MLA Style: How to Cite Sources
Strategy: In-text Citation
“In-text citation” happens when an author
tells the reader where something came from
by adding a reference in parentheses shortly
after the fact or idea to be acknowledged.
This is different from and easier than putting
your references in footnotes or endnotes.
In-text Citation: From a Print Source
When a source is paginated, give the page number (or
inclusive page numbers) in your citation.
Interaction refers to “in-class discussion, out-of-class
electronic communication, and out of class face-to-face
interaction” between the instructor and students and
among students (Chen 48).
If you’re using a source found on the Web that shows
pagination, then include the pagination in your
citation.
What If There’s More Than One
Author?
If your source has three or fewer authors, give
all three authors’ names in the in-text citation.
• Smith, Yang, and Moore argue that tougher
gun control is not needed in the United States
(76).
• The authors state "Tighter gun control in the
United States erodes Second Amendment
rights" (Smith, Yang, and Moore 76).
More Than Three Authors
References to four or more authors name only the first author and
then at “et al.” This is the Latin abbreviation for “and others.”
• Jones et al. counter Smith, Yang, and Moore's argument by noting
that the current spike in gun violence in America compels law
makers to adjust gun laws (4).
• Legal experts counter Smith, Yang, and Moore's argument by noting
that the current spike in gun violence in America compels law
makers to adjust gun laws (Jones et al. 4).
You also have the option of giving all the authors’ last names, if it’s
not completely out of hand.
In-text Citation: From a Web
source
Obviously, you can’t include a page number from a website
that has no pagination! No need to add “n.p.” (for “ no
pagination”).
The ASU Foundation (one of the state’s oldest 501C(3)
organizations), is, I discovered, the ultimate broker, with a
mission is to “sustain and support” the university while
being “independently governed and professionally
managed” (ASU Foundation Mission Statement).
Note that when no author’s name is given, the reference
starts with the document’s title.
In-text Citation: A Quote Cited within a
Source
Researchers agree that interaction is
“fundamental to the effectiveness of distance
education and traditional programs” (McIsaac
and Gunawardena, 415), that it is “important”
(Fulford and Zhang cited in Simonson et al.
72), and…
Strategy: Signal Phrase
A signal phrase is a short tag that tells the reader where a
fact or idea came from. This is considered good style
because it helps your reader follow your train of thought
and creates a smoother narrative.
By the end of the Founder’s Day Event it was clear we
had discovered a “community of memory”—what Robert
Bellah in Habits of the Heart defines as “one that does not
forget its past…. [and] which is involved in retelling its story,
its constitutive narrative….and [it] offers examples of the
men and women who have embodied and exemplified the
meaning of community” (153).
Signalling the source of a signal phrase
Note that since you’ve mentioned the author and title in
your sentence, you don’t have to repeat yourself in the intext citation. All that’s needed (for a print source) is the
page reference:
By the end of the Founder’s Day Event it was clear we
had discovered a “community of memory”—what Robert
Bellah in Habits of the Heart defines as “one that does not
forget its past…. [and] which is involved in retelling its story,
its constitutive narrative….and [it] offers examples of the
men and women who have embodied and exemplified the
meaning of community” (153).
If the Signal Phrase’s Source Is Online…
…then there’s no need for a parenthetical
reference to the page number.
According to HealthInsight’s online
“National Rankings for Hospitals,” the Mayo
Hospital is one of the very few in the state
that rank among the top clinically and in terms
of safety.
Ditzy Details
The in-text citation goes OUTSIDE the end-quotation
mark, and we place it on the INSIDE of the period or
comma that follows:
Researchers agree that interaction is “fundamental
to the effectiveness of distance education and
traditional programs” (McIsaac and Gunawardena
426), that it is “important” (Fulford and Zhang, cited in
Simonson, Smaldino, and Albright 72), and that “its
importance cannot be underestimated” in distance
learning environments (Harasim, cited in McIsaac and
Gunawardena 428).
No comma before page
numbers!
Ditzy Details, II
Enter a space between a word and an openparenthesis:
Researchers agree that interaction is
“fundamental to the effectiveness of distance
education and traditional programs” (McIsaac
and Gunawardena 426),…
In Summary…
Let’s review how these look
Paginated Print Source:
Interaction refers to “in-class discussion, out-of-class electronic
communication, and out of class face-to-face interaction” between
the instructor and students and among students (Chen 48).
Unpaginated Web page:
The ASU Foundation (one of the state’s oldest 501C(3)
organizations), is, I discovered, the ultimate broker, with a mission is
to “sustain and support” the university while being “independently
governed and professionally managed” (ASU Foundation Mission
Statement).
Review, Continued
A quote cited within one of your sources:
Researchers agree that interaction is “fundamental to the
effectiveness of distance education and traditional programs”
(McIsaac & Gunawardena 415), that it is “important” (Fulford and
Zhang, cited in Simonson, Smaldino, and Zvacek 72),…
A signal phrase:
By the end of the Founder’s Day Event it was clear we had discovered a
“community of memory”—what Robert Bellah in Habits of the
Heart defines as “one that does not forget its past…. [and] which is
involved in retelling its story, its constitutive narrative….and [it]
offers examples of the men and women who have embodied and
exemplified the meaning of community” (153).