How Do I Cite a Sentence or Paragraph?

Modern Language Association

• 1

  Locate the sentence or paragraph you are trying to cite. For example, the following sentence appears in the first full paragraph on page 13 of "Romancing Opiates: Pharmacological Lies and the Addiction Bureaucracy" by Theodore Dalrymple:

  "But people who are genuinely exposed to strong opiates by chance, in medical circumstances, for example after an operation, in fact very seldom become addicted to them."

• 2

  Decide whether you are going to quote the text directly or paraphrase it.

• 3

  Give the author's last name either in the body of your sentence or in parentheses to begin your in-text citation. For example:

  According to Theodore Dalrymple. . .

  or

  (Dalrymple)

• 4

  Complete your in-text citation by giving the page number of the sentence or paragraph you are citing. For example:

  According to Theodore Dalrymple. . . (13)

  or

  (Dalrymple 13)

American Psychological Association

• 5

  Locate the sentence or paragraph you are citing.

• 6

  Construct a paraphrase or quote the text directly.

• 7

  Write the author's last name either in your sentence or in parentheses to begin your in-text citation. Do not use first names in your text. For example:

  According to Dalrymple. . .

  or

  (Dalrymple)

• 8

  Write the year the book containing the sentence or paragraph you are citing was published in parentheses. Separate the year from your author's last name with a comma. For example:

  According to Dalrymple (2006). . .

  or

  (Dalrymple, 2006)

• 9

  If you quote directly from the sentence or paragraph, give the page number of your text. Place the abbreviation "p." in front of it. For example:

  Dalrymple postulates that "people who are genuinely exposed to strong opiates by chance, in medical circumstances, for example after an operation, in fact very seldom become addicted to them" (2006, p. 13).

"Chicago Manual of Style"

• 10

  Give the author's first and last name to begin a footnote or endnote entry. For example:

  Theodore Dalrymple.

• 11

  Give the book's title in italics and its place of publication, publisher and year of publication in parentheses. For example:

  Theodore Dalrymple, Romancing Opiates: Pharmacological Lies and the Addiction Bureaucracy (New York: Encounter Books, 2006)

• 12

  Complete your footnote or endnote with the page number you are citing. For example:

  Theodore Dalrymple, Romancing Opiates: Pharmacological Lies and the Addiction Bureaucracy (New York: Encounter Books, 2006), 13.