MLA In-Text Citations: A Complete Guide

In MLA style, you acknowledge your sources by providing a brief parenthetical citation in your text that directs readers to the more detailed entry in your Works Cited list at the end of your paper. These in-text citations are essential whenever you quote directly, paraphrase, summarize, or otherwise refer to the work of others.

The most common in-text citation includes the author's last name and the page number(s) from which the information was taken.

Basic Author-Page Format

The author's name may appear in the sentence itself or in parentheses at the end of the sentence. The page number(s) should always appear in parentheses.

  • Author's name in sentence: Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (263).
  • Author's name in parentheses: Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263).
Tip: When paraphrasing or summarizing, you still need to include the author's last name and the page number(s) where the information can be found. If the source has no page numbers, cite only the author's name or the work's title.

Citing Works with One or More Authors

The format changes slightly depending on the number of authors.

The format depends on the number of authors

Parenthetical:
(Smith 45)
Narrative:
Smith argues... (45).
Format: Use the author's last name and the page number.

Citing Works by Corporate or Organizational Authors

If a work is published by an organization, government agency, or other group, use the group's name as the author. If the name is long, you can use a shortened version in the parenthetical citation after the first full mention if the shortened form is easily recognizable.

  • Parenthetical (first mention): (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 15)
  • Parenthetical (subsequent mentions, if clear): (UNESCO 15)
  • Narrative: According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, ... (15).

Citing Works with No Known Author

If the author is not known, use a shortened version of the work's title in place of the author's name. The title should be in quotation marks if it's a short work (like an article or webpage) or italicized if it's a longer work (like a book). Begin the title with the first word used in the Works Cited entry (ignoring "A," "An," or "The").

  • Parenthetical (article): ("Impact of Global Warming" 6)
  • Parenthetical (book): (A Guide to Modern Art 112)
  • Narrative (article): An article titled "Impact of Global Warming" explains... (6).

Citing Specific Parts of a Source (Direct Quotes)

Short Quotes

(Four lines or fewer of prose, or three lines or fewer of verse): Enclose the quote in double quotation marks and incorporate it into your text. Place the parenthetical citation immediately after the quotation marks, before the sentence's closing punctuation.

She stated, "The journey was arduous, but the destination was worth it" (Miller 78).
Miller described the experience as "arduous, but the destination was worth it" (78).

Long Quotes (Block Quotes)

(More than four lines of prose, or more than three lines of verse): Use a block quote.

  1. Start the quotation on a new line.
  2. Indent the entire block of text 0.5 inches from the left margin.
  3. Do not use quotation marks around the block quote.
  4. The parenthetical citation goes after the final punctuation of the quote.

Example (Prose):

Nelly Dean treats Heathcliff poorly and dehumanizes him throughout her narration:

They entirely refused to have it in bed with them, or even in their room; and I had no more sense, so I put it on the landing of the stairs, hoping it would be gone on the morrow. By chance, or else attracted by hearing his voice, it crept to Mr. Earnshaw's door, and there he found it on quitting his chamber. Inquiries were made as to how it got there; I was obliged to confess, and in recompense for my cowardice and inhumanity was sent out of the house. (Brontë 78)

Example (Verse):

In "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," T.S. Eliot writes:
I should have been a pair of ragged claws
Scuttling across the floors of silent seas. (lines 73-74)

Later, the persona laments his indecisiveness (Eliot 90-92).

Citing Works with No Page Numbers (e.g., Websites, Some E-books)

If a source has no page numbers but has explicitly numbered paragraphs, sections, chapters, scenes, or timestamps, use those in your citation. Use abbreviations like "par." (paragraph), "pars." (paragraphs), "sec." (section), "ch." (chapter), or provide the time range for audiovisual material (e.g., 00:03:15-00:03:30).

  • (Smith, par. 4)
  • (Jones, ch. 3, sec. 2)
  • ("Understanding Climate Change," pars. 5-7)
  • (Lee, 00:03:15-00:03:30)
  • (Shakespeare, Hamlet 3.1.56-88) (for plays, act.scene.lines)

If the source has no numbered divisions at all, cite only the author's name (or title if no author) in the parentheses. Do not include a page, paragraph, or section number. Your reader will find the source in the Works Cited list and can then locate the relevant passage.

  • (Garcia)
  • ("The Future of Tech")

Formatting Your MLA Works Cited Page

The Works Cited page is a crucial part of your MLA paper. It provides a comprehensive list of all the sources you've cited, enabling readers to easily locate and consult them. Here’s how to format it correctly:

  • Placement: The Works Cited page begins on a new page after the text of your paper.
  • Title: The title Works Cited should be centered at the top of the page. Do not bold, italicize, or underline it.

Order of Entries

The entries in your Works Cited list must be alphabetized by the last name of the first author of each work. Here's how to handle different scenarios:

  • Single Author or First Author: Arrange entries alphabetically by the author's last name.
  • Multiple Authors (Same First Author): If you have multiple entries with the same first author, order them alphabetically by the title of the work.
  • Multiple Works by the Same Author(s): If you have multiple works by the same author(s), list them alphabetically by title. For subsequent entries by the same author, use three hyphens followed by a period (---.) in place of the author's name.
Woolf, Virginia. Mrs. Dalloway.---. To the Lighthouse.
  • Group Authors (Organizations, Agencies): Alphabetize group authors by the first significant word in their name (ignore articles like "The" or "A"). For example, Modern Language Association would be listed under "M."

Indentation

MLA style uses a hanging indent for the Works Cited list. This means that the first line of each entry is flush with the left margin, and all subsequent lines of that entry are indented ½ inch. This formatting makes it easy to visually distinguish individual entries.

Author Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Publisher, Year of Publication.Author Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Journal, Volume Number, Issue Number, Year of Publication, Page Numbers.

Capitalization

Capitalization in the Works Cited list follows specific rules:

  • Titles of Works: Use title case for titles of works (books, articles, etc.). Capitalize the first word, the last word, and all principal words (nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and some conjunctions). Do not capitalize articles (a, an, the), prepositions (of, in, to, etc.), or coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, etc.) unless they are the first or last word of the title or subtitle.
Example Book Title: The Great GatsbyExample Article Title: "The Impact of Social Media on Modern Literature"