MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Sixth Edition

This easy to use book has been a lifesaver! The book is well organized and provides plenty of examples. The table of contents is broken down so well, something that is not common enough in textbooks, that within minutes of picking up the book, you have a concrete example of what you need.

Each section starts with the most basic example of citing from a particular type of work and builds, step-by-step, to a complete citation. The applicable example for entry into the Works Cited Page can be found with ease as well.

If you will be writing research papers, or currently find yourself having difficulty citing, this is a tool you should strongly consider.

"Tight Lines!"
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An essential book for college students   October 28, 2003
 34 out of 36 found this review helpful

With his MLA HANDBOOK, Gibaldi has written one of the best stylebooks for college students. Accessible yet detailed enough to help students navigate tricky issues of citations and format, this book offers excellent advice for writing term papers. The electronic citation section is especially helpful since many style manuals have not been properly updated to embrace contemporary research practices.

This book should be on every college student's shelf. For those already well-versed in MLA style, consider Gibaldi's more advanced MLA STYLE MANUAL AND GUIDE TO SCHOLARLY PUBLISHING.


Perfect for basic college papers   June 10, 2002
 21 out of 22 found this review helpful

I am incredibly anal about formatting my papers correctly, because it represents easy points to me. As most of you know, a large portion of almost any grade on a paper is format. I have bought many handbooks and guides for the MLA format, and I can say with absolute certainty that Joseph Gibaldi's is the best. Of course everyone has their own format, and as you become more specialized in your education you will no doubt be prodded away from MLA into that of your own niche (APSA modified version of CMS for me... ~groan~), but this book will prove most valuable for the majority of your undergraduate education. It has basic tips for research and the mechanics of writing; which, unless you slept through all of your high school English classes (or, as in the case of myself, have an emnity with commas), you'll probably know already. Where this book is indespensible is in its exhaustive documentation listings. To date, I have never found a source which this book doesn't list. I thought I had it stumped this morning when I needed to know how to cite an online congressional record of a speech, but to my surprise it was there, prompting me to write this review! This book has been a lifesaver many times; every college student needs it. Sit down, follow the instructions in the book (well first make sure your instructor wants your paper in MLA format!), and I promise you that you will receive full marks for the format portion of your grade! My only quibble is that it says you don't need a title page, yet I have never had a professor that didn't require one. However, that is an issue for the people who sit around and think up the MLA rules, not with the book. I do believe this has been the most useful book of my college education!


The MLA Handbook is indispensible for research authors.   December 13, 1996
 15 out of 15 found this review helpful

Easily the most useful book any college student could own, the MLA Handbookis full of information on how to correctly cite almost any source. It helpsto please any professors who insist on 100% accurate citations. A must have for anyone who writes any number of research articles, it is definitely a sound investment. If you don't have the MLA Handbook, you're left guessing on new citation standards such as CD-ROMs, Online postings, speeches, television shows, radio addresses, etc. The book has bailed me out on a number of occasions, especially when I have been forced to go to 'unorthodox' sources for information.


The MLA Is a Joke   April 5, 2002
 11 out of 37 found this review helpful

Not many scholarly or academic journals, much less reputable publishers, recommend the use of the MLA, and for good reason. It's not very thorough, and many of its recommendations are against the prevailing views. Annual MLA meetings are often the bane of serious writers and academia, and is frequently the material for murmors and shouts. The book seems attractive, because it's short. If a briefer version of the "Chicago Manual of Style," *the* authority on style, is desired, then Kate Durabian's book based on "Chicago" is the reccommended version. For the very economical, which is not suitable for serious papers, there is always "Elements of Style," a perennial favorite of style. But don't waste time and money on MLA, where you'll learn to do things wrong, and be told bad form is okay.