Using MLA In-Text Citations

by Lindsay Amezotchi @ College Writing 101

MLA = Modern Language Association

• The works cited list at the end of your paper is not enough.
• You must indicate which works you used in writing your paper.
• You must indicate what you took from each source.
• You must indicate where in the work the information came from.
• Use the author’s last name and a page reference.
  • If the source reference includes more than one author, give the last name of each person listed: (Hershey, Kemp, and Oberweis 109-119).
  • If the work is only listed by a title, give the shortened or full title in lieu of the author: (The Best of Light Ice Creams).
  • If you have more than one work by the same author, you must add the shortened or full title after the last name.
  • If the author’s last name appears in the preceding sentence(s), you need not repeat the name…as long as the reference is clearly attributed to the author.
• Place citation as near as possible to the material documented.
• When in doubt, cite the information. Anything not common knowledge must be attributed, even if it is paraphrased.
• When you switch sources, include a citation to show where one source leaves off and the next begins.