MLA stands for Modern Language Association.

The MLA format is best known for providing the standard format for documenting papers written in the liberal arts.

    Whenever you research a paper, you need to refer to writings by other authors. When you use another author's work, you must cite it in your paper. If you use another writer's work, or use the words of another author - whether from a novel, poem, short story, essay, song, text book, article, or any other reference material - you must note the source. If you didn't invent the material, you must  give credit to the person who did create it.  

Who or What is M.L.A.?  

For over a century, the  MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers has been the standard system of style and documentation for writers of papers in English and the Humanities.  

So the MLA Handbook... deals strictly with citing sources?

    No, not really. The better portion of it does deal with the standard forms for citation, but the book is also handbook for help on how to research and write a paper. In addition, it has topics on the mechanics of writing, such as, spllign (whoops!), spelling, word division, and punctuation.  

Why M.L.A. standards?

    Since MLA format is used in many countries, having a standard format enables writers in many fields across many countries to communicate their work clearly.  Let's say you read a book or an article that interested you, and you wanted more information on the subject. You could check the authors sources by his/her documentation. Since the format is standardized, you would understand how to find those sources (even if the they were written in a foreign language!)  

What research material will MLA help me cite?

    Newspaper articles, journals, encyclopedias, CD-ROM and other portable databases, pamphlets, dissertations, government publications, television programs, radio programs, sound and film recordings, musical compositions, cartoons, e-mail, and advertisement.  Whatever resources are available for research, MLA has found a way to cite them.

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