How to Phrase a Parenthetical In-Text Citation

Parenthetical in-text citations are brief bibliographical notes that give credit to other authors when you quote them or otherwise reference their ideas. Both Modern Language Association and American Psychological Association citation formats require a writer to employ parenthetical citations. These types of citations should be arranged -- or phrased -- in a precise manner. The exact arrangement of elements in a parenthetical citation will depend on which citation format your professor has asked you to use for your paper.

Instructions

  1. Arranging Parenthetical Citations in APA Style

    • 1

      Provide the last name of the author, year and page number in your citation. These elements should appear in order and separated by commas.

    • 2

      Cite bibliographic information for the source directly after quoting, paraphrasing or referencing another author's ideas. Here is an example of a correct APA style citation:

      Hitler had "neither the financial or popular support" (Jones, 1995, p. 249) to conquer the world.

    • 3

      Remove the name of the author from your citation in cases when you have already mentioned the author by name in your text. In such cases, position the year of publication directly after mentioning the author. The page number should remain after your quote or paraphrase. For example:

      Historian Saul Jones (1995) has argued persuasively that Hitler had "neither the financial or popular support" (p. 249) to conquer the world.

    • 4

      Begin your citation with the title of the source if there is no known author. The titles of significant works such as plays and books should appear in italics, while lesser works such as poems and articles should be enclosed in quotation marks. For example:

      Hitler had "neither the financial or popular support" ("The Divided German People," 1995, p. 249) to conquer the world.

      Notice that the comma after the title appears within the quotation marks when citing a minor work by title.

    • 5

      Use the abbreviation "n.d." when there is no known date of publication. In such cases, your citation will appear as follows:

      Hitler had "neither the financial or popular support" (Jones, n.d., p. 249) to conquer the world.

    Arranging Parenthetical Citations in MLA Style

    • 6

      Provide the last name of the author and the page number in your citation. According to MLA guidelines, there should be no punctuation between these elements.

    • 7

      Cite bibliographic information for the source directly after quoting, paraphrasing or referencing another author's ideas. Here is an example of a correct MLA style citation:

      Hitler had "neither the financial or popular support" (Jones 249) to conquer the world.

    • 8

      Remove the name of the author from your citation in cases when you have already mentioned the author by name in your text. For example:

      Historian Saul Jones has argued persuasively that Hitler had "neither the financial or popular support" (249) to conquer the world.

    • 9

      Replace the author's last name with the title of the source if there is no known author. The titles of significant works such as plays and books should appear in italics, while lesser works such as poems and articles should be enclosed in quotation marks. For example:

      Hitler had "neither the financial or popular support" ("The Divided German People" 249) to conquer the world.

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