AVOIDING PLAGIARISM BY USING MLA STYLE GUIDE PLAGIARISM BY USING MLA GUIDE.”

The writers of ancient literature of oriental civilizations did not give reference in their texts. The concept of giving references in texts was not heard of in those times. However, even in present times also many researchers do not cite the references or quote sources consulted by them, which can be described as an act of plagiarism. Plagiarism is a serious offence where a writer merely copies the ideas of the original writers without acknowledging them. Proper citation of the sources consulted or quoted in the text can help in avoiding plagiarism students of literature must use MLA handbook for making their research work acceptable by the readers all over the world. When MLA style manual was published for the first time in 1951, it was of only 31 pages, whereas 8th edition of the manual has 146 pages. It has kept pace with the changing times and this article highlights the changes made in the 8th edition of the MLA style sheet.


Introduction
Writers of ancient literature of Oriental civilizations like Assyrian, Egyptian, Indian, Akkadian, Sumerian, Chinese, Greek etc. did not mention any studied sources. Only some clay tablets bear names of scribes or copyists and the period of writing. Literature in written form was very limited and also the readers. To give references in written materials or text was an unheard thing. 'Diamond Sutra', is the first complete survived manuscript, dated 11 May 868 A.D., written in Chinese but the text belongs to Buddhism. (b1.ukonlinegallery) Era of handwritten manuscripts ended when Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1440 A.D. The first printed book was '42 line Bible'. With the passage of time, printing presses became popular throughout the world including India. Day by day the number of books as well as educational institutions went on increasing throughout the world. This process is still going on. In some countries, a number of higher educational institutions started courses in various  However, most of these researchers never cite the reference or quote sources consulted by them.
Most of the creative writers of English literature starting from Geoffrey Chaucer till the recent times, never cite any reference.

Internet
In the last decade of twentieth century, Internet became accessible throughout the world. In 2015 there were 3.2 billion Internet users and more than 971 million websites. In 2017, Internet users touched 51% of the total population of the world. (world in data org) Almost all the research journals are available on Internet; billions of articles, blogs, freely accessible online-journals, e-databases, e-books and a large number of other sources are also available. Every student, writer, researcher and academician is using Internet. Although it is very useful yet it has also created a major problem of plagiarism. So far as number of PhD scholars is concerned it has increased in twentieth and twenty first century.

MLA Handbook
In 1883 AD, some eminent scholars gathered to form an association to promote study of English language and research. The "MLA (Modern Language Association) Handbook is the 'Style Bible' for generations of students." Some scholars started thinking that such style sheets may not be of use in the age of Internet when e-resources will dominate. However, their presumption proved wrong as references of various types appeared with e-resources. It is being used by writers of liberal arts and humanities.
"Sir Isaac Newton's famous words in a 1675 letter to Robert Hooke: If I have seen further it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants-may serve as a pithy reminder that even the most famous scientists depended on their forebears." (falconediting.com) The work done by forebearers should be acknowledged by every writer/researcher by citing sources.
From the beginning till 2016, the requirements of the students and teachers have been kept in mind. Now 'youtube', 'blog', 'tweet', 'video', 'news from online newspaper' etc., are additional sources that have been included in the 8 th edition. Change is the law of nature. MLA style guide has always moved successfully with the changing times.
In the printed version of MLA Handbook, eighth edition, every entry has been explained with example and the entry point has been given blue shade. It is very useful and easy to understand. The seventh edition was changed because of extensive use of digital sources. The eighth edition is fully updated to make the writers aware how to cite the different types of digital sources. The reasoning behind it is basic: a style guide should offer a method that is widely applicable. Rather than insisting that writers follow strict citation formulas, this handbook outlines the principles of MLA documentation and explains how writers can use them in many different situations.
Like earlier editions, this handbook includes information on evaluating sources, avoiding plagiarism, using quotations, constructing abbreviations and other topics important to the scholarly writers. But what is different about the 8 th edition is that it recommends a universal set of guidelines that writers can apply to any source, in any field. In the past, writers would create an entry in a works cited list by looking at MLA's instructions for how to cite a specific type of source. For example, if you need to cite a film, you would consult the handbook to see the proper format for documenting film. In this new edition, MLA explains that this method is no longer practical, since types of sources are sometimes indefinable or accessible in more than one way (for instance, a youtube clip from a film is not the same as the original film itself). Therefore, the eighth edition offers a new model for entries in a works cited list, so that rather than consulting the handbook for the proper way to document a specific type of source. "The writer creates entries by consulting MLA's list of core elements and compiling them in the recommended order." (owl.englishpurdue) "In today's world, forms of communication proliferate and publications migrate readily from one medium to another. An article published in a print journal may be discovered and read online, through one of many databases; an episode of a television series may be watched through a service like Hulu; a blog post may be republished as a book chapter. Even as we developed this edition of the MLA Handbook, new publication formats and platforms emerged" (MLA 3). It is felt that the writers need guidance because of too many printed and e-resources. Few principles are necessary but not a long list of rules.

Changes in 8 th Edition
In 8 th edition, a major change was made about how full citations are created and how MLA works cited pages are formatted Now we have one standard citation format that applies to every source type. The core elements are authors, title of the source, title of the container, other contributors, version, numbers, publishers, publication date and location. The appropriate punctuation mark must follow each core element and the last one is date. Another addition is 'the container' which means the major source which is italicised. In text citation no use of punctuation marks is needed. However, if two or more citations are to be mentioned semicolon can be used to separate it e.g. (Baren 199; Jacobs 55) (MLA 126).

Other Contributors
URLS have been included in the new edition. City of publication has been recommended to be removed. In 8 th edition there is more flexibility in citation presentation. There is an advice that gives information of only those points which will prove useful to the readers. So far as citing sources are concerned these are 'print book, to cite a book chapter, e-book, e-book on a device, website, website with no author, a website with no web-page title, to cite a journal article found in print, to cite an essay, to cite an image from a website etc. (easylits.com)

Benefits of Citation
It may be any discipline, citation exposes the accuracy of the sources. A good researcher immediately finds inaccuracy of information. Some writers give references just to give impression that their study is based on a large number of sources. 'Quote' or 'some important lines' are immediately noticed as without 'quotation mark' will indicate plagiarism.
An efficient researcher, if expert in attribution will always avoid the stigma of plagiarism. Only a writer who has studied the article or book in print or e-form, will write correct name of the author, title and other details. Proper citation can make one reader a good researcher.
Those who want to be good writers and dream of being read all over the world should be proficient in attribution habits. Never adopt lethargic or sluggish routine, ambiguous or unsure mention of any source, careless or mediocre writing defames a person. No one can befool a good reader or a scholar in this age of Internet. Proper citation will remove the apprehension of 'retraction' of article due to plagiarism.

Bibliography
It consist of all those sources e.g. books, journals, articles, newspapers, web sites etc. You can present your capability and knowledge by preparing a good bibliography. In Social Sciences and Humanities we can judge the scholar's awareness of sources just by assessing the bibliography.

Credibility
Any scholar can get creditability if the reader feels that this article's author has covered almost all the important sources. Accurate citations create reliability or trust. The works cited give credit and honour to the early writers. Readers will appraise the usefulness, accuracy and genuineness of cited sources. Readers can pursue the topic further by reading cited sources. Academic honesty is must for the writers. Documenting sources is taught to students in advanced countries. Albeit all students are not going to be academicians yet it will definitely help them in any sector they get employment. Scientists, journalists, business or finance experts need to know the style manual. In developing countries, plagiarism is shamelessly flouted in schools, colleges and some universities. It is deception in writing when you don't give credit to the original writers. Sometimes original writers may point out about such 'cut paste' or 'blind copying' and the antiplagiarism software will definitely point out this deception. Let the readers know what has been written by the author and what he has quoted from other sources.
Borrowing of certain lines, quotes without citation, and ideas stolen or copied from sources, without acknowledgment constitutes plagiarism. Students of literature must use MLA style which will make their writing acceptable all the world over.