MLA Basics (8th ed.) In-text Citations

What are In-text Citations? In-text citations are pieces of information about a source that are put in the text of a paper. ex. One in four Americans is unemployed (Smith 223). ex. According to Anderson, a professor of Biology at Ohio University, “We will soon have talking fish,” (38).

Why Should You Use In-text Citations? They have 2 main uses: to show when you are using information from a source (book, article, website, etc) to point your reader to the corresponding works cited entry located on your Works Cited page

When Should you Use an In-text Citation? In-text citations should always be used when you use information that comes from a source. Keep in mind that citations follow the information used, not the format of the information. Some think you only need to cite when you quote, but you need to cite whether you quote or paraphrase. (unless the info is common knowledge--like historical facts)

How do you Make an In-text Citation? There are 2 ways to make in-text citations: “within-sentence” Part of the citation is included in the sentence itself. ex. Gibbins declared that artificial intelligence will arrive by 2020 (323). parenthetical The citation is included in parentheses at the end of the sentence. ex. Artificial intelligence will arrive by 2020 (Gibbins 323). notice that punctuation goes outside of citations

What Info do you Need for an In-text Citation? The basic form of an in-text citation should normally include 2 things: author’s last name page number (if the source has page numbers)

What Info do you Need for an In-text Citation (cont)? But what if the source doesn’t have any page numbers?! That’s simple. Don’t include a page number. Well, what if there is no author?! Easy. All you need to do is use whatever the 1st part of your works cited entry is. If there’s no author, usually the next likely option is the title of the source.

Works Cited Entry/In-text Citation Example Jameson, Daniel. The Path of the Wave. Pemberly, 2002. According to Jameson……(page #). or …(Jameson page #).

Works Cited Entry/In-text Citation Example 2 “The Amazon Rainforest in Brazil.” A Gringo in South America, 2012, examplewebsite.com/page-title. In “The Amazon Rainforest in Brazil,” it states…(page #). or …(“The Amazon” page #). Notice the shortened title for parenthetical citations