Sample 7
Mechanics of Scholarly Prose
Chapter 2 of the MLA-9 is dedicated to the mechanics of prose. This section in the MLA-9
is extensive and spans 73 pages, which is almost half of the number of total pages (including fore
matter and index) in the entire previous edition. Topics covered in Chapter 2 include rules on
spelling, punctuation, italics, hyphenation, capitalization, names, titles, and numbers. Because
there are many individual rules about specific applications, students are encouraged to consult
their own copy of the MLA-9 for detailed rules; these largely follow standard grammar and
mechanics rules of scholarly writing and are not necessarily specific to just MLA-9.
Works Cited Introduction and Summary of Formatting
MLA-9 is almost identical to previous editions in regard to formatting and parenthetical
citations, but the MLA-9 expands and enhances the examples of works-cited entries to include
virtually every type of resource an author would ever cite. MLA defines the core elements of the
works-cited list as including the author(s), title of the source, title of its container, other
contributors, version, number, publisher, publication date, and location (20), in that order. These
elements are discussed in more detail in the paragraphs that follow and demonstrated visually in
the works cited entries themselves.
Crediting Your Sources
Chapter 6 of the MLA-9 provides a thorough discussion of in-text citations. MLA-9’s goal
regarding in-text citations is to provide “brief, unobtrusive references that direct readers to the
works-cited list entries for the sources you consulted and, where relevant, to the location in the
source being cited” (227). In-text citations usually require the author’s name and page number
for both direct quotes and paraphrases. If you are just generally referring to a source but not
quoting or paraphrasing its content specifically, you can cite only the author and omit the page