to indicate the title of the container (the larger organization or source in which the more specific reference exists).
5. Include media format or source, such as .MP4 or PBS.
6. Include grammar and punctuation from foreign sources and quotations as given in the source (that is, do not change such material to suit the conventions of English).