A Guide to MLA Documentation » (8th Edition)

Joseph F. Trimmer is the professor of English and director of The Virginia B. Ball Center for Creative Inquiry at Ball State University. The author of numerous articles on literature, culture and literacy, Professor Trimmer's books include THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION: THE FIRST TWENTY-FIVE YEARS (1978), UNDERSTANDING OTHERS: CULTURAL AND CROSS-CULTURAL STUDIES AND THE TEACHING OF LITERATURE (1992), and NARRATION AS KNOWLEDGE: TALES OF THE TEACHING LIFE (1997). Professor Trimmer has also worked on 20 documentary films for PBS including the six-part series, Middletown" (1982). His textbooks include WRITING WITH A PURPOSE, 14th Edition (2004), THE RIVERSIDE READER 9th Edition (2008), and eFICTIONS (2002). Trimmer's A GUIDE TO MLA DOCUMENTATION, 8th Edition (2009) is a perennial bestseller."

Briefer, more affordable, and easier to use than the MLA's own handbook, this popular booklet features current MLA guidelines, a new section on evaluating online sources, and an up-to-date APA appendix. The guide also provides numerous examples, a sample research paper, and helpful hints on such topics as avoiding plagiarism and taking notes.

1 Preparing the List of Works Cited 1

Sample Entries: Books in Print 3

Sample Entries: Articles in Print Periodicals 7

Sample Entries: Miscellaneous Print and Nonprint Sources 9

Sample Entries: Web Publications 10

2 Documenting Sources 13

Placing and Punctuating the Parenthetical Reference 14

Citing Sources: Examples 15

3 Using Notes and Parenthetical References 19

4 Implications for Your Research and Composing 20

Evaluating Sources 20

Compiling Source Information 22

Taking Notes 22

Quoting Sources 23

Summarizing and Paraphrasing Sources 24

Avoiding Plagiarism 25

5 Annotated Student Research Paper 28

6 Abbreviations for MLA Documentation 34

Appendix on APA Style 35

Preparing the List of References 36

Sample Entries 37

Documenting Sources 39

Index 41