In-text citations are brief indicators of the source information you’ve used within the text of your writing. They usually contain just enough information (author’s last name) to find the fuller citation at the end of the text.
Because the use of in-text citations will be so integral to your writing processes, being able to craft correct citations will save you time during writing and revising.
Below is the standard correct in-text citation style according to MLA guidelines:
Take a moment to carefully consider the placement of the parts and punctuation of this in-text citation. Note that there is no punctuation indicating the end of a sentence inside of the quotation marks—closing punctuation should instead follow the parentheses. There is also no punctuation between the author’s last name and the page number inside of the parentheses.
So, let’s say we have the following quote, which comes from page 100 of Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South: “Margaret had never spoken of Helstone since she left it.” Gaskell, Elizabeth. North and South. Oxford University Press, 1973.
The following examples show incorrect MLA formatting:
“Margaret had never spoken of Helstone since she left it.” (Gaskell 100) | Incorrect because the period falls within the quotation marks |
“Margaret had never spoken of Helstone since she left it” (Gaskell, 100). | Incorrect because of the comma separating the author’s last name and the page number |
“Margaret had never spoken of Helstone since she left it” (Elizabeth Gaskell 100). | Incorrect because the author’s full name is used instead of just her last name |
“Margaret had never spoken of Helstone since she left it” (North and South 100). | Incorrect because the title of the work appears, rather than the author’s last name; the title should only be used if no author name is provided |
The following example shows correct MLA formatting:
However, there are exceptions to the above citation guideline. Consider the following format of an in-text citation, which is also formed correctly.
Elizabeth Gaskell’s narrator makes it clear that “Margaret had never spoken of Helstone since she left it” (100).
If the author’s name is included before the quotation, you only need to put the page number into the parentheses at the end.
The same rule about inclusion of the author’s last name applies for paraphrased information, as well, as shown in the following example:
Basic Rule:
Your reader needs to know where the information from the source starts and ends, and from what source the information is taken.
Here are additional examples, both correct (green checkmark) and incorrect (red X).
Review in-text citations by viewing the following video.