MLA In-text Citations
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 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:
OR
Place long direct quotations in a left-indented block. For example:
Summary or Paraphrase
Indicate the source by the author and the page number(s) in the parentheses. For example:
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.