MLA In-Text Citation

The MLA Handbook 9th edition offers guidance on creating works-cited-list entries in MLA style. It also features advice on punctuation, grammar, formatting research papers, and in-text citations.

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In-Text Citation - Chapter 6

Examples below provide an introduction to in-text citation:

Basic Format (Author-Page Style)
Author's Name in Text
Author's Name in Parentheses
No Author (Cite by Title)
Two Authors
Three or More Authors
Part of a Work
No Page Number
Indirect Sources
Generative AI (ChatGPT)

Basic Format (Author-page Style)

In addition to having a works cited list at the end of your paper, you must give credit to sources that you use within your paper. Usually the author’s last name and page number are enough for the reader to identify the source in the works cited. The citation appears in your text or at the end of a sentence.

Author's Name in Text

If you cite the author’s name in your sentence, cite only page numbers in parentheses at the end of the sentence. The first time you mention the author, include the first and last name. After that, list only the last name.

Example

Patrick Smith has compared these authors (203-05).

Works Cited

Smith, Patrick A. Tim O'Brien: A Critical Companion. Greenwood P, 2005.

Author's Name in Parentheses

If you do not cite the author's name in your paper, then include both the author's last name and page numbers in parentheses at the end of the sentence.

Example

These authors have been compared elsewhere (Smith 203-05).

Works Cited

Smith, Patrick A. Tim O'Brien: A Critical Companion. Greenwood P, 2005.

No Author (Cite by Title)

When there is no author listed for a work, include the first few words of the title followed by the page numbers, if available, in parentheses at the end of the sentence. Italicize longer works, such as book titles, plays, or entire websites. Put shorter works in quotation marks.

Example

Although NBC will not air liquor ads until after 9 p.m. to reduce impact on young viewers, the American Medical Association believes this advertising will affect young people ("Liquor Advertising").

Works Cited

"Liquor Advertising Gag is Hard to Swallow." National Post, 19 Dec. 2001, p. A17. ProQuest Central, https://search-proquest.com.lcc.idm.oclc.org/docview/329783841?accountid=1599.

Citing Two Authors

Author's name in text

Include both authors’ first and last names with “and” between the names. The first time you mention the authors, include the first and last names. After that, list only the last names.

Example

Richard Kraus and Sarah Hilsendager believe that a key aspect of the growth of dance on the American cultural scene has been the expansion of dance education (23).

Author's name in parentheses

Include both authors’ last names, with “and” between the names.

Example

They believe that a key aspect of the growth of dance on the American cultural scene has been the expansion of dance education (Kraus and Hilsendager 23).

Works Cited

Kraus, Richard, and Sarah Hilsendager. History of Dance in Education. Prentice, 1991.

Citing Three or More Authors

Author's name in text

If the source has three or more authors, cite the first author's name followed by "and colleagues" or "and others." You may also list all of the names.

Example

Chiras and colleagues offer sustainable solutions to global resource and environmental problems (2).

Author's name in parentheses

If the source has three or more authors, cite the first author's name followed by et al

Example

Chiras and colleagues offer sustainable solutions to global resource and environmental problems (Chiras et al. 2).

Works Cited

Chiras, Daniel, et al. Natural Resource Conservation: Management for a Sustainable Future. Pearson, 2004.

Citing Part of a Work

Research databases provide access to articles in two different formats:

PDF is an exact copy of the article as it appears in the magazine or journal and includes page numbers
HTML is the format for online reading and does not include page numbers

If available, use the PDF version because it includes page numbers.

Page numbers

When you quote or paraphrase a specific part of a print or online source with page numbers, give the relevant page numbers in parentheses at the end of the sentence.

Example

Brown wrote, "Time management is an important survival skill" (27).

Works Cited

Brown, D. C. (2003). "No Time for Time Management? Behavioral Agencies have Several Options for Improving Staff Efficiency." Behavioral Healthcare Tomorrow, vol. 12, no. 6, 2003, p. 27-30. General OneFile, link.galegroup.com.lcc.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/A111934133/AONE?u=lom_lansingcc&sid=AONE&xid=76a2677a.

Without page numbers

When you quote or paraphrase a specific passage in an online source without page numbers, no page numbers are needed.

Example

According to Jones, binge drinking is a serious problem.

Works Cited

Jones, Sherry Everett et al. "Binge Drinking among Undergraduate College Students in the United States: Implications for Other Substance Use." Journal of American College Health, vol. 50, no. 1, 2001, p. 33-38. ProQuest Central, search-proquest-com.lcc.idm.oclc.org/docview/213065738?accountid=1599.

Citing Indirect Sources

Whenever possible, use original source material, not an indirect source. If you must use an indirect source, create a Works Cited entry for the source that you actually read. In either the text of your paper or the in-text citation, refer to both the source you read and the source it mentions.

In the example below, you read an article by Sneed et al. that refers to an article by Bonnanno.

In your in-text citation, use qtd. for "quoted in."

Example

The report by Bonnanno indicated the various mental health impacts of disasters (qtd. in Sneed 793).

Works Cited

Sneed, Rodlescia S., et al. "Behavioral Health Concerns During the Flint Water Crisis, 2016–2018." Community Mental Health Journal, vol. 56, no. 5, 2020, pp. 793-803. ProQuest, dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10597-019-00520-7

Citing Generative AI (ChatGPT)

The Modern Language Association (MLA) recommends citing ChatGPT by the prompt title. It affirms that generative AI is a tool and should not be treated as an author. See the MLA article on Generative AI for more information on the example below, as well as more examples of citing generative AI.

Example

While the green light in The Great Gatsby might be said to chiefly symbolize four main things: optimism, the unattainability of the American dream, greed, and covetousness (“Describe the symbolism”), arguably the most important—the one that ties all four themes together—is greed.

Works Cited

“Describe the symbolism of the green light in the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald” prompt. ChatGPT, 13 Feb. version, OpenAI, 8 Mar. 2023, chat.openai.com/chat.