How to Cite a Book in a Paper MLA Style

Citing within the Text

• 1

  Place the author's last name and the page number of the quote or citation in parentheses.

  "The boy was good." (Williams 92)

• 2

  Include the author's name within the statement that is paraphrasing what the author has said. Then include the page number in parentheses after that sentence.

  Jessica Williams reported that the boy was good. (92)

• 3

  Cite the book in your paper's reference section. Start with the author's name (last name first), the title of the book, the city that it was published in, the publishing company and the year it was published. Note the punctuation.

  Williams, Jessica. Boys Are Good. New York City, NY: New York Publishing House, 2002.

  (Note: The title of the book must be italicized or underlined.)