It is MLA convention to introduce cited material by referencing the author first, followed by a paraphrase of the author's words or a direct quotation. In these instances, a parenthetical citation follows the cited material and includes the page number from which the material was taken. If the author's name is not included as an introduction to the material, a parenthetical citation including the last name of the author and the page number is included after the cited material. For example, (Brown 100).
If the author of a source is unknown, a complete, or short form, title of the work should be cited by placing it in parentheses after the cited material. A page number should be included with the cited title, if known. If a page number is unknown, cite only the author's last name within parentheses immediately after the cited material. The instances of unknown author and pages numbers typically arise in the case of web pages and printouts. For example, a parenthetical citation for a title without an author appears as ("MLA Citations", 12). A citation without a page number appears as (Brown).
When directly quoting a source, APA convention holds that it is directly preceded by an introductory phrase that includes the author's last name followed by a parenthetical citation including the year of publication of the source. The page number directly follows the quotation within parentheses and is preceded by a "p." When paraphrasing a source, an introductory sentence should include the author's last name followed by publication year within parentheses. Include a page number at the end of the paraphrase placed within parentheses. For example, (Brown, 2001, p. 10)
When citing a work with an unknown author, it is appropriate to include a parenthetical citation at the end of the cited material including the title of the work and its year of publication. For example, ("APA Citations", 2001). Though APA style typically requires the inclusion of page numbers within citations, in the event a source lacks page numbers the citation should help clarify the location of the cited information within the source as much as possible. For example, (Brown, 2001, para. 6). Information included within a parenthetical citation can include paragraph numbers and section titles.