MLA style documentation was created by a group of scholars in the Modern Language Association, founded in 1883. The association publishes the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers and the MLA Style Manual, which details the rules and usage of MLA style documentation. The Modern Language Association contains more than 30,000 members in 100 countries, and seeks to maintain consistent rules for academic research and scholarly integrity, playing host to yearly conventions to discuss various subjects related to scholarship and literature.
MLA style documentation is one of the most common ways used to document sources for academic papers in the humanities and liberal arts, including English papers. History papers, however, typically use Chicago style instead of MLA.
A Works Cited page and in-text citations are usually required for MLA style documentation. In-text citations follow the information quoted with the author's last name and page number in parentheses. The Works Cited page is attached to the end of the paper, with sources arranged in alphabetical order according to the author's name. Each source lists the author's name, the name of the source, the publisher and year published, and is double spaced with a hanging indent after the first line of each source. The paper should be typed, with Times New Roman 12 point font.
MLA style documentation provides a standard style for listing sources that's easy to understand and accessible to readers. People familiar with MLA style documentation can flip to the back of an academic paper or book to look up the author's sources without trying to decipher an idiosyncratic style of citation. MLA style documentation makes writers accountable to readers by providing source materials, and can also serve to protect students charged with plagiarism.
To learn MLA style documentation, read the official MLA style books published by the Modern Language Association, including the MLA Style Manual and the MLA Handbook for Writers. There are also websites that teach the basics of MLA style documentation, such as Purdue OWL (see resources). College students are usually required to employ MLA style documentation in their academic papers, so learning MLA style documentation is important for students and for writers who publish in academic journals.