MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers

Transcription

1 MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers Sixth Edition Joseph Gibaldi THE MODERN LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA New York 2003

2 Contents Foreword by Phyllis Franklin xv CHAPTER 1: Research and Writing 1.1. The Research Paper as a Form of Exploration The Research Paper as a Form of Communication Selecting a Topic Freedom of Choice Finding an Appropriate Focus Summing Up Conducting Research The Modern Academic Library Library Research Sources The Central Information System Reference Works The Online Catalog of Library Holdings Full-Text Databases Other Library Resources and Services Internet Sources Summing Up Compiling a Working Bibliography Keeping Track of Sources Creating a Computer File for the Working Bibliography Recording Essential Publication Information Noting Other Useful Information Verifying Publication Information Converting the Working Bibliography to the Works-Cited List Summing Up Evaluating Sources Authority Accuracy and Verifiability Currency Summing Up 45

3 1.7. Taking Notes Methods of Note-Taking Types of Note-Taking Recording Page Numbers Using a Computer for Note-Taking Amount and Accuracy of Note-Taking Summing Up Outlining Working Outline Thesis Statement Final Outline Summing Up Writing Drafts The First Draft Subsequent Drafts Writing with a Word Processor The Final Draft and the Research Project Portfolio Summing Up Language and Style Guides to Writing 61 CHAPTER 2: Plagiarism 2.1. Definition of Plagiarism Consequences of Plagiarism Information Sharing Today Unintentional Plagiarism Forms of Plagiarism When Documentation Is Not Needed Other Issues Reusing a Research Paper Collaborative Work Copyright Infringement Summing Up 75 CHAPTER 3: The Mechanics of Writing 3.1. Spelling Consistency Word Division Plurals Foreign Words 80

4 3.2. Punctuation The Purpose of Punctuation Commas Semicolons Colons Dashes and Parentheses Hyphens Apostrophes Quotation Marks Square Brackets Slashes Periods, Question Marks, and Exclamation Points Spacing after Concluding Punctuation Marks Italics (Underlining) Words and Letters Referred to as Words and Letters Foreign Words in an English Text Emphasis Names of Persons First and Subsequent Uses of Names Titles of Persons Names of Authors and Fictional Characters Numbers Arabic Numerals Use of Words or Numerals Commas in Numbers Percentages and Amounts of Money Dates and Times of the Day Inclusive Numbers Roman Numerals Titles of Works in the Research Paper Capitalization and Punctuation Underlined Titles Titles in Quotation Marks Titles and Quotations within Titles Exceptions Shortened Titles 109

5 3.7. Quotations Use and Accuracy of Quotations Prose Poetry Drama Ellipsis Other Alterations of Sources Punctuation with Quotations Translations of Quotations Capitalization and Personal Names in Languages Other Than English French German Italian Spanish Latin 129 CHAPTER 4: The Format of the Research Paper 4.1. Printing or Typing Paper Margins Spacing Heading and Title Page Numbers Tables and Illustrations Corrections and Insertions Binding Electronic Submission 138 CHAPTER 5: Documentation: Preparing the List of Works Cited 5.1. Documenting Sources MLA Style The List of Works Cited and Other Source Lists Format of the List of Works Cited Arrangement of Entries Citing Books and Other Nonperiodical Publications The Basic Entry: A Book by a Single Author An Anthology or a Compilation Two or More Books by the Same Author 153 viii

6 A Book by Two or More Authors Two or More Books by the Same Authors A Book by a Corporate Author A Work in an Anthology An Article in a Reference Book An Introduction, a Preface, a Foreword, or an Afterword Cross-References An Anonymous Book An Edition A Translation A Book Published in a Second or Subsequent Edition A Multivolume Work A Book in a Series A Republished Book A Publisher's Imprint A Book with Multiple Publishers A Pamphlet A Government Publication The Published Proceedings of a Conference A Book in a Language Other Than English A Book Published before A Book without Stated Publication Information or Pagination An Unpublished Dissertation A Published Dissertation Citing Articles and Other Publications in Periodicals The Basic Entry: An Article in a Scholarly Journal with Continuous Pagination An Article in a Scholarly Journal That Pages Each Issue Separately An Article in a Scholarly Journal That Uses Only Issue Numbers An Article in a Scholarly Journal with More Than One Series An Article in a Newspaper 185 ix

7 An Article in a Magazine A Review An Abstract in an Abstracts Journal An Anonymous Article An Editorial A Letter to the Editor A Serialized Article A Special Issue An Article in a Microform Collection of Articles An Article Reprinted in a Loose-Leaf Collection of Articles Citing Miscellaneous Print and Nonprint Sources A Television or Radio Program A Sound Recording A Film or Video Recording A Performance A Musical Composition A Painting, Sculpture, or Photograph An Interview A Map or Chart A Cartoon or Comic Strip An Advertisement A Lecture, a Speech, an Address, or a Reading A Manuscript or Typescript A Letter or Memo A Legal Source Citing Electronic Publications The Basic Entry: A Document from an Internet Site An Entire Internet Site An Online Book An Article in an Online Periodical A Publication on CD-ROM, Diskette, or Magnetic Tape A Work in More Than One Publication Medium 228

8 A Work from a Library or Personal Subscription Service A Work in an Indeterminate Medium Other Electronic Sources 231 CHAPTER 6: Documentation: Citing Sources in the Text 6.1. Parenthetical Documentation and the List of Works Cited Information Required in Parenthetical Documentation Readability Sample References Citing an Entire Work, Including a Work with No Page Numbers Citing Part of a Work Citing Volume and Page Numbers of a Multivolume Work Citing a Work Listed by Title Citing a Work by a Corporate Author Citing Two or More Works by the Same Author or Authors Citing Indirect Sources Citing Literary and Religious Works Citing More Than One Work in a Single Parenthetical Reference Using Notes with Parenthetical Documentation Content Notes Bibliographic Notes 259 CHAPTER 7: Abbreviations 7.1. Introduction Time Designations Geographic Names Common Scholarly Abbreviations Publishers' Names Symbols and Abbreviations Used in Proofreading and Correction Selected Proofreading Symbols Common Correction Symbols and Abbreviations 275 XI

9 7.7. Titles of Literary and Religious Works Bible Shakespeare Chaucer Other Literary Works 280 Appendix A: Selected Reference Works by Field A.I. Anthropology 284 A.2. Art and Architecture 284 A.3. Biology 285 A.4. Business 285 A. 5. Chemistry 286 A.6. Computer Science 286 A.7. Education 287 A.8. Environmental Sciences 287 A.9. Geography 288 A.10. Geology 288 A.ll. History 289 A.12. Language and Literature 289 A.13. Law 291 A. 14. Mathematics 291 A.15. Medicine 291 A.16. Music 292 A.17. Philosophy 292 A.18. Physics 293 A.19. Psychology 293 A.20. Religion 294 A.21. Science and Technology 294 A.22. Sociology 295 Appendix B: Other Systems of Documentation B.I. Endnotes and Footnotes 298 B.I.I. Documentation Notes versus the List of Works Cited and Parenthetical References 298 B.I.2. Note Numbers 298 B.I.3. Note Form versus Bibliographic Form 299 B.I.4. Endnotes versus Footnotes 299 B.I.5. Sample First Note References: Books and Other Nonperiodical Publications 300 B.I.6. Sample First Note References: Articles and Other Publications in Periodicals 303 xii

10 B.I.7. Sample First Note References: Miscellaneous Print and Nonprint Sources 306 B.I.8. Sample First Note References: Electronic Publications 309 B.I.9. Subsequent References 312 B.2. Author-Date System 313 B.3. Number System 315 B.4. Specialized Style Manuals 316 Sample Pages of a Research Paper in MLA Style 319 Index 323 xm