Guidelines for Writing: In-text Citations
How to use quotations, paraphrases, and summaries: Read the entire text, noting the key points and main ideas,
summarize in your own words what the single main idea of the essay is, paraphrase important supporting points that come
up in the essay, and consider any words, phrases, or brief passages that you believe should be quoted directly.
Citing Non-Print or Sources from the Internet:
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Include in the text the first item that appears in the Work Cited entry that corresponds to the citation (e.g. author
name, article name, website name, film name).
You do not need to give paragraph numbers or page numbers based on your Web browser’s print preview
function.
Unless you must list the website name in the signal phrase in order to get the reader to the appropriate entry, do
not include URLs in-text. Only provide partial URLs such as when the name of the site includes, for example, a
domain name, like CNN.com or Forbes.com as opposed to writing out http://www.cnn.com or
http://www.forbes.com.
Example (NECESSARY COMPONENTS OUTLINED IN BOLD)
Source you are citing:
“Edgar Allan Poe Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 04 Sept. 2012.
Early Life:
Topic Sentence: One can better understand an author’s inspiration for writing after learning
about their early life experiences. The twisted theme of horror and gothic elements that author Edgar
Allan Poe integrated into his works could be connected to the rough childhood he endured. From the
start of his life Poe missed out on having the support of a family as Direct Quote/ word for word
from the source: “[h]is father left the family early on, and his mother passed away when he was only
three” (“Edgar Allan Poe Biography”). NOTE THE EXAMPLE FOR IN-TEXT CITATIONS IN
PARENTHESES With the absence of a “normal” childhood… Commentary on Quote AKA WHY
YOU USED THE QUOTE/ WHY QUOTE IS RELEVANT. Paraphrased Information/
information from the source but in your own words: As if losing both of his parents was not
traumatic enough, Poe was then separated from his siblings and sent to live in Richmond, Virginia
with Joe and Francis Allan (“Edgar Allan Poe Biography”). NOTE THAT WHEN
PARAPHRASING YOU STILL MUST INCLUDE AN IN-TEXT CITATION. Paraphrased
Detail…. In-text Citation. Paraphrased Detail… In-text Citation. Final Commentary/
Concluding Sentence.
Short Story Author Bio Outline
REMINDER: EACH PARAGRAPH MUST CONTAIN 1 DIRECT QUOTE AND 3
PARAPHRASED DETAILS/ YOU WILL HAVE A TOTAL OF 4 IN-TEXT CITATIONS PER
PARAGRAPH
Paragraph 1: Early Life
1. (Topic Sentence):
2. (Concrete Detail/ Direct Quote followed by in-text citation):
3. (commentary):
4. (commentary):
5. (Paraphrased Detail followed by in-text citation):
6. (Paraphrased Detail followed by in-text citation):
7. (Paraphrased Detail followed by in-text citation):
8. (Conclusion/ all commentary):
Paragraph 2: Career/ Accomplishments
1. (Topic Sentence):
2. (Concrete Detail/ Direct Quote followed by in-text citation):
3. (commentary):
4. (commentary):
5. (Paraphrased Detail followed by in-text citation):
6. (Paraphrased Detail followed by in-text citation):
7. (Paraphrased Detail followed by in-text citation):
8. (Conclusion/ all commentary):
Paragraph 3: Genre/ Famous Works
1. (Topic Sentence):
2. (Concrete Detail/ Direct Quote):
3. (commentary):
4. (commentary):
5. (Paraphrased Detail followed by in-text citation):
6. (Paraphrased Detail followed by in-text citation):
7. (Paraphrased Detail followed by in-text citation):
8. (Conclusion/ all commentary):