In MLA style, in-text citations acknowledge the sources you’ve used within your paper’s body. They briefly indicate the author(s) and publication year, allowing readers to locate the full reference list for further exploration.
General Rules for Citing Authors
In-text citations in MLA format consist of the author’s last name(s) and the publication year, enclosed in parentheses. The specific placement of this information depends on whether you’re paraphrasing or directly quoting a source.
Placement
- Paraphrasing: Place the author’s last name(s) and publication year in parentheses after your paraphrased sentence.
- Direct Quotations: Include the author’s last name(s), publication year, and the specific page number(s) where the quotation appears, all enclosed in parentheses after the quotation.
Additional Considerations
- Multiple Citations: When referencing two sources within the same citation, separate them with a semicolon
- Example: (Miller, 2023; Johnson, 2022)
- Same Last Name: If citing two authors with the same last name, include their initials to differentiate them
- Example: (A. Brown, 2018; J. Brown, 2021)
- Indirect Sources: If referencing information from a source you haven’t directly read (cited in another source), use “cited in” followed by the author and publication year of the source you consulted
- Example: (Green, 2015, as cited in Miller, 2023)
Citing Single Author
When citing one author, include the author’s last name and the page number from which the information was taken. If you reference the author’s last name in the body of the sentence, only include the page number in the parentheses. If not, include both.
- Example: (Smith 45)
- Example: According to Smith (45)…
Citing Source with Two Authors
When citing two authors, list both authors’ last names and the page number.
- Example: (Jones and Lee 72)
- Example: Jones and Lee argue (72)…
Citing Source with Three or More Authors
When citing three or more authors, use the first author’s last name followed by “et al.” and the page number.
- Example: (Brown et al. 124)
- Example: As noted by Brown et al. (124)…
Citing Source with Organizational Author
When citing a source that was written by an organization, use the organization’s name as the author, followed by the page number.
- Example: (United Nations 15)
- Example: According to the United Nations (15)…
Cite Two Sources in Same Citation
When citing two sources within the same reference, separate the two citations with a semicolon.
- Example: (Smith 45; Jones and Lee 72)
- Example: Previous studies (Smith 45; Jones and Lee 72)…
Cite Two Authors with Same Last Name
When citing two authors that have the same last name, include the authors’ initials to differentiate between them.
- Example: (J. Smith 56; M. Smith 78)
- Example: J. Smith’s research (56) contradicts M. Smith’s findings (78)…
Indirect Source
When citing a source that was referenced in another source, cite the source you actually consulted and include “qtd. in” before the indirect source.
- Example: (qtd. in Smith 45)
- Example: As mentioned in Smith’s work (45)…
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