Writing 101

also known as parenthetical documentation.

used to cite borrowed words, facts, or ideas
at the point they are used in the document.

used in conjunction with and not as a
replacement for the Works Cited page.

In-text citations lead readers to specific
works listed on the Works Cited page.

Footnotes and endnotes provide readers with
the explanatory information:
 Content notes offer additional comments,
information, insight, etc., not provided in the text
 Bibliographic notes provide information on
additional sources or comments on other sources.
1. You use an idea from a source. The idea is not
originally yours. It belongs to the author(s) of the
source and must be cited.
2. You paraphrase or summarize a source (even if you
change the word order and replace words with
synonyms).
3. You directly quote a source.
4. You use information that is not common knowledge.

For a source with one author:
Helpfulness and listening skills are key
components of consulting success (Burkhart 6).

There should be an entry on the Works Cited
Page that corresponds to this in-text citation:
Burkhart, Mary. Tips for Writing Consultants.
Scranton: Scranton Books, 2008. Print.

Place the in-text citation where a pause
occurs naturally, for example, before the
punctuation that concludes the phrase, the
clause, or the sentence containing the
borrowed information.
 The in-text citation used on the previous screen is
referred to as author page style to reflect the
order of the information within the citation:
(Burkhart 6).

For a source with no author:

Use the title or a shortened version of the
title in quotation marks if it is a short work or
in italics/underline if it is a long work.
 (“Working with Student Writers” 6).


For a source with two/three authors:
Separate last names with any necessary
commas and the word “and.”
 (Burkhart and Smith 6)


For a source with four/more authors:
Include all last names or include first last
name followed by “et al.”
 (Burkhart et al. 6).


For a source with the author named in a
signal phrase:
Include just the page number.
 Mary Burkhart reports that effective listening
and communication skills are imperative (6).


For a source without page numbers:
Include just the author’s name.
 (Burkhart).
For an excellent overview or review of the 2009
updates in MLA style and format, click on Purdue
University’s MLA Power Point Presentation
For one-on-one help using MLA, visit
The Writing Center
STT 588 D
(570) 941-6147
Hacker, Diana and Nancy Sommers. “MLA Papers.” A Writer’s Reference.
7th ed. Boston: Bedford, 2011. 371-428. Print.
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th ed. New York: MLA,
2009. Print.
MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing. 3rd ed. New York:
MLA, 2008. Print.
Russell, Tony, Allen Brizee, and Elizabeth Angeli. "MLA Formatting and
Style Guide." The Purdue OWL. Purdue U Writing Lab, 16 Nov. 2010.
Web. 22 Feb. 2011.