In-Text Citations &
MLA
By the end of this lesson you will know
how to create an in-text citation & how
to format a paper using MLA.
Sources

When to put the source in your paper:
A
direct quote
A
statistic
An
idea that is not your own
Someone
Concrete
else’s opinion
facts, not considered “common
knowledge”
Signal Phrases in MLA

Model Signal Phrases:
 Researchers
Long and
Mackenzie suggest…
 As Paul Rudnick has
noted…
 Melinda Stuart, DNA
expert comments, “…
 The article,
“Fingerprinting for
Dummies” notes…
Verbs in Signal
Phrases:
acknowledges
agrees
believes
comments
contends
denies
emphasizes
grants
implies
observes
reasons
suggests
admits
asserts
claims
confirms
declares
disputes
endorses
illustrates
notes
points out
refutes
writes
Complete list: Hacker, Diana. A Writer’s Reference. 5th ed. Boston:
Parenthetical Citations or
In-Text Citations

IF THERE IS AN AUTHOR, USE: Author’s LAST NAME and Page Number
where the info is from.
(Keeling 125)
 Notice
there is no “p” and no comma.
(Keeling, p 125)  INCORRECT!!!
Ex: Fingerprinting is used mainly in crimes of burglary (Keeling 125).
Parenthetical Citations or
In-Text Citations

IF THERE IS NO AUTHOR, USE THE TITLE OF THE
BOOK OR ARTICLE & PG # (if it’s not a web source)

Title and Page Number
Ex: Fingerprinting is mainly used in burglaries.
(Fingerprinting for Dummies 24).
Ex: There was so much evidence to convict the
person because of DNA proof (DNA Trials 32).
Parenthetical Citations or
In-Text Citations
 How
Often to Give Citations
When several facts in a row within one
paragraph all come from the same page of a
source. Use one citation to cover them all.
Place the citation after the last bit of
information.
How to Incorporate Quotes into Your Writing
 What
is a quote??
Quotes
are one way of adding concrete details to
your paper. When you quote a text, you use the
EXACT words of the writer. You do not change
them in any way.
 What
A
should a quote accomplish??
quote is a way for you to illustrate your point in
your writing. If it doesn’t back up what you are
saying, don’t use it!
How to Incorporate Quotes into Your Writing

Quotes should be…
 Brief
 Relevant
to your point
 Introduced
 Discussed

Reader’s need to know…
 Who
is speaking
 When
 Why
or in what situation the speaker said this
this quote is important and how it fits in with your
argument
WORKS CITED PAGE
 ONLY
include sources you actually used
in your paper
 It is the LAST PAGE of your research
paper
 Sources are listed in ALPHABETICAL
ORDER
Sample Works Cited
Works Cited
Denega, Danielle. Dead Men Floating. Scholastic: New York, 2012.
“Deoxyribonucleic Acid”. Kids Ahead. National Human Genome Research
Institute. 2015. Web.
Scheve, Tom. “How Body Farms Work”. How Stuff Works. 2015. Web.