How to Use the MLA Format in Text Citation

In-text citations not only serve to attribute ideas to others but give your readers a way to find the source if they are interested in exploring those ideas further. The Modern Language Association formatting, usually used in the humanities and arts, issues rules and guidelines on how to properly attribute your sources. The majority of your in-text citations will follow the "author and page number" method of citation.

Instructions

    • 1

      Summarize, analyze or paraphrase the source material you're drawing information from. If you use the author's name as part of your sentence, add the page number from the source material in parentheses at the end of your sentence and end with a period. For example: Cartwright argued that ... (92).

    • 2

      Omit the author's name from your sentence if you want to draw more attention to the idea you are summarizing. Add the author and the page number where you found the information in parentheses at the end of your sentence. For example: Romantic poetry was marked by a "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263).

    • 3

      Use multiple authors or multiple page numbers in the same way. For example:

      Cartwright and Jones argued that ... (92-94).

      or

      Scholars agree that ... (Cartwright, Jones and Parry 92-94).

    • 4

      Use a shortened title in quotation marks in place of the author name if you do not know the author's name. This often happens when you are citing a report issued by an organization. Example: Global warming is a threat to the environment ("Global Warming Trends" 76).

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