Examples of the most basic kinds of in-text citation styles are given in the following list. For specific cases or other examples, consult the MLA Handbook.
:: Basic Format
The basic format for MLA in-text citation is as follows:
(Author’s Last Name_Page Number)
e.g.,. One author claims that \(Jones 45).
If the author’s last name appears in the citation, then only a page number is required:
e.g., Howard Jones argues that “no one is concerned with this issue\(45).
:: Multiple Authors
Multiple authors are cited in a similar way, although both names are included, and joined by the word \
e.g., (Cortez and Jones 56)
For more than three authors, use the first author’s last name, followed by the abbreviation \
e.g., (Cortez et al. 378)
:: Different Authors with the Same Last Name
When citing different authors with the same last name, include enough information so as to be able to differentiate them:
e.g., (H. Jones 48); (R. Jones 36)
:: More Than One Work by the Same Author
If you are citing more than one work by the same author, a combination of several of these methods is needed. For instance, if you have used two sources by the author Howard Jones, a book called The Man with the Horns, and a magazine article called \
(Jones, Man 475); (Jones, \
:: Group Authors
When identifying corporate authors, use the same format, but substitute the group name:
e.g., (Modern Language Association 68)
The MLA Handbook also recommends that long group names be placed in the text itself, so as to avoid unwieldy in-text citations:
e.g., The Society for the Greater Advancement of the Common Good insists that “all people have a right to free health care\(47).
:: No Author Available
If no author is available, use a short form of the title (the shortest form that will allow you to recognize the work properly). For instance, if you were working with an article called \
(\
If you were working with a book with no author called Belief in the Supernatural, you might use:
(Belief 567)
:: Source within a Source
If you are citing a source that is found within another source, use the abbreviation \Hentoff article, you would use the following format:
(Davis, qtd. in Hentoff 34)
For additional information, please see the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (6th edition) and the MLA style website.
Anonymous Work/Author Unknown
If the work you are citing to has no author, use an abbreviated version of the work's title. (For non-print sources, such as films, TV series, pictures, or other media, or electronic sources, include the name that begins the entry in the Works Cited page). For example:
An anonymous Wordsworth critic once argued that his poems were too emotional (\
Citing Authors with Same Last Names
Sometimes more information is necessary to identify the source from which
a quotation is taken. For instance, if two or more authors have the same last name, provide both authors' first initials (or even the authors' full name if different authors share initials) in your citation. For example:
Although some medical ethicists claim that cloning will lead to designer children (R. Miller 12), others note that the advantages for medical research outweigh this consideration (A. Miller 46).
? Citing Multiple Works by the Same Author
If you cite more than one work by a particular author, include a shortened
title for the particular work from which you are quoting to distinguish it from the others.
Lightenor has argued that computers are not useful tools for small children (\Soon\38), though he has acknowledged elsewhere that early exposure to computer games does lead to better small motor skill development in a child's second and third year (\
Additionally, if the author's name is not mentioned in the sentence, you would format your citation with the author's name followed by a comma, followed by a shortened title of the work, followed, when appropriate, by page numbers:
Visual studies, because it is such a new discipline, may be \(Elkins, \
? Multiple Citations
To cite multiple sources in the same parenthetical reference, separate the citations by a semi-colon:
...as has been discussed elsewhere (Burke 3; Dewey 21).
Citing Indirect Sources
Sometimes you may have to use an indirect source. An indirect source is a source cited in another source. For such indirect quotations, use \in\
Ravitch argues that high schools are pressured to act as \centers, and they don't do that well\
Note that, in most cases, a responsible researcher will attempt to find the original source, rather than citing an indirect source.
Works Cited: Electronic Sources
The MLA Style Manual provides some examples of electronic source citations in chapter six; however, the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers covers a wider variety of electronic sources in chapter six. If your particular source is not covered here, use the basic forms to determine the correct format, consult the MLA Handbook, talk to your instructor, email the OWL tutors, or call the Purdue Writing Lab (765-494-3723) for help.
Please Note: MLA documents should be double-spaced throughout. You may find some MLA example text on the Purdue OWL that is not double-spaced. We are working to correct this limitation in our computer code. Thanks for your patience.
Some Tips on Handling Electronic Sources
It is always a good idea to maintain personal copies of electronic information, when possible. It is good practice to print or save Web pages or, better, using a program like Adobe Acrobat, to keep your own copies for future reference. Most Web browsers will include URL/electronic address information when you print, which makes later reference easy. Also learn to use the Bookmark function in your Web browser.
Special Warning for Researchers Writing/Publishing Electronically
MLA style requires electronic addresses to be listed between carets. This is a dangerous practice for anyone writing or publishing electronically, as carets are also used to set off HTML, XHTML, XML and other markup language tags (e.g., HTML's paragraph tag). When writing in electronic formats, be sure to properly encode your carets.
Basic Style for Citations of Electronic Sources
Here are some common features you should try and find before citing electronic sources in MLA style. Always include as much information as is available/applicable:
?
Author and/or editor names
MLA intext citation
