Customer Reviews

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Fifth Edition

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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!

Comprehensively indexed and meticulously cross-referenced, the MLA Handbook seems to have format and style guidelines for each and every situation you may need help with. Many times when I have been stumped on some strange, complicated, and obscure format or style issue that could cost me points, I have been pleasantly surprised because MLA had anticipated just such a situation and explained a way out. Because the Modern Language Association is nationally recognized (USA) as the definitive authority on writing style, format, mechanics, and source citation, few instructors will be presumptuous enough to take exception to it. By using this handbook, you are safeguarding your grade.

I recently had to write a 10 page research paper for a Greek history course I was taking. One of the required books to use when writing this new style of paper was the MLA handbook.

At first glance I thought that this book would be a rough overview of things I already knew since that is what most books of this are. However, the MLA is much different, I am convinced, after 7 months of use, that this is THE PERFECT format book ever.

If you are trying to write a well written and comprehensive paper, this book is a must. If you are trying to pull up your grade with perfect formatting and source citing, this book is a must. If you want a good grade period, this book is a must.

Do not brush this book away, buy it, keep it, and cherish the tons and tons of information it gives in a very readable manner.

I recently purchased this book (after referencing it quite often at the library), and it is easily the most well-laid-out grammar book I have ever used. There are examples for just about every scenario one could hope to think of, and these examples prove to be the most useful things in the book. The index is perfectly laid out so one can find *exactly* what one wants without thumbing around wasting time.

This volume is priceless. Everyone who writes research papers has questions on how to document or cite something, and this manual provides the solution. It covers everything from abbreviations to translations to multi-volume works to internet sites. It is extremely easy to use--everything you need can be found without difficulty. The chapters and sections are nicely arranged in such a way that makes it easy to find your way around the book.

I have used this guide many times in writing papers. It has effectively eliminated the guesswork, the wondering just how to include something in my bibliography, or what the proper way to cite something is. Anyone who writes research papers of any kind needs to have a copy of this book.

The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers is the de-facto standard for citing sources within a research paper. The other guidelines in the book are good also, but the citation examples and formats are what I used the book for most. If you cite using the MLA format, it is hard to go wrong. I had several of my teachers in high school ask to borrow my MLA Handbook so they could refer to it. It is one book that will be used over and over again, throughout high school and into college, and then perhaps on to graduate school.

This is one of the best MLA Handbooks that I have seen in my four years at High School. It is not over-simplified nor is it a mystery to find what you need. Everything is in a logical arrangement and the examples are great! This should be purchased for any Freshman in High School and kept through College. A must have.

This handbook is excellent for research papers using the MLA form. Each form is well explained and many different variants on forms are given for all those "what if"s you might have.

If you're relatively new to the MLA style, this book is a decent introduction. It has a fair number of samples and will get you started with few holes in your knowledge. However, the real shortcoming of this book is in the discussion of Internet citations.

The section on citing electronic publications is very poorly organized. I wonder whether the author has spent any significant time on the Internet. The categories of sources and the examples given don't handle some of the most common situations you'll run into. It can be rather frustrating having to cobble together citation formats from the examples provided which are close enough to the source I'm trying to cite.

As a result, if you're looking for a book to simply help you appropriately cite your sources, I'd look for another book. (I don't know which one yet; I'm still looking.) However, if you're looking for a general MLA style guide, this book is a respectable start.

This is a must for any high school or college student learning about citing materials (either traditional or electronically). I use this to cite references for my collegework.