How to Cite Sources Parenthetically in Your Paper

Both the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Modern Language Association (MLA) require that you cite sources parenthetically within the text. Parenthetical citations provide brief bibliographic information such as the name of the author, page number and--in the case of APA format--year of publication. Parenthetical citations correspond to full bibliographic information that must be listed in a works cited page. MLA and APA parenthetical citations differ slightly in form. According to both styles, you must include a parenthetical citation every time that you directly quote or paraphrase from a source.

Instructions

    • 1

      Include the author's last name and the page number in your citation if you are using MLA style. For example:

      (Smith 129)

    • 2

      Include the author's last name, the year of publication and the page number if you are adhering to APA format. These elements should be listed in order and separated by commas. The page number should be preceded by the abbreviation for page, which is "p." For example:

      (Smith, 2005, p. 129)

    • 3

      Position your citation directly after the quoted or paraphrased passage in your paper. This is true in both MLA and APA formats. Parenthetical citations should appear before punctuation such as commas, periods and colons. However, parenthetical citations should fall outside of quotation marks. For example:

      One author averred that orange "is an abhorrent color; not even truly a color at all" (Smith, 2005, p. 129).

      If you mention the name of the author within the text of your paper, you should omit the author's name in your parenthetical citation. In MLA style, this is relatively straightforward:

      Smith averred that orange "is an abhorrent color; not even truly a color at all" (129).

      In APA style, this requires splitting your parenthetical citation. The page number should still be placed directly after the quotation or paraphrase, but the year of publication should be positioned directly after the name of the author. For example:

      Smith (2005) averred that orange "is an abhorrent color; not even truly a color at all" (p. 129).

    • 4

      Use the title of the source in place of the author's last name if the source has no known author. Italicize the titles of major works; the titles of minor works such as poems and articles should be enclosed in quotation marks.

      MLA example: ("Ten Best Candies" 96)

      APA example: ("Ten Best Candies," 2001, p. 96)

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