MLA: In-Text Citations

In-text citations are placed in parentheses, and have two components:

• The first word found in the full citation on the Works Cited page (usually the last name of the author)
• The location of the direct quote or paraphrase (usually a page number)

In-text citations should be placed directly after the direct quote or paraphrase, or in a place that is a natural pause and does not cause the reader to become distracted while reading the body of your work.

Example:

In order to prevent starvation, Watney knew exactly what he needed to do: “My best bet for making calories is potatoes” (Weir 17).

When using the author’s name in the sentence, only include the page number in the parentheses.

Example:

• Seuss’s use of words such as, “lurk” and “dank” help students understand the type of character that the Once-ler is (6).