MLA Format and Documentation: In-Text Citations About MLA –
It allows readers to easily and accurately cross-reference your sources.
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It provides a consistent style of documentation for research papers in the humanities and English.
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It gives you credibility as a writer and researcher.
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It protects you against plagiarism and academic dishonesty. Two Parts of MLA Documentation In-Text Citations Works Cited Page This handout will cover the basics of in-text citations
In-Text Citations Use in-text citations… –
When you are quoting a source word for word
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When you are summarizing the main points of a source
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When you are paraphrasing a source by putting another writer’s ideas into your own words
Single Work with One Author –
A typical reference consists of the author’s last name and page number. The point has been argued that men and women communicate in distinctly different ways; these differences in communication can cause problems in social interactions (Tannen 178-85).
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The author’s last name and the page number are enclosed in parentheses at the end of the sentence and are followed by a period. This is why this method of sourcing information is called parenthetical documentation.
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If the author’s name is included in the sentence, only use the page number in your citation. It may be true, as Robertson maintains, that “in the appreciation of medieval art the attitude of the observer is of primary importance…” (136)
A work by Two or Three Authors –
When citing a work by two or three authors, give the names in the same order as they are listed on the source.
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Authors’ names in text…
Jacobsen and Waugh note that the death penalty is not warranted because of all the innocent people who have been found on death row (210 210). 210
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Authors’ names in citation… The death penalty is not warranted because of all the innocent people who have been found on death row (Jacobsen Jacobsen and Waugh 210). 210
A Work by More Than Three Authors –
Only list the first author, followed by et al.
The European powers believed they could change the fundamentals of Moslem existence (Bull et al. 395).
A Group or Corporate Author –
If a corporation or other organization is named as the author of a work, use the group’s name the same way you would use a person’s name. “I’d rather go naked than wear fur” (PETA 22).
A Work without an Author –
If a source doesn’t list an author, use an abbreviated form of the title in the citation. If you refer to the work in the sentence, you must write out the full title. “Death is bad for the dead man but good for the grave digger” (Dissoi Logoi 2).
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Use a shortened version of the title that will correspond to the full title of the work in your works cited page.
Two or More Authors with the same last name –
If you have more than one author with the same last name, differentiate them by including their first initial along with their last name in your citations. Crime is on the rise (Wishoff, R. 115). Yet some believe “it’s not” (Wishoff, C. 76).
More Than One Work by the Same Author –
When citing two or more sources by the same author, include an abbreviated title in each citation. Separate the author’s name and the title with a comma.
Emma Woodhouse’s statement, “Only poverty makes celibacy contemptible” (Austen, Emma 99) echoes Elizabeth Bennett’s refusal to marry for financial security (Austen, Pride 22).
Preserving Punctuation –
When a quotation ends with punctuation other than a period (i.e. a question mark or an exclamation point), include it inside the quotation mark, then insert the parenthetical reference and add a period. “There is no enjoyment like reading!!” (Austen 40)..
Citing an Indirect Source
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It is important to take material from the original source not a secondhand one, if possible. But, if only an indirect source is available, you must follow the following steps:
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When you use an indirect quotation, be sure to first give the name of the author of the indirect quote and then the abbreviation “qtd. in” and the author of the source from which you took the quotation.
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Use the abbreviation qtd. in. Samuel Johnson admitted that Edmund Burke was an “extraordinary man” (qtd. in Boswell 450)
Citing Plays and Poems –
Hamlet’s existential angst is expressed in his famous soliloquy, “To be, or not to be: that is the question” (Shakespeare 3.1.56). Milton’s epic poem, Paradise Lost, opens with the line, “Of man’s first disobedience and the fruit” (1.1).
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When citing material from plays and poems, include the act, scene, book, canto, stanza, verse, or line numbers instead of the page number. Use Arabic numbers in your citations, even if the source uses Roman numerals (6 instead of VI).
Citing a Website –
If the website lists an author, use the author’s name in your citation. If there is no author given, use an abbreviated form of the title. If a website has page numbers, use them as you would a print source.
“The Q&A” page of The Etiquette Grrls website states that it is inappropriate to wear white after Labor Day (Carlin and McDonough). “Frogs are members of the zoological class called Amphibia”(Frogland).
A direct quote which runs more than four lines –
Indent entire quote 2 tabs (1 inch), double-spaced, with no quotation marks. Note that the punctuation comes before the reference in this case.
John K. Mahon adds further insight to our understanding of the War of 1812: Financing the war was very difficult at the time. Baring Brothers, a banking firm of the enemy country, handled routine accounts for the United States overseas, but the firm would take on no loans. The loans were in the end absorbed by wealthy Americans at great hazard—also, as it turned out, at great profit to them. (385)