MLA Handbook (review)

As a scholar and editor, I read style manuals regularly, both to sharpen my editorial skills and to stay abreast of updates. As I read the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook, I confess my surprise to have learned, as the back cover clearly states, that: "More than just a new edition, this is a new MLA style." Though I anticipate some pushback against this major change, I consider the MLA's decision to transition to a less rigid style a necessary step in the right direction to be able to anticipate and meet new needs in a digital age.

The MLA Handbookbegins with a foreword from Rosemary Feal and a preface from Kathleen Fitzpatrick, the latter being the primary author of the style guide (xiii). In her fore-word, Feal acknowledges that MLA style "has evolved in response to changing needs over the years" (vii). The basic theories behind this recent publication are repeated throughout the text; it grants "more freedom" (vii) and "greater flexibility" (viii) to authors, while underscoring the continuing need for general principles of research and documentation. Fitzpatrick adds historical context to the MLA Handbookin her insightful preface, recognizing that with the "increasing mobility of texts" (x), there is even more need for "reliable data trail[s]" as well as increased "flexibility and openness" (xiii) to be able to cite any data source, whether currently existing or yet to be invented. By basing the handbook on "commonsense guidelines" (3) rather than prescriptive rules, the MLA has made a bold move, and a positive one in my opinion, toward a style that seeks to present the information that is most useful to readers, thus enabling more open communication in research and scholarly dialogue.

The handbook is divided into two main parts: "Principles of MLA Style" (1–58) and "Details of MLA Style" (59–128). The first, as its title suggests, is dedicated to general principles of research and writing. I found this section to be clear and informative. Contrasting past MLA handbooks that served as "reference work[s], which users consulted at need," this edition is more of "a guide that [teaches] the principles underlying documentation" (xi). This principle-based approach, however, is not without structure. It simply opens the space for new forms of scholarship and media to be documented in a clear and consistent way regardless of the delivery format.

The second part of the MLA Handbookprovides a more in-depth look at the specifics of the new style. This section details the "rules" of documentation, but repeatedly emphasizes that these guidelines should be adapted to the needs of authors and their readers. As there is not space to outline all of the structures and changes contained in the handbook, below is an abbreviated template of the new format for works cited entries with a specific example of a journal article following for reference.

Citation template (see MLA Handbook129 for a useful practice template):

Author. Title of source. Title of container, other contributors, version, number, publisher, publication date, location. (Additional "containers" [see definition below] or other clarifying information can be added to the citation as needed.)

Article citation example ( MLA Handbook114):

Baron, Naomi S. "Redefining Reading: The Impact of Digital Communication Media." PMLA, vol. 128, no. 1, Jan. 2013, pp. 193–200.

The above template presents an orderly list of items that could be included in a citation. The introduction of the handbook, however, offers the following statement as one of the guiding principles behind the new MLA style: "Remember that there is often more than one correct way to document a source" (4). As such, most citations will not require all of the categories outlined in the template. Furthermore, the same work may be documented in distinct ways depending on what information the author considers most valuable for potential readers.

As I read through the MLA Handbook, I was confronted with new terminology. For example, the term containerin MLA style refers to the entity that publishes ("contains") the work...