Research Guides: Research in the Disciplines Supplementary Research Guide 01:355:201: MLA In-text Citations

MLA In-text Citations

In MLA style, you will use in-text (parenthetical) citations to refer readers to the full citation in the Works Cited List. In-text citations generally contain the author's last name (surname) and page location of cited material placed within parentheses at the end of a sentence. See below for examples of the different forms in-text citations in different contexts.

MLA In-text Citations Examples

In-text citations should be as brief and as clear as possible. Their purpose is to unobtrusively guide readers to the corresponding entry in your list of works cited. Generally, a parenthetical in-text citation includes the author's last name and the page number(s) of the information used.

Direct Quotations

Place the author's name either in parentheses or within the sentence. For example:

According to Jones,"Students often had difficulty using MLA style" (199).

She stated, Students often had difficulty using MLA style, "but she did not offer an explanation as to why"(Jones 199).

Place long direct quotations in a left-indented block. For example:

Jones' study found the following:

Students often had difficulty using MLA style, especially when it was their first time citing sources. This difficulty could be attributed to the fact that many students failed to purchase a style manual or to ask their teacher for help. (199).

Summary or Paraphrase

Indicate the source by the author and the page number(s) in the parentheses. For example:

According toJones, MLA style is a difficult citation format for first-time learners(199).

Works with more than one author

For works with two authors, include the last name of both authors and connect with "and".

For example: (Clyde and Thomas 369)

For works with three or more authors, use the first author's last name followed by et al.

For example: (Wong et al. 145)

Archival Documents

For archival documents, use the author’s name in parenthesis without page numbers.