What are in-text citations?
In-text citations provide a link from a document or paper to its bibliography or works-cited page. It contains just enough information for the reader to determine which source is being used.
How do I write an in-text citation? (6.1)
Single work by one author:
Method 1 (6.1): Refer to the source at the end of the passage
Ex. Creating a library atmosphere that makes patrons feel comfortable can encourage continued library use (Flesher 4).
- This is the most typical type of in-text citation
- In this example, the citation refers to the author's name and the page number.
- Note: There is no comma between the name of the author and the page number.
- Note that the period comes after the parenthesis
Method 2 (6.3): Include information about the source in your text
Ex. Sharon Flesher explains the importance of creating a library atmosphere that will make both students and staff feel welcome (4).
- In this example, the writer of the article is mentioned in the text.
- The number at the end of the sentence (within the parenthesis) refers to the page number within that article.
More than one author? (6.3)
2-3 authors
Include all authors' names
(Coleman, Dufoe and Bernard 53)
4 authors?
You may choose to use all of the authors names
(Flesher, Keirstead, Sherman and Friedman 66)
Or you may use the first author's name and the abbreviation et al.
(Flesher et al. 9)
Unknown author? (6.4.4)
Use the first part of you bibliographic reference - usually the title
According to Staying Clean blah, blah, blah (17).
Libraries offer seemingly unlimited links to information (Libraries Today 7).
For more information and examples, check out the sixth edition of The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. You can find a copy of this book in our library (808.027 GIB).
You may also check out information on the web:
The Writing Center: University of Wisconsin, Madison
www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocMLA.html
A nice breakdown on MLA format– Parenthetical Citations and Works Cited Page