Information presented here is based on the 1999 MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 5th edition (Gibaldi 65-93).

1. If there is an obvious error in the quoted passage, add (sic) (Latin meaning "thus") after the error, e.g., "The theraputic (sic) remarks upset the patient immensely" (Morley 24).

2.To emphasize a passage you may italicize, bold, or underline it, but you must add (italics mine) or (emphasis added) in parentheses after the passage emphasized, e.g., "My job is the best job (italics mine) there is" (Gates 147). Or, "My job is the best job (emphasis added) there is" (Gates 147). Gibaldi finds that it is rarely appropriate to use italics for emphasis in writing research papers (66).

3. To quote 1 or 2 lines of verse, you may use a back slash (/) to mark the end of the first line, e.g., In "Logan Braes," John Mayne writes: "Revered by friends, and far frae faes, / We'd live in bliss on Logan Braes." (363)

4. To quote 4 or less lines of prose, you can include the passage within quotation marks as part of your text, e.g. Dick Oliver concludes that "all communication industries [. . .] are moving rapidly toward exclusively digital technology" (24).

5. To quote 5 or more lines of prose, or 3 or more lines of verse, you should begin on a new line, set the quoted passage off from the text of your essay by indenting 10 spaces from the left margin, double-space between lines, without using quotation marks.

In their Introduction to Computer Science with C++, Lambert, Nance, and Naps 

stress that:

The key to writing a successful program is planning. Good programs

do not just happen: they are the result of careful design and 

patience. [. . .]. Writing a program is like writing an essay: 

An overall theme is envisioned, an outline of major ideas is

developed, each major idea is subdivided into several parts, 

and each part is developed using individual sentences. (15)

6. To omit part of a quoted passage, you need to indicate the omission by the use of 3 spaced dots enclosed in square brackets, e.g., "The local politicians believe welfare [. . .] should all be paid for through income taxes." (Stewart 1)

7. If your omission is at the end of the sentence, there will be a total of four dots (3 spaced dots enclosed in square brackets followed by a period), e.g., "Africa is more than warlords and tyrants [. . .]." (De Villiers and Hirtle, 15)

8. If you are quoting 3 or more lines of verse but want to omit one or more full lines, indicate the omission by a single line of spaced dots across the page, enclosed in square brackets, e.g.,

[. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .]

9. To add a word or a remark to a quotation, or to replace a word or remark in the quotation, you must place your word or remark in square brackets [ ], e.g., "The child [Adam] was left miserably abandoned." (Price 206)