How to Use Internal Citations
Include the author’s last name for in-text citations., Cite the name of the corporation as the author’s name., Cite the article’s title if the source does not have a given author., Include information about the edition when you cite classic literary...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Include the author’s last name for in-text citations.
Print sources include magazines, books, newspapers, and scholarly journal articles.
When citing these kinds of sources that have a known author, cite the author’s last name and a page number.
If you use the author’s last name within the text, you don’t need to repeat it in the citation; just include the page number within the parentheses.Example of a citation with name in the text: “Smith stated that the findings in his experiment were surprising (Smith 30).” Example of a citation without name in the text: “The findings in this experiment can be described as surprising (30).” -
Step 2: Cite the name of the corporation as the author’s name.
Some sources have a corporate author (the individual writer is not specified)—in these instances, simply use the name of the corporation as the author’s name.
In cases in which the corporation has a long or complicated name, use its abbreviation to make for more fluid reading., Follow this with the page number the passage was taken from.
This is common for smaller website pages, which often do not list an individual author. (For long titles, instead of using the title in its entirety, use a condensed version.)If the source is a short work—like a journal article, book chapter, or poem—put the title in quotations when citing.
If the source is a long work—like a book, play, or even a television show—italicize the title. , Well-known literary works—especially those written before the 20th century—will have multiple published editions.
In order to avoid confusion between the different editions, in addition to providing the author and page number in your in-text citation, provide more information about the source such as the volume (vol.), chapter (ch.), book (bk.), part (pt.), or section (sec.) number.
Use a semicolon to separate these from the page number.In-text citation: “Smith and Jones conducted the experiment with the help of their colleagues (30; vol. 2).” Parenthetical citation: “The results of the experiment were inconclusive (Smith 30; vol. 2).” , If you find that two or more authors within a source share the same last name, use their first initials for differentiation.
If two or more authors share both the same last name and first initial, use their full names.In-text citation: “Some scientists believe the results of the experiment were inconclusive (A.
Smith 13), while others found them to be quite grounded in research (B.
Smith 30).” Parenthetical citation: “Scientists conducting this experiment had differing views on the evidence, some believing the results to be inconclusive and others finding them grounded and quite conclusive (Alex Smith 13; Adam Smith 30).” , If citing a source with three authors or more, include the author’s last names plus the page number the passage was found on.In-text citation: “Smith, Jones, and White suggest that the results to the experiment were inconclusive (30).” Parenthetical citation: “The authors state, ‘Significant evidence suggests that the results to the experiment were inconclusive (Smith, Jones, and White 30).’ ” , If your source contains more than three authors, you have two options for proper referencing.
You may use just the first author’s last name, followed by “et al.” (This is a common Latin phrase which means “and others”), or you may use all of the authors’ last names in your citation.
In cited works with a longer list of authors, consider using the “et al.” option.In-text citation using et al.: “Jones et al. counter Johnson and White's argument (30).” In-text citation using all last names: “Jones, Smith, White, and Johnson counter Jackson, McMahon, and Kent’s argument (30).” Parenthetical citation using et al.:
Legal experts counter Smith, Jones, and White's argument by noting that the current evidence suggests otherwise (Marks et al. 4).
Parenthetical citation using all last names:
Legal experts counter Smith, Jones, and White's argument by noting that the current evidence suggests otherwise (Marks et al. 4). , When referencing several sources with the same author, cite the work using a condensed version of the title followed by the page number.When citing articles and other shorter works, use quotation marks.
When citing books and other longer works, italicize the title. , Some sources have multiple volumes.
When referencing different volumes of one particular source, be sure to include the volume number along with a page number and separate the two with a colon.
When citing just one volume within a multivolume source, just the page number should be provided in parentheses.Example of citation: “…as Smith wrote in Experimental Thesis (1: 30-31).” , There are many common translations of the Bible, including the King James Version, English Standard Version, and New International Version.
As such, you want to distinctly identity which Bible translation you are referencing and then be sure to name the book, chapter, and verse within your citation.When stating the version of the Bible, italicize or underline the title.
When stating the specific book from the Bible you are referencing, do not italicize or underline its title.
Example of citation:
Ezekiel saw “what seemed to be four living creatures,” each with faces of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle (King James Holy Bible, Ezek.
1.5-10). , Indirect sources are secondary sources that are already referenced within a source.
When citing this type of source write “qtd.” before the name of the source, followed by the page number.
For example: “… (qtd. in Smith 230)…”, For sources found electronically, page and paragraph numbers may not exist; you do not need to include them within your citation.
Simply cite the name of the article, film, or website when citing an internet source. -
Step 3: Cite the article’s title if the source does not have a given author.
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Step 4: Include information about the edition when you cite classic literary works.
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Step 5: Include first initials when you cite two (or more) authors with the same last name.
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Step 6: Cite sources with three or more authors.
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Step 7: Include “et al” in citations with three or more authors.
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Step 8: Cite multiple works with the same author.
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Step 9: Cite multivolume works.
-
Step 10: Cite the Bible.
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Step 11: Use “qtd” when citing indirect sources.
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Step 12: Cite internet sources.
Detailed Guide
Print sources include magazines, books, newspapers, and scholarly journal articles.
When citing these kinds of sources that have a known author, cite the author’s last name and a page number.
If you use the author’s last name within the text, you don’t need to repeat it in the citation; just include the page number within the parentheses.Example of a citation with name in the text: “Smith stated that the findings in his experiment were surprising (Smith 30).” Example of a citation without name in the text: “The findings in this experiment can be described as surprising (30).”
Some sources have a corporate author (the individual writer is not specified)—in these instances, simply use the name of the corporation as the author’s name.
In cases in which the corporation has a long or complicated name, use its abbreviation to make for more fluid reading., Follow this with the page number the passage was taken from.
This is common for smaller website pages, which often do not list an individual author. (For long titles, instead of using the title in its entirety, use a condensed version.)If the source is a short work—like a journal article, book chapter, or poem—put the title in quotations when citing.
If the source is a long work—like a book, play, or even a television show—italicize the title. , Well-known literary works—especially those written before the 20th century—will have multiple published editions.
In order to avoid confusion between the different editions, in addition to providing the author and page number in your in-text citation, provide more information about the source such as the volume (vol.), chapter (ch.), book (bk.), part (pt.), or section (sec.) number.
Use a semicolon to separate these from the page number.In-text citation: “Smith and Jones conducted the experiment with the help of their colleagues (30; vol. 2).” Parenthetical citation: “The results of the experiment were inconclusive (Smith 30; vol. 2).” , If you find that two or more authors within a source share the same last name, use their first initials for differentiation.
If two or more authors share both the same last name and first initial, use their full names.In-text citation: “Some scientists believe the results of the experiment were inconclusive (A.
Smith 13), while others found them to be quite grounded in research (B.
Smith 30).” Parenthetical citation: “Scientists conducting this experiment had differing views on the evidence, some believing the results to be inconclusive and others finding them grounded and quite conclusive (Alex Smith 13; Adam Smith 30).” , If citing a source with three authors or more, include the author’s last names plus the page number the passage was found on.In-text citation: “Smith, Jones, and White suggest that the results to the experiment were inconclusive (30).” Parenthetical citation: “The authors state, ‘Significant evidence suggests that the results to the experiment were inconclusive (Smith, Jones, and White 30).’ ” , If your source contains more than three authors, you have two options for proper referencing.
You may use just the first author’s last name, followed by “et al.” (This is a common Latin phrase which means “and others”), or you may use all of the authors’ last names in your citation.
In cited works with a longer list of authors, consider using the “et al.” option.In-text citation using et al.: “Jones et al. counter Johnson and White's argument (30).” In-text citation using all last names: “Jones, Smith, White, and Johnson counter Jackson, McMahon, and Kent’s argument (30).” Parenthetical citation using et al.:
Legal experts counter Smith, Jones, and White's argument by noting that the current evidence suggests otherwise (Marks et al. 4).
Parenthetical citation using all last names:
Legal experts counter Smith, Jones, and White's argument by noting that the current evidence suggests otherwise (Marks et al. 4). , When referencing several sources with the same author, cite the work using a condensed version of the title followed by the page number.When citing articles and other shorter works, use quotation marks.
When citing books and other longer works, italicize the title. , Some sources have multiple volumes.
When referencing different volumes of one particular source, be sure to include the volume number along with a page number and separate the two with a colon.
When citing just one volume within a multivolume source, just the page number should be provided in parentheses.Example of citation: “…as Smith wrote in Experimental Thesis (1: 30-31).” , There are many common translations of the Bible, including the King James Version, English Standard Version, and New International Version.
As such, you want to distinctly identity which Bible translation you are referencing and then be sure to name the book, chapter, and verse within your citation.When stating the version of the Bible, italicize or underline the title.
When stating the specific book from the Bible you are referencing, do not italicize or underline its title.
Example of citation:
Ezekiel saw “what seemed to be four living creatures,” each with faces of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle (King James Holy Bible, Ezek.
1.5-10). , Indirect sources are secondary sources that are already referenced within a source.
When citing this type of source write “qtd.” before the name of the source, followed by the page number.
For example: “… (qtd. in Smith 230)…”, For sources found electronically, page and paragraph numbers may not exist; you do not need to include them within your citation.
Simply cite the name of the article, film, or website when citing an internet source.
About the Author
George Shaw
Creates helpful guides on practical skills to inspire and educate readers.
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