Lesson 6:
Incorporating Resources

Objectives

Understanding Plagiarism

Integrate Your Research

Cite Your Sources

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EWU Libraries

Cite Your Sources

MLA In-Text Citations

To create an in-text citation according to MLA format, follow these 4 steps.

After any borrowed information (in quotations or paraphrased), enter a single space, and then the source and page number in parentheses.

Use the author's name to indicate the source.
EXAMPLE: (McCray 45)

If there are two authors, use both last names.
EXAMPLE: (Smith and Jones 77)

If there is no author, use the title; shorten it if possible. Place quotation marks around article titles and underline book titles.
EXAMPLE: ("Fun in Libraries" 22) or (Moby Dick 312)

Follow the author's name (or shortened title) with a single space, then the page number. Do not use punctuation between the source and the page number.
EXAMPLE: (McCray 45)

When citing information contained in quotation marks, insert a space between the quotation mark and the left parenthesis.

EXAMPLE: "Dickinson wore white dresses from the age of twenty-five" (White 688).

Put periods, quotation marks, or exclamation points after the right parenthesis. (Except in the case of block quotations. If your quoted segment is longer than 4 typed lines, you have a different set of directions to follow. Check the MLA book.)

EXAMPLE: Teasdale broke old stereotypes of women (Smith 246).

If the author's name is mentioned in the text, don't put the author's name in the citation. Use only the page number in the parentheses.

EXAMPLE: According to Tim Wolfe, Sandburg's best poem was "Chicago" (44).

See also the EWU Libraries web page, MLA Format Guide - 6th Edition.