CITING SOURCES IN THE TEXT
MLA STYLE
(parenthetical documentation)

NOTE - When you extract information from a source and then use the author's words or ideas in your
own paper, you MUST give the author credit in the form of a citation.

When citing sources in the body of the paper, the author and the page number must be given. The author can be included in the text or in the parenthetical reference. The page number is placed at the end of the sentence in  parenthesis.

AUTHOR'S NAME IN TEXT

Florence Davis reports that a chimp at the Yerkes Primate Research Center "has combined words into sentences that she was never taught" (67).

AUTHOR'S NAME IN REFERENCE

Although the baby chimp lived only a few hours, Washoe signed to it before it died (Davis 42).

A chimp at the Yerkes Primate Research Center "has combined words into sentences that she was never taught" (Davis 67).

TWO OR THREE AUTHORS

If a work has two or three authors, all authors must be included either in the text or in the parenthetical reference.

Patterson and Linden agree that the gorilla Koko acquired language more slowly than a normal speaking child (83-90).

Both Lucy and Koko have been reported to lie (Desmond, Patterson and Linden 83-90).

FOUR OR MORE AUTHORS

List the first author of the work followed by et al. in the text or in the parenthetical reference.

According to Doe et al., the study was extended for two years, and only after results were duplicated on both coasts did the authors publish their results (137-39).

The study was extended for two years, and only after results were duplicated on both coasts did the authors publish their results (Doe et al. 137).

NO AUTHOR OR PAGE NUMBER IS GIVEN, BUT A TITLE IS GIVEN

Remember in your works cited list, you cited your sources alphabetically. If a work had no author given, you listed the resource by article title. In the case of online sources, if the article had no author or title, then you listed the Web site name. The parenthetical reference must point to the specific source listed alphabetically in your works cited list.

Cited in the parenthetical reference. Web site example:

Adolescence is a time when inner and outer influences demand change (Adolescence).
(Whereas "Adolescence" is the Web site name).

Falluja is attacked from all sides in hope of preparing the way for elections in January ("Battle").
(Whereas "Battle" is the first word in the article title).

QUOTATIONS THAT ARE MORE THAN 3 LINES LONG

Introduce the quote and follow it with a colon. Indent the quote 10 spaces or press tab twice. Do not use quotation marks. Follow the quote with a period before the parenthetical reference. 

John K. Malone adds a further insight to our understanding of the War of 1812:

Financing the war was very difficult at the time. Baring Brothers, a banking firm of the enemy country, handled routine accounts for the United States overseas, but the firm would take on no loans. The loans were in the end absorbed by wealthy Americans at great hazard—also, as it turned out, at great profit to them. (385)    

POETRY

Place quotation marks around the verse and separate each line by a space, slash, space. Up to 3 lines of verse can be placed this way in the body of the text. Anything over 3 lines should be typed out as stated above.

Reflecting on the "incident" in Baltimore, Cullen concludes, "Of all the things that happened there / That's all that I remember" (11-12).