MLA In-Text Citations
In-text citations provide essential information to your reader, pointing them toward the Works Cited entry for information that you reference in the text. This establishes a level of transparency and trust with your reader and serving as the cornerstone of professional and academic writing. Readers can verify that your information has been referenced accurately and that the sources themselves are trustworthy. Without in-text citations, a reader would not have a way of discerning where the information that you reference comes from–even if you had clear Works Cited entries for all of your sources.
Remember though, in-text citations merely point the reader toward the Works Cited entry and create as little disruption as possible in the process. The full information for a source appears in the Works Cited entry itself.
Before proceeding, watch this brief overview of the how and why of in-text citations from the Excelsior Online Writing Lab (OWL)
MLA Citations in the Body of Your Paper
MLA citations follow specific conventions that distinguish them from other styles. In-text citations are also sometimes known as “parenthetical citations” because they are enclosed in parentheses. Most often, the author’s last name and the page number(s) from which the quotation or paraphrase is taken must appear in parentheses at the end of the sentence.
At the end of the day Wilbur made “in excess of half a million dollars” (Marx 43).
If you use the name of the author to set up your quote or paraphrase, mention the full author’s name the first time in the sentence; thereafter use only the last name. Then put the page number without p. or pp. in the parentheses at the end of the sentence.
According to Marx, Wilbur made “in excess of half a million dollars” (43).
Page numbers should appear as they do in the source. If the source is only one page, do not add a page number in the citation. Examples of how numbers could appear in citations include 422, xxvi, and D32.
If other location types are used within a citation, they are listed often using abbreviations. The table below shows some location options with the appropriate abbreviations. When using any of these location types, add a comma within the citation after the author’s name. Only use the location type if they are included in the source. For example, do not use line or paragraph numbers if they are not included in the source referenced.
| Location |
Appropriate Abbreviation |
| chapter(s) |
ch. or chs. |
| line |
Do no abbreviate. Write out line or lines. |
| paragraph(s) |
par. or pars. |
| scene |
sc. |
| section(s) |
sec. or secs. |
NOTE: If you reference the work as a whole, page numbers are not required within the citation.If an ebook is used, use page numbers that are consistent across devices. Chapter numbers are also acceptable. However, do not use location numbers as they can vary in different devices.
If you need to cite more than one source in your in-text citation, you should use a semicolon to separate the sources.
(Jones 101; Williams 23).
It’s important to remember, in MLA style, each citation in your text must have a complete bibliographic entry in your Works Cited page, so, if readers want to go to the original source, they can!
The examples above are just a few of the most common examples of in-text citations in MLA style. The following pages provide more detailed information about in-text citing in MLA.
Single Author
When you quote or paraphrase a source, list the last name of the author, followed by the page number.
- According to most experts, “the best way to increase a child’s literacy” is to read to them every night (Wolf 220–240).
- Marx draws attention to Thoreau’s ambiguity when he says, “What are we to make of this double image of the railroad? On inspection the passage proves to be a sustained evocation of the ambiguous meaning of the machine and its relation to nature” (456-457).
Two Authors
If your source has two authors, separate their last names with the word “and.” The authors’ names should be listed in the order they appear in the published work.
- According to most experts, “the best way to increase a child’s literacy” is to read to them every night (Wolf and Munemo 220–240).
The first time the authors are mentioned in the text, the full names of both authors should be used.
- James Wolf and Alice Munemo note that children whose parents read to them every night receive higher scores on literacy tests (220–240).
Three or More Authors
If your source has three or more authors, you should include the first author’s name followed by et al.
- According to most experts, “the best way to increase a child’s literacy” is to read to them every night (Wolf et al. 220–240).
The first time the authors are mentioned in the text, one option is to list all of the authors’ full names. Alternatively, it is acceptable to mention the first author’s full name with “and colleagues” or “and others” after the name.
- James Wolf and colleagues note that children whose parents read to them every night receive higher scores on literacy tests (220–240).
Multiple Works by the Same Author
If more than one work by an author is cited, include shortened titles for the works to distinguish them from each other.
Example if the author’s name is mentioned:
- Obama has argued that the invasion was a bad idea (“Too Soon” 42), though he has acknowledged elsewhere that it led to much good (“A Stronger Country” 13).
Example if the author’s name and title are mentioned:
- In “Too Soon,” Obama argued that the invasion was a bad idea (42).
Example if the author’s name is not mentioned in the sentence:
- Photography, because it is both science and art, seems to be “a bridge discipline” (Barthes, “Of Loss and Cameras” 45).
Notice that when all three elements are used within the parenthetical citation, there is a comma added after the author’s name.
Multiple Sources
If multiple sources are cited within the same in-text citation, separate each citation with a semicolon. The sources do not need to be alphabetized within the citation.
- The importance of family bonds and connections is immeasurable (Pickens 21; Bulmore 68).
Corporate Author
If a source is created by an organization, the author element (name of the organization) must be abbreviated to only the noun phrase within the citation, minus any articles. The citation will point the reader to the full name within the Works Cited content. In the text and in the Works Cited, use the full name of the work.
The Excelsior Online Writing Lab (OWL) would be Excelsior Online Writing Lab because Lab is the noun. The words that come before it are modifying the word Lab. However, the National Academy of Medicine would be abbreviated to National Academy. Academy is the noun.
Citations
- According to the National Academy of Medicine, “sources should be science-based, objective, transparent, and accountable.”
- “Sources should be science-based, objective, transparent, and accountable” (National Academy).
Work Cited
-
National Academy of Medicine. “NAM & WHO Encourage Digital Platforms to Apply Global Principles for Identifying Credible Sources of Health Information.” 24 Feb. 2022, https://nam.edu/nam-who-encourage-digital-platforms-to-apply-global-principles-for-identifying-credible-sources-of-health-information/.
Anonymous or Unknown Author
If the author is unknown, use an abbreviated version of the work’s title or description. The beginning phrase of the title or description should be used without the beginning article (a, an, the). If your title is a noun phrase, it should not be abbreviated. Format the title (or abbreviated title, or description) consistent with the formatting within the Works Cited. For example, if the title is italicized or in quotes on the Works Cited page, it should also be italicized or in quotes here.
- An anonymous source claimed that the Iraq invasion was a bad idea from the beginning (“Bush Cannot Win” 104).
No Page Numbers
If a work, such as a website, does not include page numbers, then omit this portion of the in-text citation.
- Marx used “class” in “two different ways” (Calvert).
Some sources—like an ebook—employ location indicators other than page numbers. If your work is divided into stable sections like chapters, those sections may be cited. Do not use the location numbers used within an ebook as the locations are often specific to that app or device.
- Marx used “class” in “two different ways” (Calvert, ch. 4).
Prose
When referencing commonly studied works of prose, such as a novel or a play, list the page number or author and page number first in your in-text citation. After that, list the other relevant information, separating the page number from the rest of the details with a semi-colon.
Novel
- In A Room of One’s Own, Virginia Woolf writes that “a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction” (4; ch. 1).
Play
- The audience laughs when Vladimir says, “There’s man all over for you, blaming on his boots the faults of his feet” (Beckett 8; act 1).
Verse
NOTE: Some works are classics and have accepted abbreviations that can be used. For plays, it is always acceptable to use the name or abbreviated name of the play. If you are interested in using these abbreviations, there is a list in Appendix 1 within the MLA Handbook. This list has abbreviations for works by Chaucer and Shakespeare as well as books within the Bible.
Play
Most poems and verse plays provide line numbers. When quoting lines of verse, avoid using page numbers and cite by whatever categories you can provide (title of play, act, scene, and line). Make sure to separate the numbers with periods. In the citation, use the title of the play, the act and scene separated by a period, and the line numbers without the word “line.” The citation examples below refer to title, act, scene, and line numbers.
- When Prospero says to Ferdinand, “All thy vexations / Were but my trials of thy love, and thou / Hast strangely stood the test,” he reveals his own surprise in his friend’s dedication to him (Tempest 4.1.5–7).
- When Polonius says, “This above all: to thine own self be true, / And it must follow, as the night the day, / Thou canst not then be false to any man,” he is giving timeless and wise advice to his son, Laertes (Hamlet 1.3.78–80).
Poem
For verse works, such as poems, include line numbers in your in-text citations if the lines are included in your source.When you are citing only line numbers, write out the full word “line” or “lines.”
- In “April Rain Song,” Hughes uses sibilance to mimic the sound of raindrops on his roof, “The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night” (line 6).
If you do not use the author’s name or the title of the work (or both) in your prose prior to the citation, include that information, separated by a comma, in the parenthetical citation.
- The poet uses sibilance to mimic the sound of raindrops on his roof, “The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night” (Hughes, “April Rain Song,” line 6).
If it is clear that you are referencing only line numbers from within the same work, you only have to use the word “line” or “lines” in the first citation. After that, you can use just the number.
- Poe wrote, “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary” (line 1).
- Later in the poem, Poe wrote, “Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, / Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before” (25–26).
Scripture
When citing scripture the first time, add part or all (depending on length and omit articles) of the first element from the citation from the Works Cited page. Follow that with an abbreviated name of the book as well as chapter and verse numbers. Chapter and verse(s) will be separated with a period. A specific edition should be in italics, but the Bible, Koran, and Talmud without specific editions should not be italicized.
Sample citations:
- He wrote, “A mild answer turns away wrath, sharp words stir up anger” (New Jerusalem Bible, Prov. 15.1).
- The Holy Bible says, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; and with all thy getting get understanding” (Prov. 4.7).
- In the Bible it says, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; and with all thy getting get understanding” (Holy Bible, Prov. 4.7).
Works Cited
-
The New Jerusalem Bible. Joseph Henry Wansbrough, general editor, Catholic Online, https://www.catholic.org/bible/book.php?id=24&bible_chapter=15.
-
The Holy Bible. Authorized King James Version, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1979.
REMEMBER: If there is a range of numbers, consistency is important. Either use a hyphen in all cases or an en dash. Do not go back and forth. Hyphens are acceptable; professional printers most often use en dashes.
Citing Indirect Sources
The MLA Handbook recommends taking material from the original source whenever possible. If you need to use indirect quotations, use “qtd. in” to indicate the source consulted. If it is clear in the text that the source is secondhand, “qtd. in” is not needed within the citation.
Jones claimed that runners who “drank regularly usually stopped running after a few months” (qtd. in Salazar 212).
