How to Do In‐text Citations in MLA
Name the author and provide the page number., Use parenthetical citations.After the quote or paraphrase, include a set or parentheses., Introduce the author and attribute the source in the sentence., Introduce the author in the sentence but cite the...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Name the author and provide the page number.
For books, articles, and most written works, you need to provide the last name of the author and the page number or page range the quote or citation was pulled from.
This information can be contained completely in parentheses, completely in the sentence, or some combination of the two. , Write the author's last name and the page number from which the information came inside these parentheses.
When all is said and done, however, “in-text citations are fairly easy to write” (Doe 17).
In-text citations are not as difficult as they may seem according to some sources (Doe 17). , If you cite both the last name and note where in the source a quote or paraphrase came from within the sentence, you do not need to include any of that information in parentheses.
The location can be noted as a page or paragraph, but it must be at least that specific.
In the first paragraph of his article, Doe notes, “in-text citations are fairly easy to write.” In the first paragraph of his article, Doe explains that in-text citations are not as difficult to write as they may seem. , If you decide to mention the author's last name within the sentence, you only need to include the page number from which the quote or paraphrase came in parentheses.
These parentheses should be included directly after the borrowed information.
According to Doe, “in-text citations are fairly easy to write” (17).
Doe explains that in-text citations are not as difficult to write as they may seem (17). , If an e-Book or other Internet source has an author name and page numbers, cite both elements as you would with a print book.
In spite of arguments to the contrary, some claim that “the rules for in-text citations can get complicated once you start getting into special circumstances” (Smith 23).
Some may argue otherwise, but Smith insists that “the rules for in-text citations can get complicated once you start getting into special circumstances” (23). , If the Internet source does not have page numbers, write the name of the web page instead of the page number within parentheses.
Guidelines and rules for MLA citations can be found in a variety of places (Johnson, “Writing Essays”).
Johnson notes that guidelines for MLA citations can be found in many places (“Writing Essays”). , If the Internet source does not have a named author, write the name of the web page instead of the author's name in parentheses or within the sentence.
In spite of any special circumstances, most MLA in-text citations are “straightforward and simple to remember” (“MLA Citations” 3).
In “MLA Citations,” the author notes that most MLA in-text citations are “straightforward and simple to remember” (3). , If multiple authors wrote an article or book, the last name of each author should be included in the citation.
This is only true if there are two or three authors for a work, however.
Smith and Hoffman insist that “most academic writers get used to the MLA style guide once they have used it a few times” (62).
Some students can balance knowing multiple style guides while others find it difficult to remember the specifics of each one (Johnson, Smith, and Doe 102). , If more than three authors wrote an article or book, only the last name of the first author listed on the work should be included in the citation.
The rest should be indicated with the abbreviation “et al.” The MLA, APA, and Chicago style guides all share similarities, but each one also has its differences (Doe, et al. 44).
As noted by Doe, et al., the MLA, APA, and Chicago style guides all share similarities, but each one also has its differences (44). , If you are citing a work that has been republished multiple times as multiple editions, you should consider noting the chapter, part, section, paragraph, volume, or book that the cited information came from in order to make it easier to find the same quote or paraphrase in a different edition.
From Austen's perspective, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife” (4; ch. 1).
In the first chapter of Pride and Prejudice, Austen states, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife” (4). , If you are citing two separate works from two separate authors, but the authors happen to share the same last name, you need to distinguish that the two authors are separate people by including the first initial for each one.
Some believe that MLA citations are the most practical (J.
Doe 17) while others believe that APA is a superior style guide (B.
Doe 9).
J.
Doe believes that MLA citations are the most practical (17) but B.
Doe argues that APA is a superior style guide (9). , If you are citing two works that were written by the same author, you should distinguish that two works were used by listing an abbreviated version of each title in parentheses.
According to Smith, in-text citations are simple enough (“MLA In-Text Citations” 92) but the “Works Cited” page can get complicated depending on the “variety and particular types of sources used in a given paper” (The Fun of MLA 13). , If you are paraphrasing or summarizing information from two sources within the same line, cite each source as normal in parentheses but separate the two different sources with a semicolon.
The rules of MLA citations have been discussed by many (Smith 16; Doe 32). , If you came across the quote you are using in a work other than that which the information originally came from, introduce the original author within the sentence but note the author and page number from which you accessed the information.
Proceed this information with the abbreviation “qtd.” Doe notes that "in-text citations are fairly easy to write" (qtd. in Smith 102). -
Step 2: Use parenthetical citations.After the quote or paraphrase
-
Step 3: include a set or parentheses.
-
Step 4: Introduce the author and attribute the source in the sentence.
-
Step 5: Introduce the author in the sentence but cite the source in parentheses.
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Step 6: Cite e-Books as you would cite print books.
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Step 7: Substitute the source name for the page number
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Step 8: if necessary.
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Step 9: Substitute the source name for the author's name
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Step 10: if necessary.
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Step 11: List each author when two or three authors are responsible for a work.
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Step 12: Abbreviate the author information when four or more authors are responsible for a work.
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Step 13: Consider providing additional citation information for works with multiple editions.
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Step 14: Label different author's with the same last name with a first initial.
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Step 15: Name the title when two works from the same author are used.
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Step 16: List multiple citations in parentheses by using a semicolon.
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Step 17: Know how to cite an indirect source.
Detailed Guide
For books, articles, and most written works, you need to provide the last name of the author and the page number or page range the quote or citation was pulled from.
This information can be contained completely in parentheses, completely in the sentence, or some combination of the two. , Write the author's last name and the page number from which the information came inside these parentheses.
When all is said and done, however, “in-text citations are fairly easy to write” (Doe 17).
In-text citations are not as difficult as they may seem according to some sources (Doe 17). , If you cite both the last name and note where in the source a quote or paraphrase came from within the sentence, you do not need to include any of that information in parentheses.
The location can be noted as a page or paragraph, but it must be at least that specific.
In the first paragraph of his article, Doe notes, “in-text citations are fairly easy to write.” In the first paragraph of his article, Doe explains that in-text citations are not as difficult to write as they may seem. , If you decide to mention the author's last name within the sentence, you only need to include the page number from which the quote or paraphrase came in parentheses.
These parentheses should be included directly after the borrowed information.
According to Doe, “in-text citations are fairly easy to write” (17).
Doe explains that in-text citations are not as difficult to write as they may seem (17). , If an e-Book or other Internet source has an author name and page numbers, cite both elements as you would with a print book.
In spite of arguments to the contrary, some claim that “the rules for in-text citations can get complicated once you start getting into special circumstances” (Smith 23).
Some may argue otherwise, but Smith insists that “the rules for in-text citations can get complicated once you start getting into special circumstances” (23). , If the Internet source does not have page numbers, write the name of the web page instead of the page number within parentheses.
Guidelines and rules for MLA citations can be found in a variety of places (Johnson, “Writing Essays”).
Johnson notes that guidelines for MLA citations can be found in many places (“Writing Essays”). , If the Internet source does not have a named author, write the name of the web page instead of the author's name in parentheses or within the sentence.
In spite of any special circumstances, most MLA in-text citations are “straightforward and simple to remember” (“MLA Citations” 3).
In “MLA Citations,” the author notes that most MLA in-text citations are “straightforward and simple to remember” (3). , If multiple authors wrote an article or book, the last name of each author should be included in the citation.
This is only true if there are two or three authors for a work, however.
Smith and Hoffman insist that “most academic writers get used to the MLA style guide once they have used it a few times” (62).
Some students can balance knowing multiple style guides while others find it difficult to remember the specifics of each one (Johnson, Smith, and Doe 102). , If more than three authors wrote an article or book, only the last name of the first author listed on the work should be included in the citation.
The rest should be indicated with the abbreviation “et al.” The MLA, APA, and Chicago style guides all share similarities, but each one also has its differences (Doe, et al. 44).
As noted by Doe, et al., the MLA, APA, and Chicago style guides all share similarities, but each one also has its differences (44). , If you are citing a work that has been republished multiple times as multiple editions, you should consider noting the chapter, part, section, paragraph, volume, or book that the cited information came from in order to make it easier to find the same quote or paraphrase in a different edition.
From Austen's perspective, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife” (4; ch. 1).
In the first chapter of Pride and Prejudice, Austen states, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife” (4). , If you are citing two separate works from two separate authors, but the authors happen to share the same last name, you need to distinguish that the two authors are separate people by including the first initial for each one.
Some believe that MLA citations are the most practical (J.
Doe 17) while others believe that APA is a superior style guide (B.
Doe 9).
J.
Doe believes that MLA citations are the most practical (17) but B.
Doe argues that APA is a superior style guide (9). , If you are citing two works that were written by the same author, you should distinguish that two works were used by listing an abbreviated version of each title in parentheses.
According to Smith, in-text citations are simple enough (“MLA In-Text Citations” 92) but the “Works Cited” page can get complicated depending on the “variety and particular types of sources used in a given paper” (The Fun of MLA 13). , If you are paraphrasing or summarizing information from two sources within the same line, cite each source as normal in parentheses but separate the two different sources with a semicolon.
The rules of MLA citations have been discussed by many (Smith 16; Doe 32). , If you came across the quote you are using in a work other than that which the information originally came from, introduce the original author within the sentence but note the author and page number from which you accessed the information.
Proceed this information with the abbreviation “qtd.” Doe notes that "in-text citations are fairly easy to write" (qtd. in Smith 102).
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