Identify the research paper format. You may have to cite sources according to the Modern Language Association (MLA), the American Psychological Association (APA) or the Chicago Manual of Style. Ask your professor or see what format the publication you're aiming for uses. APA papers usually fall into scientific or social research, and MLA and Chicago Style papers usually classify as humanities writings.
Make note of the book's essential information. To write an in-text citation in MLA and APA styles, you will only need to know the author's name, the book's year of publication and the numbers of any specific page on which the information you cite appears. For Chicago Style, when using the author-date system that requires citations within the paragraphs, you need this same information. However, note that some Chicago Style papers require footnotes and not in-text citations within paragraphs.
Put essential information in parentheses according to MLA guidelines. An MLA in-text citation with all information in parentheses consists of ([Author's Last Name] [Page #]). For example: The best way to grow eggplants is to use fertilizer (Jameson 225).
If citing an author's idea that runs throughout a book and not just a specific page, you can leave out the page number. Example: Eggplants are the best plant to grow (Jameson).
You can also incorporate the author's name into the sentence, in which case you only need to put page numbers in the parenthesis afterward or put nothing at all afterward if you're not referencing a specific page. Examples: According to Pam Jameson, the best way to grow eggplants is to use fertilizer (225).
Eggplants are the best plant to grow, says Pam Jameson.
Enter name, year of publication and page number in parentheses in APA style. APA works similarly to MLA except that the year of the book's publication appears in the parentheses, as do commas and a "p." before the page number(s): ([Author's Last Name], [Year of Publication], p. [Page #]). For example: The best way to grow eggplants is to use fertilizer (Jameson, 2008, p. 225). End the parentheses immediately after the year of publication if you're not referencing a specific page.
When incorporating the author's name into the sentence, you must put the year of publication in parentheses directly after the author's name. Include the page number in parentheses along with "p." at the end of the sentence. For example: According to Pam Jameson (2008), the best way to grow eggplants is to use fertilizer (p. 225).
Include author's name, year of publication and page number in author-date Chicago Style citations. The simplified Chicago Style citation, called the "author-date citation," requires only three pieces of information: ([Author's Last Name] [Year of Publication], [Page #]). For example: The best way to grow eggplants is to use fertilizer (Jameson 2008, 225). Notice the comma only after the year of publication and the lack of "p." before the page number.
You use this full author-date citation at the end of the sentence even when you incorporate the author's name into the sentence. For example: According to Pam Jameson, the best way to grow eggplants is to use fertilizer (Jameson 2008, 225).