How to Cite Multiple Sources in One Sentence

When you are adhering to Modern Language Association or American Psychological Association formatting guidelines, you must cite sources that you quote from or paraphrase in the text. This can be tricky if you are referring to more than one source in the same sentence, but the MLA and the APA provide easy-to-follow guidelines for the proper citation of multiple sources in the same sentence.

Instructions

  1. MLA In-Text Citation

    • 1

      List your citation in the basic format: Author's last name followed by page number, in parentheses. For example: (Smith 118)

    • 2

      Cite your sources separately if you are quoting directly. For example,instance: While one contemporary source refers to him as a "drunken lout" (Smith 118), another describes him as "positively a saint" (Jones 24).

    • 3

      Cite sources in the same parenthetical remark if you are referring to a general idea that is espoused by several sources. Separate the citations with semicolons. For example: Several observers of the time agree that he was not mentally prepared for what he had to do (Smith 118; Jones 24).

    APA In-Text Citation

    • 4

      List your citation in the basic format: Author's last name and year of publication, in parentheses and separated by a comma. For example: (Smith, 1973) To refer to a specific page, format your citation with the author's last name followed by a comma, year of publication followed by a comma, and page number, all in parentheses. For example: (Smith, 1973, p. 118)

    • 5

      Cite your sources separately if you are quoting directly. For example: While one contemporary source refers to him as a "drunken lout" (Smith, 1973, p. 118), another describes him as "positively a saint" (Jones, 1974, p. 24).

    • 6

      Cite sources within the same parentheses if you are referring to a general idea that is espoused by several sources. Separate the citations with semicolons. For example: Several observers of the time agree that he was not mentally prepared for what he had to do (Smith, 1973, p. 118; Jones, 1974, p. 24).

    • 7

      List multiple sources from the same author by descending publication date. For instance: Research shows (Smith, 2011, 2006) growth is not immediate.

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