For anyone who is into academic writing is probably aware of MLA format and may know some basics about it as well. However, most of the time, many are not aware of the history when it comes to these formats and referencing methods.
MLA, just like other formats, has its own significance, which emerged with the format itself. Back in 1951, MLA was developed by Riley Parker, Indiana University professor and a Milton biographer.
Once MLA was made an official format, it was made sharped with the passage of time through various editions and discussions.
General Information and History of the MLA Style Format
MLA or Modern Language Association is one of the commonly used paper formats scholars, academics and students use to cite their papers in the studies of humanities and arts. As mentioned earlier, the MLA style sheet (also known as the MLA style manual) was first published by Riley Parker in 1951.
The manual, just as then as it is now, acts as a guide on how to write conventions using the MLA format. Furthermore, the manual has publicized the MLA format, which leads to universities, colleges and scholars all over the world using it for their assignments and studies.
Since the time it was invented in 1951, MLA format has undergone numerous changes. For starters, the MLA format was initially invented to resolve the disagreements pertaining to consistency in academic writing and in text citation. And before the first manual was published, scholars believed that there were many issues that need to be dealt with.
The 31-page long manual included sample footnotes for more clarity. The purpose of releasing the manual was to show scholars how they can prepare their manuscripts with respect to publishing.
On the other hand, the first manual left many questions unanswered. It focused on the basic rules related to the MLA format. In 1970, the MLA style sheet was updated in order to reduce the usage of roman numbers and shed light on the importance of adding the names of the publishers in the bibliographic section. The edition was 48-page long.
Overall, since the time of its invention, MLA guidebook and its later updates have focused on addressing the concerns of the scholars using the format. After numerous changes and updates throughout the years, in 2016, the current and the 8th edition was published, marking it as a loose approach for scholars using MLA.
If you are also interested in the history of other citation styles, take a minute of your free time and read my article about APA citation style history, Oxford citation, or Harvard referencing format. Now let’s come back to MLA.
Modern MLA Handbook
The 8th edition expands to a lesser page and does not follow basic rules and conditions which were applied before. The MLA is now adaptable, modular and flexible. It does not focus on the packaged resources, but now allows the scholars to have a conversation with the sources and the information.
Basically, the 8th edition of MLA allows the writers to focus on the core elements of the resources and list them following a certain order and with citations, of course.
Interesting facts about MLA format
While the Modern Language Association citation format is commonly used, there are some aspects of it that might not be widely known.
Here are six interesting and less-known facts about the MLA citation format:
Multilingual Support
MLA citation format is not just for English; it can be used to cite sources in many languages. It’s often used in humanities disciplines that involve multiple languages. For instance, if you are writing a paper about French literature, you can use MLA style to cite French sources.
Multiple Works by the Same Author
When citing multiple works by the same author, MLA format allows you to use three hyphens in place of the author’s name after the first listing. This tells the reader that the following work is by the same author as the one immediately preceding it.
Modern Language Association Containers Concept
Introduced in the 8th edition of the MLA Handbook, the concept of “containers” is unique. A container is considered as anything that is a part of a larger body of works. For example, a journal article is contained in a journal, and a TV episode is contained in a TV series. This concept helps to organize citation elements efficiently.
No Emphasis on Medium
Prior to the 8th edition, MLA style required writers to include the medium of publication (such as Print, Web, DVD). The 8th edition eliminated this requirement, acknowledging the increasingly digital nature of source material and the sometimes blurry lines between different mediums.
Using Pseudonyms
If an author uses a pseudonym, the MLA format allows you to cite them under the name they’ve chosen. For instance, if citing a work by Mark Twain, you would actually use “Twain, Mark” instead of his real name, Samuel Clemens.
Inclusion of Volume and Issue
For journals and periodicals, MLA formatting requires not just the volume number but also the issue number, which is not common in other citation styles. This detail allows for a more precise pinpointing of the source within a publication that may have numerous volumes and issues.
Being well-acquainted with these lesser-known aspects of MLA format helps you effectively and accurately cite sources in your academic writing.
How to Identify MLA Format?
When it comes to identifying MLA style and the papers written in this style, one needs to focus on the parenthetical citations. The 8th edition of MLA formatting style concerns the use of parenthetical in-text citations, which means to have the surname and the page number within the article or the paper.
If there are two authors in the source, the writer of the paper needs to put the surnames in the parenthesis followed by the page number to ensure they properly format the information.
With respect to sources that have more than three authors, the scholar needs to write the last name of the initial author, add the phrase “et al.” and then the pagination. In case a scholar wishes to cite information from a website, they need to need to cite the paragraph specifically from which they have gathered information. In this case, the word “par” is used by researchers and authors and then they add the paragraph number.
Examples of using MLA formatting
Here are three examples of common source types cited using the MLA format:
Book
When citing a book, you’ll need the author’s name, the book’s title, the publisher, and the publication date.
Example:
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Scribner, 2004.
Journal Article
For a journal article, include the author’s name, article title, journal name, volume, issue, date, and page numbers. If accessed online, the URL or DOI should be included.
Example:
Doe, Jane. “The Impact of Climate Change on Urban Development.” Environmental Studies Journal, vol. 8, no. 2, 2012, pp. 34-56. www.jstor.org/stable/10.111/environmentalstudies.9876.
Website
When citing an entire website, include the author or editor name (if available), the name of the website, the version or edition (if applicable), the publisher or sponsoring organization, and the date of publication or last modification date. Also include the URL.
Example:
“Global Warming and Climate Change.” National Geographic, 2021, www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/.
Please note that the formatting of the citations should be double-spaced and have a hanging indent, which means that the first line of the citation starts at the margin and the following lines are indented.
Also, in the digital or web-based sources, URLs should be live hyperlinks if the document is meant to be read online.
Now You Know the Proper Format of MLA Paper?
Just like in any time of formatting, MLA formatting style can get complicated, but you need to be aware of these tools to ensure that you follow them correctly.
Citations are important part of the scholarly essays and need to be paid attention to. Remember, the citation has numerous benefits, such as preventing plagiarism, especially when you want to prove you didn’t plagiarize.
Additionally, this official format also provides sufficient information to the readers on the particular subject and allows you to give credit to the person whose information you are reflecting.
Finally, it is always important to ensure that the writing is credible. All in all, MLA style, like all the other citations are essential and therefore, you need to be aware of the format you are using.