To do in-text citations in MLA style, follow these key guidelines:
- Use the author-page method: include the author's last name and the page number(s) where the information or quote is found, all enclosed in parentheses. For example: (Smith 23)
- If the author's name is mentioned in the sentence, include only the page number in parentheses: Smith argues that... (23)
- For sources with two authors, include both last names: (Smith and Jones 45)
- For sources with three or more authors, use the first author's last name followed by "et al.": (Smith et al. 67)
- If the source has no page numbers, just include the author's last name: (Smith)
- When citing multiple sources in one parenthetical citation, separate them with semicolons: (Smith 23; Jones 45)
- If citing a source repeatedly in the same paragraph, provide the full citation the first time, then just the page number in subsequent citations as long as no other source intervenes
- Place the citation immediately after the quoted or paraphrased material and before the punctuation mark, except for block quotes where it comes after the period
- If no author is given, use a shortened title of the work (italicized or in quotation marks as it appears in the Works Cited) and the page number: (Cell Biology 12) or ("Nursing" 12)
- For secondary sources, cite the source you actually read and add "qtd. in" before the original author: (Smith qtd. in Kirkey 42)
Each in-text citation must correspond to a full entry on the Works Cited page.
Example of a basic in-text citation:
Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful
feelings" (Wordsworth 263)
. This method helps readers locate the original source easily in your Works Cited list. These rules align with MLA 9th edition guidelines as summarized by Purdue OWL, Penn State Libraries, Scribbr, and other academic sources
