A Comprehensive Guide On MLA In-Text Citation
Published by at January 21st, 2025 , Revised On January 21, 2025
Imagine you’re writing an academic paper and researching from multiple data sources. You want to cite those sources in the text without disrupting its flow. So, in this scenario, what would you do? The best option is to use MLA in-text citations as it allows authors to add not just references and sources in the text but also provides readers with smooth navigation towards the cited page.
Citations are a great way to credit a particular writer or book when you use their important material in your work. They also significantly help readers understand where an idea, quote, or paraphrase originated and was inspired. The main types of citations are APA, MLA, and Chicago. For some people, citing sources of literature is unimportant, but it is a great way to authenticate the written academic work.
This blog briefly discusses MLA in-text citations, their purposes, types, formatting techniques, and examples.
What are MLA In-Text Citations?
There are different referencing and citation types, such as APA, MLA, and Chicago, but do you know why they are called this? APA, American Psychological Association, is used by psychology, Sciences, and Education. MLA, Modern Language Association, is used by the humanities, and Chicago is mostly used for fine arts, history, and business studies.
MLA In-Text Citation Definition
MLA in-text citation is a brief referencing style enclosed in parentheses that uses the author’s last name and the page number from which the information is cited. It significantly takes the readers to works cited list at the end of the academic paper, providing thorough biographical insights.
For instance, let’s take a quote from A Brief History of Time and cite it.
“It is said that there’s nothing as free lunch. But the universe is the ultimate free lunch. (Hawking 129)”
Purposes of MLA In-Text Citations
When you cite information in your work by adding different sources, you not only give credit to the authors but also help to avoid plagiarism by clarifying what is written by you and what is inspired by someone else. When you efficiently cite your written work, there are increased chances that top-rated and prestigious journals and magazines will publish it. Here are the different purposes of MLA in-text citation in writing academic papers:
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It Helps to Acknowledge Different Sources
As you know, data is taken and paraphrased from different literature sources while writing academic papers. The main purpose of MLA in-text citation is to acknowledge these sources efficiently. It enables dissertation writers to give credit to original authors, avoiding plagiarism.
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It Allows to Support Claims and Arguments
When you write your academic papers, you add particular claims and arguments to support your work, the purpose of which is served by adding MLA in-text citations. This not only helps to support your claims but also significantly authenticates and enhances your paper’s credibility.
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It Guides the Readers Efficiently
Another essential purpose of MLA in-text citations is to guide readers. When readers are reading academic papers and want to know the real source of data, in-text citations can help them do so efficiently. It significantly allows readers to understand the context and depth of your research.
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It Shows All Research Efforts
Extensive research is conducted while writing different academic papers. MLA in-text citations help to demonstrate your research efforts to readers. They enable readers to understand the various research methods and time spent. Moreover, it also highlights your scholarly selections to the readers.
Types of MLA In-Text Citations
There are two main types of MLA in-text citations:
- Author-Date Citations
- Author-Page Citations
Author-date citations include the author’s last name, publication date, and page number; however, auto-page citations only include the author’s last name and page number.
These are further divided into two types:
- Parenthetical Citation
- Narrative Citations
Parenthetical citations have the author’s name and other information in the parenthesis, while narrative citations have the author’s name and other information as a part of the sentence.
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Differences Between Parenthetical and Narrative Citations
Here are the key differences between parenthetical and annotative citations:
| Parenthetical Citations | Narrative Citations |
| A citation formatting style in which data reference is given in parentheses. | A citation formatting style in which data reference is the part of the sentence. |
| It is placed at the end of the sentence. | It is added within the body of the sentence. |
| It emphasises the information being cited. | It emphasises the author and data source. |
| It is written as (Author, Year). | It is written as Author (Year). |
How to Format Parenthetical Citations?
As discussed, parenthetical citations are placed at the end of the sentence or quotation.
Basic Format: (Author’s Last Name + Date + Page Number)
Example: Imagination is more important than knowledge (Einstein 1931, 49).
These are the things that you need to consider in the formatting of parenthetical citations:
- Authors’s Last Name
- Publication Year
- Page Number
How to Format Narrative Citations?
As discussed, narrative citations are added within the body of the sentence.
Basic Format: Author’s Last Name (Year) + Statement
Example: According to Einstein (1931), “Imagination is more important than knowledge”.
These are the things that you need to consider in the formatting of narrative citations:
- Author’s Last Name
- Publication Year
Examples of MLA In-Text Citation
Here are the different examples of MLA in-depth citations that will significantly guide you in adding reference sources to your academic papers.
Example 1: MLA In-Text Citation with Two Authors
Sometimes, two authors write various books, research papers, reports, and articles. However, in this case, their MLA in-text citations are done accordingly. In this case, the last names of authors are written side by side, along with the page number.
For example:
Narration Citation: John and Jack argued that all humans will be wiped out in the coming centuries (45).
Parenthetical Citation: All humans will be wiped out in the coming centuries (John and Jack 45).
Example 2: MLA In-Text Citation with 3+ Authors
Many data sources are also written with the collaboration of three or more authors. In these cases, the author’s last name is not written in parenthesis in their MLA in-text citations because it can distract readers. Only the last name of the first author is mentioned with a Latin phrase, “et al”.
For example:
Narration Citation: Tom Fredrick, Kelly Stone, Henry Garfield, and Freddie Holland said digital advancements have enabled filmmaking under the water (67).
Parenthetical Citation: Digital advancements have enabled filmmaking under the water (Tom et al. 67).
Example 3: MLA In-Text Citation with No Authors
Sometimes, there are no names of authors mentioned in literature sources such as books, journals, reports, and magazines, so in this case, MLA in-text citations are made by using the source’s title in parentheses.
For example, this is a monologue from the famous movie American Psycho:
“Though I can hide my cold gaze in plain sight, and you can shake my hand and feel gripping yours, and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable, I simply am not there (American Psycho).
Example 4: MLA In-Text Citation with Corporate Authors
You sometimes encounter corporate articles, research papers, and reports while researching and writing academic papers. The names of organisations are written in the author’s name. So, MLA in-text citations are done by mentioning the organisation’s name in the parenthetical with the page number.
For example:
Narration Citation: The National Academy of Medicine states that “Sources should be science-based, objective, transparent, and accountable.”
Parenthetical Citation: Sources should be science-based, objective, transparent, and accountable (The National Academy of Medicine).
Example 5: Citing the Same Sources Multiple Times
Sometimes, research paper writers also use information from the same sources written by a common author. Technically, the author’s last name should be added both times, but this may seem redundant. So, to tackle this issue, the author’s last page was added the first time, and the second time, only the page number was added in MLA in-text citations.
For example:
Parenthetical Citation:
“The time of a man’s life is as a point; the substance of it ever flowing, the sense obscure, and the whole composition of the body tending to corruption. His soul is restless, fortune uncertain, and fame doubtful; to be brief, as a stream, so are all things belonging to the body; as a dream, or as a smoke, so are all that belong unto the soul” (Aurelius 22).
“The matter itself, of which the universe doth consist, is very tractable and pliable. The rational essence that doth govern it, bath in itself no cause to do evil” (47).
Example 6: Citing 2+ Sources in the Same In-Text Citation
There’s also a case when writers had to cite two or more sources in the same MLA in-text citation, and it is done as a simple citation at the end of the sentence or quotation in parenthesis but separated with semicolons.
For example:
“What object soever, our reasonable ad sociable faculty doth meet with, that affords nothing either for the satisfaction of reason or for the practice of charity, she worthily doth think unworthy of herself” (Aurelius 66; Smith 55).
Example 7: MLA In-Text Citation with Movie
There are vast amounts of literature sources, magazines, books, and scientific journals in which sentences and quotations from different movies are used to increase readers’ interest. Its MLA in-text citation is done by adding the movie title and time code in the format hours, minutes, and seconds into the parenthesis.
For example, this monologue is taken from the famous movie Good Will Hunting.
“You’re a first-year grad student. You just got finished readin’ some Maxian historian – Pete Garrison, probably. You’re gonna be convinced of that till next month when you get to James Lemon, and then you’re gonna be talkin’ about how the economies of Virginia and Pennsylvania were entrepreneurial and capitalist way back in 1740. That’s gonna last until next year – you’re gonna be in here regurgitating Gardon Woord, talkin’ about, you know, the Pre-revolutionary utopia and capital-forming effects of military mobilisation (Goof Will Hunting 18:16).
Example 8: MLA In-Text Citation with Website
Sometimes, data from different website articles, blogs, and journals are also used in academic papers. The MLA in-text citation is done at the end of the quotation or sentence by adding the author’s name, the page’s title (in quotation marks), the name of the website (italics), the publication date, and the URL.
For example, “Feminist research paradigm deals with the oppression and exclusion of women in society. It also highlights the struggles and insights of the oppressed and disempowered groups of society. This paradigm aims to construct different methods to alleviate and empower those oppressed and disempowered groups efficiently.”
(Nicolas, Alvin “How Research Paradigms Improve the Research Process?” June 13th, 2024, https://www.researchprospect.com/)
Bonus Tips to Ensure Good MLA In-Text Citation
Having MLA in-text citations makes the reports, papers, journals, and magazines readable and reliable in case of research. When students are referencing their academic writing work, they shouldn’t just follow the basic MLA in-text formats but also consider some other things. Considering those things, they can efficiently ensure good MLA in-text citations in their work. Here are a few bonus tips to ensure efficient MLA in-text citations:
| ⭕Accuracy: MLA in-text citations should be accurate. Double-check the reference sources to ensure their originality. Having accurate citations makes the readers engage and trust your work efficiently.
⭕Consistency: Consistency is also very important in the written work. Whenever you add MLA in-text citations, ensure they are added seamlessly to look natural. This significantly enhances the readability of the content. ⭕Clarity: Clarity is also crucial while adding MLA in-text citations. They shouldn’t be very confusing and complicated for the readers. Make them clear so that students can approach original sources effortlessly. ⭕Reference List: Provide the works-cited list of all the cited information at the end of your paper. This will help you efficiently support your claims and arguments and authenticate your paper. |
Frequently Asked Questions
MLA in-text citation is the referencing style in which information is written in the parenthesis with the author’s last name and the page number of the source from where the information is cited. It is a brief and short form of citation that is naturally incorporated into the sentences and quotations without disrupting the flow of the paper.
Yes, you can cite a source with multiple authors in MLA in-text citations. In the case of two authors, you can add their last name in the parenthesis with the page number. However, in the case of three or more authors, you must only take the last name of the first author and add the Latin term “et al.” with the page number.
No, you do not put the year in MLA in-text citations. It is a short and brief form of referencing used to maintain the flow and readability of the paper. So, only the author’s last name and the page number of the source of the information cited are added.
