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MLA Style

In-text citations

In-text citations include the author and the page of the source and may appear in two formats.

  • Narrative citations, which introduce the author in the flow of the sentence and the page in parentheses.
  • Parenthetical citations, which introduce the author and the page in parentheses in the middle or at the end of the sentence.

Click on one of the options below to see examples of in-text citations.

One author

When you cite a work by a single author, give the author's last name followed by a page reference. Intervening punctuation is not required.
Narrative citation

According to Herskovits acculturation refers to those aspects of cultural change that have resulted from first-hand contact between peoples (259).

Parenthetical citation

Acculturation refers to those aspects of cultural change that have resulted from first-hand contact between peoples (Herskovits 259).

Two authors

When you cite a work written by two authors, give the authors' last names connected using the word "and" followed by a page reference.
Narrative citation

Vincent and Neis suggested that parental work schedules may affect child academic achievement (450).

Parenthetical citation

Parental work schedules might exert an impact on child academic achievement (Vincent and Neis 450).

Three or more authors

When you cite a work which has three or more authors, in a narrative citation you may provide the first author's last name followed by the phrase "and others" or "and colleagues". If you want you could write all the authors names. In a parethetical citation give the first author's last name followed by et al. without any intervening punctuation.
Narrative citation

Jensen and others examined the CBSM intervention on indicators of positive psychological well-being of HIV-positive racial minority women (228).

OR

Jensen and colleagues examined the CBSM intervention on indicators of positive psychological well-being of HIV-positive racial minority women (228).

Parenthetical citation

Research suggests that CBSM affects the psychological well-being of HIV-positive racial minority women (Jensen et al. 228).

Groups as authors

When you cite a work by a group author, in a narrative citation provide the full name of the organization, group, or assosication followed by a page reference. In a parenthetical citation shorten the name to the first noun. Exlude also any initial articles: a, an, the.
Narrative citation

According to a study by the National Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society, "the observed warming in the lower atmosphere and cooling in the upper atmosphere provide us with key insights into the underlying causes of climate change" (7).

Parenthetical citation

According to a study of climate change, "the observed warming in the lower atmosphere and cooling in the upper atmosphere provide us with key insights into the underlying causes of climate change" (National Academy 7).

No author

When you cite a work by its title, provide the title of the work in a narrative or parenthetical citation followed by a page reference. In parenthetical citations, abbreviate the title if it is longer than a noun phrase. If possible, give the first noun and any preceding adjectives. Omit any initial article (e.g. a, an, the).

Stand-alone source

Full title of report: Oxford Languages: 2020 Words of an Unprecedented Year.

Narrative citation

As stated in Oxford Languages: 2020 Words of an Unprecedented Year, in a short period of time specialist epidemiological and medical vocabulary entered everyday written or spoken communication (5).

Parenthetical citation

In a short period of time specialist epidemiological and medical vocabulary entered everyday written or spoken communication (Oxford Languages 5).

Source as part of a greater whole

Full title of article: "COVID-19 Vaccinations Work with or without Side Effects"

Narrative citation

As stated in "COVID-19 Vaccinations Work with or without Side Effects," almost all of the study participants developed antibodies that fight SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Parenthetical citation

Almost all of the study participants developed antibodies that fight SARS-CoV-2 infection ("COVID-19 Vaccinations").

Online username

When you cite a source whose author is an online user, you can refer to him with the online username.
Narrative citation

According to @loseweightdiet0 there are seven rules to follow when we want to lose weight.

Parenthetical citation

There are seven rules to follow if we want to lose weight (@loseweightdiet0).

Indirect source

When you cite something from a secondary source and not the original one, place the phrase qtd. in ("quoted in") before the indirect source you cite in your parenthetical citation. The abbreviation should appear in a parenthetical reference followed by the author of the indirect source and a page reference.
Parenthetical citation

Lund suggests that “ESL students, particularly those from Asian countries, have little background in the concepts of intellectual property and critical thinking” (qtd. in Chen and Van Ullen 210).

Different works, same author(s)

When you cite two or more works by the same author(s), provide apart from the author's name, a shortened version of the title of the work and the relevant page reference.
Narrative citation

Chomsky states, "the United States has always had an ambivelent attitude toward Europe" (Imperial Ambitions 14).

OR

As Chomsky states in Imperial Ambitions, "the United States has always had an ambivelent attitude toward Europe" (14).

Other source - same author

Chomsky writes, "It is only fair to add that the cynicism has finally been overcome (Umbrella 17).

OR

Chomsky writes in The Umbrella of U.S. Power, "it is only fair to add that the cynicism has finally been overcome (17).

Parenthetical citation

"The United States has always had an ambivelent attitude toward Europe" (Chomsky, Imperial Ambitions 14).

Other source - same author

"It is only fair to add that the cynicism has finally been overcome"(Chomsky, Umbrella 14).

Multiple works in a single citation

When you cite two or more works in a single parenthetical reference, give the author and page reference for each work, separating the works with semicolons.
Parenthetical citation

America's political culture has imposed severe limitations on Obama's ability to pursue a fair approach towards the Palestine issue (Gerges 300; Krieg 98).

Volumes in citations

When you have a work with several volumes and you want to cite only a part from one volume, do not provide the volume number in the in-text citation. You have to provide the volume number only if you are borrowing from more than one volume. Separate the two numbers with a colon and a space. The words volume and page are not required.
Narrative citation

Gay argues that the Victorians were able not only to enjoy their sexuality but to know love in its most joyous sense (3: 352).

Parenthetical citation

The Victorians were able not only to enjoy their sexuality but to know love in its most joyous sense (Gay 3: 352)