ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS RESOURCES

Do I Have To Use The Guide Used In The Field Of English (MLA Handbook) For Citations Or Can I Teach Students To Use The Guide For My Discipline?

At times, the decision about which style manual to use can be answered by knowing the intended audience of the writing. If the writing is to be submitted for potential publication, for example, the writer needs to use the style manual preferred by the publisher. Likewise, if the writing is to be modeled after authentic writing in the particular discipline, it would seem appropriate for the teacher to introduce students to the style manual used in that discipline and require that they follow the guidelines appropriately. Some companies even have their own style manuals.

In some schools, however, teachers may agree to use only one manual, for example, the MLA Handbook, for all student writing in order to help students learn it well. Whether students use one manual in all disciplines or use different guidelines for different classes, teachers should make them aware that each discipline has its own preferences. Ultimately, students need to learn how to use a style manual rather than memorize the particular features of any one format.

The recent increase in the amount of material available online has raised difficulties for students wishing to cite online sources. Although the specifics may differ according to the style manual being consulted, in general an online source citation will require the following, if available (Raimes, 2002):

Example
In Psychology, students use the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association when writing a comparison of their own views of adolescence with definitions from various psychological sources.

Example
In English IV, students use the MLA Handbook when writing a literary criticism essay which examines The Canterbury Tales from a feminist perspective.

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