The Modern Language Association, the authority on research and writing, takes a fresh look at documenting sources in the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook, the official guide to MLA format. Works are published today in a dizzying variety of ways: a novel, for example, may be read in print, online, or as an e-book--or perhaps listened to as an audiobook. Writers of research papers routinely need to know how to cite works on Web sites, videos on platforms like YouTube, interviews and other works created by multiple authors, journal articles contained in databases, online images, posts on social media sites, song lyrics, and more. Instead of providing separate instructions for each format, the MLA's unique, innovative approach recommends one set of guidelines that writers can apply to any type of source.
Widely adopted by universities, colleges, and secondary schools, the MLA Handbook is the guide millions of writers have relied on for over half a century. The seventh edition, taken out of print by the MLA in spring 2016 upon publication of the eighth edition, provides the MLA's previous recommendations on documentation style for use in student writing. Please note that copies of the seventh edition of the MLA Handbook include a code for accessing an accompanying Web site. The Web site is no longer available.