MLA In-Text Citations
Your purpose in writing is to:
 build and construct your own pattern of
meaning
 develop your own ideas
 create your own organization
 reach your own conclusions
You should:
 use outside sources intelligently to
strengthen your text with necessary support
and evidence
 cite outside sources correctly
You should not:
 simply parrot back what those sources tell
you.
 fail to give proper credit to the sources you
use.
Citing Sources:
 shows your indebtedness to the work of
others.
 gives the reader a chance to find further
information.
 builds your credibility as a writer and
researcher (ethos!).
Why do I need to cite sources?
 You need to distinguish clearly between
your own words and ideas and those of
others.
 You should give credit where credit is due.
 There is no penalty for documenting.
 Failure to document is plagiarism.
You must cite:
 Quotations -- Taking from another source
the exact words of the author and using
them in your work. These words need to
begin and end with quotation marks and
should be cited.
Note: Quoted material is not just something someone
said. Direct quotes can be used to capture the
exact wording of any information in a source.
When should I use direct
quotations?
 Most often you should paraphrase and
summarize source material.
 Quote only when you want the exact words
of a source for some important reason.
 Keep quotations as brief as possible. Only
rarely are extensive quotations of more than
4 lines necessary.
Good reasons to quote from
sources:
 For support -- to bring the voices of
experts into your paper.
 For vivid language -- the wording of the
original sources is clearer and more
effective than any paraphrase you could
write.
 To represent the source fairly -- when you
quote accurately and directly, no one can
claim you misrepresented the source.
A well-chosen quotation:
 must be more than a random selection from
a source (it’s not filler!)
 should say something significant or
important enough to be quoted.
 should be well-written.
Don’t over quote
 Use quotations sparingly (for example: In a
5-page paper, 2 should not be quotations!)
 Don’t let other voices dominate your paper
 Don’t build your paper by stringing together
other people’s words.
 Quotations offer evidence and support; they
are not a substitute for your own ideas,
arguments and assertions.
You must cite:
 Facts that are not common knowledge
 If you can find the fact in multiple sources,
it is common knowledge and you do not
need to cite it. For example: the population
of the United States, the chemical formula
for water, the number of planets in the solar
system, etc.
You must cite:
 Paraphrase -- Short passages (two to three
sentences) from a source that you have
rephrased in your own words. Paraphrased
material is not enclosed in quotation marks.
You must cite:
 Summaries -- Taking lengthy passages
from a source (multiple paragraphs or
more), and reformulating or outlining them
in your own words. Summarized material is
not enclosed in quotation marks.
MLA In-Text Citations
Basic Format
 (Author’s Last Name (space) Page Number)
 One author claims that “no one is concerned with
this issue” (Jones 45).
 No comma between name and page #
 Close quotes before citation; period goes outside
the parenthesis
MLA In-Text Citations
Basic Format
 If the author’s name appears in the
introduction to the quote, then only a page #
is required.
 Howard Jones, director of the National
Institute of Alien Abductions, argues that
“no one is concerned with this issue” (45).
MLA In-Text Citations
Web Sources
 Treat citations for web sources and on-line data
bases the same as you would for printed works
 Fixed page #’s generally not available
 Omit page #; don’t use page number from print-
out
 DO NOT PUT WEB ADDRESS IN
CITATION!!
MLA In-Text Citations
No Author Available
 If no author is available, use a short form of the
title
 Title of the article: “Thirty Reasons to Write a
Research Paper”
 Citation looks like: (“Thirty Reasons” 26)
 Title of the Book: Ultimate Guide to the Simpsons
 Citation looks like: (Ultimate 567).
MLA In-Text Citations
Multiple Authors
 Both names included; joined by the word
“and”
 (Cortez and Jones 56)
 Three or more authors, use first author’s last
name followed by the abbreviation “et al.”
 (Cortez et al. 378)
MLA In-Text Citations
Different Authors; Same Last Name
 Include enough information to differentiate
them
 (H. Jones 48); (O. Jones 36)
MLA In-Text Citations
Multiple Works by One Author
 Author: Howard Jones
 Book Title: The Man of the Hour
 Magazine Article: “The Destruction of the
American Mind”
 (Jones, Man 475); (Jones, “Destruction” 34)
MLA In-Text Citations
Group Authors
 Group authors like corporations,
professional organizations, etc.
 Use same format, but substitute group name
 (American Heart Association 68)
MLA In-Text Citations
Indirect Source
(a source quoted in another source)
 Use abbreviation “qtd. in”
 Musician Miles Davis quoted in an article by
Nat Hentoff
 In one interview, the jazz legend said, “I never
took formal music lessons” (Davis, qtd. in
Hentoff).
 Miles Davis once said, “I never took formal
music lessons” (qtd. in Hentoff).
MLA In-Text Citations
 Bottom line: An in-text citation must match
up with the first word or few words of your
works cited entry--author’s last name or
shortened version of the work’s title
Rychnovsky, Ray. “Clawing into Controversy.” Outdoor Life
Jan. 1995: 38-42.
(Rychnovsky 41)
“Lion Attacks Prompt State to Respond.” New York Times
18 Oct. 1995, late ed.: A21.
(“Lion Attacks” A21).
Integrating quotations:
Attribution
 Introduce all quotations so the reader knows
who is being quoted—include the speaker’s
credentials!
 Don’t rely on parenthetical citations to
convey this information.
Integrating quotations:
Providing commentary
 Don’t assume your reader sees the same
significance in the quote that you do
 Don’t leave the quote “hanging” or “quote
and run.”
Integrating quotations:
Providing commentary
 Your reader must understand why you have
chosen a particular passage to quote.
 Your reader must see the significance of
what it says
 Your reader must know what you want
him/her to take from the quote.
Remember the OREO rule
 Step One: The Cookie -- Start with a few
sentences, building up to and explaining the
quote and why you are using it.
For example:
Most often, families that are dysfunctional
are the ones that spot aliens. Sighting aliens has
been characteristic of abusive, single-parent, or
low-income families for years. Many scientists
have documented this overwhelming phenomenon.
Remember the OREO rule
 Step Two: The Cream -- Once you have
built up to the quote, you are able to
smoothly insert the quote into the context.
For example:
According to Dr. Alvin Goodchuck, Ph.D., world-renowned
family psychologist and NASA consultant, “We’re seeing
that time and time again, dysfunctional families are at least
ten times more likely than any other familial structure to
sight aliens” (216).
Remember the OREO rule
 Step Three: The Cookie -- Now you may
explain the significance of the quote and
make it clear what you want the reader to
take from it.
For example:
With such overwhelming rates of dysfunctional families
spotting aliens, it is not only safe, but correct, to say that
aliens are choosing the types of families they visit.
Putting the OREO together
Most often, families that are dysfunctional are the
ones that spot aliens. Sighting aliens has been characteristic
of abusive, single-parent, or low-income families for years.
Many scientists have documented this overwhelming
phenomenon. According to Dr. Alvin Goodchuck, Ph.D.,
world-renowned family psychologist and NASA consultant,
“We’re seeing that time and time again, dysfunctional
families are at least ten times more likely than any other
familial structure to sight aliens” (216). With such
overwhelming rates of dysfuntional families spotting aliens,
it is not only safe, but correct, to say that aliens are choosing
the types of families they visit.