In-Text Citations in MLA Style
The main rule for inserting citations in the text is to indicate the last name of an author and the number of a page(s) in parentheses. The source with two authors needs both last names. In the case of more than two authors, you mention only the first of them and then use ‘et al.’ (and others).
If you cite something that you have found on several pages in a row, indicate the entire range of these pages. If these pages are nonconsecutive, they need to be separated with commas.
- one author - (Griffith 132)
- two authors - (Hengeveld and Mackenzie 14-16)
- three or more authors - (Chen et al. 68, 93)
Remember that all in-text quotes should refer properly to the Works Cited list at the end of the paper.
Here are the main rules on how to cite sources within the text. Let’s consider the specific cases of using the MLA in-text citation in detail.
Quote Positions in the Text
The parenthetical citation goes immediately after the quote or paraphrase. You place a period or another punctuation mark after it. This does not refer to block quotes where we place the citation after the period.
If you have indicated the author’s last name in the text, use parentheses for adding the number of a page. When you name three plus authors within the text, use the phrases ‘and others’ or ‘and colleagues’ but not ‘et al.’
Examples- Semantic categories are functions (Hengeveld and Mackenzie 14-16).
- According to Hengeveld and Mackenzie, semantic categories are functions (14-16).
- The historic data proves that in China, “modern banks were introduced by the British and other Europeans after the country was forced to open in 1842” (Chen et al. 132), but the progress continued till the beginning of the twentieth century (Sinclair 68).
- Chen and colleagues argue that modern Chinese banks were introduced by the British after the country opened its boundaries to new financial systems in 1842 (132).
How to Combine Citations
Your sentence may include the information you have taken from more than one source. Then, you can insert these two or more citations in one parenthesis but separate them with semicolons.
ExampleKnowledge of vocabulary is important for making connections with the world, while semantic categories help understand how vocabulary functions (Willey 32; Hengeveld 16).
A Row of Citations from the Same Source
When you use the same source within one paragraph, you do not need to include the author’s name after each statement. Use it only when you cite this author for the first time, and then use the page only in parentheses.
ExampleThe main cause of obesity is a caloric imbalance (Griffith 123-124). A diet with too many sugars and carbohydrates is another common cause (126).
Remember that it should always be clear what source you are using. That is why if you need to cite something else between the quotes from the same source or start a new paragraph, use the full citation with the author’s name.
How to Cite Sources Without Authors
Take into account the Works Cited entry for the source you are citing if it does not have an author’s name. You may indicate the title or the name of the organization, but they should match the information from Works Cited. Even if you use the shortened name of the organization, it has to begin with the same word as in the reference list. You need to use this short name if the citation’s title contains more than four words. No articles are needed there. The first word should correspond to the entry formatted in alphabetical order.
MLA citation rules imply specific formatting that should be used. If the source is a website or a whole book, the title is in italics, while if the source is a part of a container, for instance, a web page or chapter, its title is used with quotation marks.
- Bloomberg Financial Report 2019-2020: Use of Cryptocurrencies - (Bloomberg Financial Report 124)
- “Ways to Solve Aesthetic Issues in Multicultural Environments” (“Ways”)
- “A Quick Guide to Choosing In-Ground Pump Filters” (“Quick Guide”)
- National Academy of Hydro Resources (National Academy 154)
How to Cite Sources Without Page Numbers
A source you need to cite may have numbered chapters or sections but no page numbers. You can encounter that in the Constitution articles, the Bible verses, timestamps of videos or podcasts, etc. You can utilize these numbers when you cite a source.
If there is no numbering system at all, you should use only the name of an author if it is available. If the paragraphs do not have numbers in the source, you should not enumerate them, either.
- Using the source that has numbered parts. You have to put a comma after the author’s name and provide the number of a part with its abbreviated title, e.g. (Baker, ch. 5).
- If you quote a play where the lines have numbers, mention the numbers of an act, scene, and line. Separate them with periods, for example: (Shaw 2.3.72).
- If you deal with an audiovisual source, indicate the time range you can spot in your player, e.g. (Mackenzie 8:41-9:06).
- With the source without any numbered parts, use only the name of its author or a shortened title if there is no author there, for instance: (Peterson).
Note that if the source does not have any numbers but you have already mentioned its author in the text, you do not need to use any parenthetical citation.
How to Cite Various Sources with the Same Author
Your Works Cited list may involve several sources belonging to the same author. You need to distinguish among them in your in-text quoting.
Several Sources with the Same Author
You have to add a shortened title after the author’s name to avoid confusion.
Example- (Lawrence, Ecology Issues 35)
- (Lawrence, “Ecosystems in Eastern Asia” 382)
Here, the first sample is a book, so the title is italicized. The second source is an article by the same author taken from a journal, so you have to use quotation marks.
The Same Last Names of Different Authors
You need to make the citations clear if you have come across different authors with the same last name. In this case, you should use the initials or (if by coincidence, the initials are also similar) full first names.
Examples- (J. Lawrence 99)
- (R. Lawrence 182)
- (Richard Lawrence 249)
- (Rosie Lawrence 15)
Indirect Citing of Sources
You may want to cite some ideas that you have seen in a secondary source. The best advice here is to look for an original source and make a direct citing. However, you may sometimes fail to find an original, so you need to indicate both sources - that of the initial author and of the author where you found the reference to this original source. In this case, you need to utilize the ‘qtd. in’ abbreviation meaning ‘quoted in.’
ExampleWiley believes that knowledge of language “includes, as an important part, our knowledge of words” (qtd. in Hengeveld, ch. 9).
The Works Cited list in this case should include only the direct source you have taken the information from.
Final Thoughts
Here, you can see how many minor rules you need to observe while making in-text citations in MLA style. Actually, they are not too complicated, but you need to be very attentive to meet all the requirements.
If you are short for time or still do not know how to do this appropriately, you may use the online citation generator to help you.