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How to Cite an Author in the Body of a Research Paper

The Modern Language Association (MLA) is used to cite sources and write research papers in the subjects of humanities and liberal arts. The American Psychological Association Style (APA) is generally used for writing and citing sources for scientific and sociological research papers. These methods require different ways of citing the author of a source within the text of the paper. Make sure to look up updated editions of both the MLA and APA style handbooks for changes.

Instructions

    • 1

      Write in the author's surname and page number in parentheses in MLA in-text citation. Use this parenthetical after quoting directly from a source or paraphrasing.

      An example from a directly quote source: "Wilbur had commenced to talk... at the age of eleven months," (Lovecraft 104).

      Do not include the author's name in the in-text citation if the author is already mentioned in your paraphrasing.

      Example: Michel Houellebecq argues that "This is a sort of outline, a robotic-portrait; and for the most part it is all we'll ever know," (68).

    • 2

      Use the author's surname and the year of publication for the source in parentheses in APA style. Like in MLA, use this parenthetical after quoting directly from a source.

      Example: "The cancer had spread to Mr. Livingston's liver after 24 months," (Smith 2001).

      Include the year in parentheses when paraphrasing. Example: Research by Dr. George Smith (2001) shows the cancer had spread after 24 months.

    • 3

      Use the word "and" for a source with two authors in APA style and an ampersand within parentheses.

      Example: Studies by Smith and Johnson (2001) show...

      Example: "The cancer spread to the liver after 24 months," (Smith & Johnson, 2001).

      If the source includes three to five authors, cite it with commas and an ampersand: (Murphy, Coleman, Smith & Johnson, 2001). If the source includes more than five authors, use the first surname cited, followed by "et al": (Murphy et al., 2001).

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