The library now subscribes to MLA Handbook Plus, an online platform which gives access to the 9th edition of the MLA Handbook, the guide to academic writing from the Modern Language Association. Students now have unlimited access to comprehensive guidance for using the MLA citation style. Also in MLA Handbook Plus are two additional e-books: Guide to Digital Literacy and MLA Guide to Undergraduate Research in Literature.
MLA Handbook Plus also has a “Courses” section, which currently features MLA Style 101, a series of short video lessons about the core elements of the MLA citation template. Each lesson shows how to find the information for that element, and how to put that information into a citation.
While the MLA citation style has changed little since the 8th edition of the handbook, the guidance for citing sources has been expanded and reorganized in the 9th edition. Hundreds of sample citations have been added, as have many illustrations. Among the changes to the citation style are an expansion of the contributor element, options for the handling of long URLs, and changes to how social media content is cited. There are also changes to how pseudonyms, Digital Object Identifiers, certain publishers, and publication dates with seasons are shown.
The 9th edition of the handbook has significantly more content than the 8th edition, including bringing back past handbook content not included in the 8th edition. There is new or updated guidance on quotations and paraphrasing, avoiding plagiarism, formatting papers, footnotes and endnotes, and annotated bibliographies. It also has new writing advice, including guidance for spelling, punctuation, abbreviation, grammar, capitalization, and inclusive language.
Sources: EasyBib’s MLA 8 vs. MLA 9: Updates and Highlights and MLA’s How Does the Ninth Edition of the MLA Handbook Compare with the Eighth Edition? and the What’s New in the Ninth Edition of the MLA Handbook webinar.
