MLA Guidelines Regarding Plagiarism

With MLA guidelines, students can avoid plagiarism by properly citing quotations.

The Modern Language Association (MLA) was founded in 1883 and serves as a universal resource for structuring and citing articles, essays and dissertations. MLA guidelines emphasize the use of attribution in an effort to minimize accidental and intentional attempts of plagiarism, which is strictly prohibited in the literary, professional and academic world. Individuals who plagiarize their work run the risk of being expelled from educational institutions or dismissed from their jobs, but MLA guidelines help writers understand how to avoid plagiarism.

Paraphrasing

Writers must be careful when it comes to paraphrasing, as a fine line exists between paraphrasing and plagiarizing. MLA guidelines state that copying somebody else's work is considered plagiarism, so it is imperative to learn how to paraphrase correctly. Paraphrasing is the process of taking another person's concepts, opinions or conclusions and putting them into your own words. According to MLA guidelines, using the same sentence that somebody else published and changing around a word or two is considered plagiarism.

Originality

Written work must be original or else it is considered plagiarism. For instance, if a student lets a friend copy an essay, and then both students turn in the exact same essay claiming it as his own, both students can be penalized for plagiarism. Within the regulations of MLA, the information that a writer includes in his piece must originate from the writer.

In-Text Parenthetical Citations

In-text parenthetical citations are attributions made within the body of a written work. MLA guidelines encourage writers to use in-text parenthetical citations whenever they use external sources to recycle original information, research, statistics, quotations or for paraphrasing. Citing the external source within the text lets readers know that the information is not original, and it prevents writers from accusations of potential plagiarism. An in-text parenthetical quotation is often placed at the end of the sentence or quotation and gives readers a reference of where to find the original work.

References Page

To adhere to MLA citation standards, writers must include a references page (also called a works cited page) at the end of their work that lists the various sources used within the body of the article or essay. The references page should correspond to the in-text parenthetical citations and/or the resources that were cited via footnote. Neglecting to submit a references page is a failure on the writer's behalf to properly attribute the information within the work, which can lead to accusations of plagiarism.

References

• MLA: About the MLA
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Writing Center: Plagiarism