How to Insert MLA In-Text Citations
When do I include an in-text citation?
● Include a citation whenever you quote or paraphrase material from another source.
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EX: The style guide says, “Quotations are set within quotation marks” (Smith 8).
EX: The style guide says that paraphrased material does not go in quotation marks (Smith 8).
What goes in the parentheses?
● If you mention the author in a signal phrase, put only the page number(s) in parentheses. If you do
not mention the author in a signal phrase, put the author’s last name in the parentheses. Do not write
“page,” “p,” or “pp” inside the parentheses.
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If there is no author, use the title of the text in its place.
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EX: According to Foulkes's study, dreams may express “profound aspects of personality”
(184).
EX: According to some, dreams express “profound aspects of personality,” though others
disagree (Foulkes 184).
Titles of short works, like a chapter or poem, go in quotation marks (“The Zen Master” 1).
Titles of long works, like books, go in italics (My Anonymous Novel 375).
If there is no page number, you don’t put a page number in the parentheses. This frequently happens
in citations of online sources.
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Just two degrees of warming will have catastrophic effects on the environment (Gillis).
Where does the in-text citation go?
● Place the parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence just before the period.
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EX: Jim Gallien admits McCandless “did not seem much for words” on their drive
(Krakauer 34).
Question marks and exclamation points should appear within the quotation marks if they are a part
of the quoted passage but after the parenthetical citation if they are a part of your text.
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EX: Is it possible that dreams may express “profound aspects of personality” (Foulkes 184)?
EX: The protesters shouted, “Je sui Charlie!” (Tucker 22).
Where do I put spaces?
● The purple marks in the example below highlight the required spaces in in-text citations.
○ Monk said, “I’ll take that secret to the grave” (Franks 92). He lied.