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.
0
