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MLA Citation Guide: In-Text Citations

This guide is intended to help you cite your sources in the Modern Language Association's style. It covers citing within the text and the references section.

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Citing Your Sources in Your Paper

Citing a work in the text of your paper is generally done with the author and page number in parentheses.  

One Author

Kessler found that among epidemiological samples...(34-35).

Early onset results in a more persistent and severe course (Kessler 37).

Two-Three Authors

Cite all names.

Ryan and Ferullo (42) say that....

Copyright can be managed in a university setting (Ryan and Ferullo 42).

More than Three Authors

Cite the first author followed by et al. and page number.

Kisangau et al. (423) found....

Authors With the Same Surname

Use the first initial of the primary author.

(M. Light 211).... (I. Light 206)....

Multiple Works by the Same Author

Use the Author's last name, a comma, the short title of the work (shorten if it is long) in italics then the page number.

(Frye, Anatomy 237)

(Frye, Double Vision 85)

Corporate Author

Long names should be used in the text so as not to interrupt the flow of the text. If a long name will be used in a parenthetical reference, shorten the name.

(National Research chouncil 15)

In 1963 the United nations Economic Commission for Africa  predicted... (1-2).

No identified Author

When you use the title as the first element of a citation, use the full title if it is short or a shortened title in quotation marks in the reference.

("Study Finds" 7).

the book "College Bound Seniors" (22).

When a work's author is designated as Anonymous, use Anonymous as the author.

(Anonymous 19).

Multiple works in the same parenthetical citation

Use semicolons to separate works. If the citation will be long enough to interupt the flow of the text, use a note to cite the works rather than parenthetical citations.

(Fukuyama 42; Mcrae 101-33)

Many observers conclude that health care in the United States in inadequate.1

Notes:

1. See Public Agenda Foundation 1-10 and Sakala 151-88.

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