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MLA in-text citations

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In-text citations are a brief version of citations that are used to provide information about the sources being referred to by the authors. They are used in the text to indicate to the reader that complete information of the citations referred to is available in the works-cited list, which will enable a reader to locate or access the sources being cited.

The basic element needed for an in-text citation is the author’s name. The publication year is not required in in-text citations. Sometimes, page numbers or line numbers are also included, especially when text is quoted from the source being cited. In-text citations are mentioned in the text in two ways: citations in prose and parenthetical citations.

Citation in prose

Citations in prose are in-text citations where some of the citation information is incorporated into the text as a part of the sentence. Usually, the author’s full name is included naturally in the text (instead of in a parenthetical citation). Thereafter, only the surname is used. Here’s an example of a citation in prose (first mention of the author):

Christopher Arp identifies the geography of Alaska lake districts.

Parenthetical citation

Parenthetical citations are in-text citations that add source information at the end of a sentence in parenthesis. Here’s one example of a parenthetical citation:

The geography of Alaska lake districts is identified (Arp).

When and how to include other components

When you quote text from a source word-for-word, try to include the location of the quote. Usually, this is the page number of where the quote is found. If including a page number, there is no need to include page, p., or pp. before the page number. Here’s an example of a quotation with a page number indicated:

According to Ann Fienup-Riordan, “Fieldwork Turned on Its Head” (15).

For other types of sources, use other relevant indicators. For example, use a paragraph number if there are no pages or a time stamp for a video.

In-text citations should be concise. Do not repeat author names in parenthesis if the name is mentioned in the text. If you want to cite a chapter number, a scene, or a line number, follow the below guidelines:

Citation in prose:

chapter 2

scene 1

line 7

Parenthetical citation:

(ch. 2)

(sc. 1)

(line 7)

Examples of in-text citations with different numbers of authors

Here are a few examples of in-text citations for different numbers of authors:

One author

Use both the first name and surname of the author if you are mentioning the author for the first time in the prose. In subsequent occurrences, use only the author’s surname. Always use the surname of the author in parenthetical citations.

Citation in prose:

1st mention:   Randall Hill studies ….

subsequent mentions:    Hill explores ….

Parenthetical:

….(Hill)

Two authors

Use the first name and surname of both authors if you are mentioning the work for the first time in the prose. In subsequent occurrences, use only the surnames of the two authors. Always use only the surnames of the authors in parenthetical citations. Use “and” to separate the two authors in parenthetical citations.

Citation in prose:

1st mention:   Magda Miranda and Rea Dennis ….

subsequent mentions:   Miranda and Dennis ….

Parenthetical:

….(Miranda and Dennis)

Three or more authors

For citations in prose, use the first name and surname of the first author followed by “and others” or “colleagues.” In parenthetical citations, use only the surname of the first author followed by “et al.”

Citation in prose:

Alice Rearden et al. and colleagues…. or Alice Rearden and others ….

Parenthetical:

….(Rearden et al.)

Corporate author

For citations in prose, treat the corporate author similar to how you would treat author names. For parenthetical citations, shorten the organization name wherever possible.

Citation in prose:

The Academy of American Poets….

Parenthetical:

….(American Poets)

No author

If there is no author for the source, use the source title in place of the author’s name for both citations in-prose and parenthetical citations.

When you add such in-text citations, italicize the text. If the source title is too long, use a shortened version of the title in the prose.

Citation in prose:

Sticky Performances exhibits …. (89)

Parenthetical:

….(Sticky 89)

Citing special cases

Works having the same surname(s), different first name(s)

If two or more entries in the works-cited list have the same surname, use the first name, not only in the first mention, but also in subsequent occurrences in prose to avoid confusion. In parenthetical citations, include the first initials of the author.

Citation in prose templates:

First name Surname of the first author

First name Surname of the second author

Citation prose examples:

Steve Baker

Jill Baker

 

Parenthetical templates:

(A. Author Surname)

(B. Author Surname)

Parenthetical examples:

(S. Baker)

(J. Baker)

If the first initials are also the same, use full first name in parenthetical citations too.

(Cheng Lee)

(Chin Lee)

Works by the same author(s)

If two or more entries in the works-cited list are contributions of the same author(s), add the title in in-text citations to help the reader locate the source you are citing. If the title is long, you can use a shortened title.

Citation in prose:

Arlander says in The Peregrine that ….

Parenthetical:

There are different kinds of birds and a distinct species is studied (Arlander, The Peregrine)

Works listed by title

If the works-cited-list entry has a source listed by the title, use the title in both citations in prose and parenthetical citations. If the title is long, you can use a short title.

Citation in prose:

Interview with Anna Deveare Smith reveals ….

Parenthetical:

(Anna Deveare Smith)

Punctuation in parenthetical citations

Do not introduce any punctuation between the author’s name and the page number.

(Scott 102)

If you want to include more page numbers, separate them by commas.

(Sagar 112, 121–24, 129)

If the number introduced is other than a page number (e.g., line number, chapter number, paragraph number), add the label before the number. Use a comma after the author’s name.

(Dcosta, par. 4)

If you want to cite a specific part on a page, separate the part from the page number by a semicolon. Multiple parts, if referred, are separated by commas.

(Bellana 127; par. 41, lines 6–8)

If you introduce multiple citations, separate them by semicolons.

(Milinda 23; Jacob 47)

If you need to insert a title, separate the author name and the title by a comma. However, do not introduce any punctuation between the title and the page number.

(Rich, Painful Stories 128)

If you cite two works by the same author, separate the titles by “and.” For more than two works by the same author, separate the titles by commas, but add “and” along with a serial comma before the last title.

(Gleason, “Great Migration” and “Appalachian Affects”)

(Brisini, “Practice,” “Precarity,” and “Phytomorphizing”)

Resource Types

For additional information on MLA format, select from one of the resource types below. For help creating MLA citations, check out the BibMe MLA citation generator.

MLA Format:

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