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MLA Update 2009

(MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers - 7th Edition)
Summer 2008 brought big changes to the world of the Modern Language Association (MLA). The third edition of its MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing was unveiled. April 2009 saw these changes go into effect with the release of the 7th edition of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. This summer, we will be revamping our BYUH online MLA Reference guide to reflect these changes, but for now you may view the biggest differences here.
 
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Significant MLA Changes - 2009

  • Underlining is out! MLA now strongly recommends italicizing the titles of books, periodicals, and films, etc.
  • Bye bye, URLs! Website entries will continue to include authors, article titles, and website titles (when available); however, URLs are no longer necessary. But as every rule has an exception, a URL should be provided if the citation information listed would not easily lead a reader to the source.
  • Continuous Pagination? What's that? You may not have even known what this means, and now you don't have to worry about it! Scholary entries require both the volume and issue number, regardless of the type of pagination.
  • What kind of publication is this again? Every entry needs a marker of publication medium. These will mostly be listed at the end of entries, but the markers for Web sources will be followed by the date of access. (See sample examples.)
  • Abbr. Most Web sources now require the publisher name, date of publication, and page numbers (if available). If any of the information is missing, an abbreviation will follow. For example, if no publisher is given, write N.p; when no date is given, write n.d. For online journals without a print version, or databases that do not provide pagination, type n. pag.

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    • MLA Sample Entries (Thanks to the Purdue OWL )

     Book

    Carre, John le. The Tailor of Panama. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1996. Print.

    Scholarly Publication (Journal)

    Aldrich, Frederick A. and Margueritte L. Marks. "Wyman Reed Green, American Biologist." Bios 23.1 (1952): 26-35. Print.

    Online Periodical

     Lubell, Sam. "Of the Sea and Air and Sky." New York Times. New York Times, 26 Nov. 2008. Web. 1 Dec 2008.

    Cohen, Elizabeth. "Five Ways to Avoid Germs While Traveling." CNN.com. CNN, 27 Nov. 2008. Web. 28 Nov. 2008. 

    Online Database Scholarly Journal Article

    Berger, James D. and Helmut J. Schmidt. "Regulation of Macronuclear DNA Content in Paramecium Tetraurelia." The Journal of Cell Biology 76.1 (1978): 116-126. JSTOR. Web. 20 Nov. 2008.

    Online-only Publication

    Kessl, Fabian, and Nadia Kutsche. "Rationalities, Practices, and Resistance in Post-Welfarism. A Comment on Kevin Stenson." Social Work & Society 6.1 (2008): n. pag. Web. 10 Oct. 2008. 

    Online Scholarly Project

    Kline, Daniel T., ed. Geoffrey Chaucer Online: The Electronic Canterbury Tales. U of Alaska Anchorage, 30 Jul. 2007. Web. 2 Dec. 2008.