In-Text Citations Review

Any time a writer borrows ideas, whether paraphrased, summarized, or directly quoted, he or she must acknowledge the sources of the information. It is OKAY to borrow ideas and information from other sources, as long as it is acknowledged correctly. In MLA format, this acknowledgement starts with an in-text citation. This citation consists of the author and page number. There are two ways to create the citation: (1) using the author's name in the text and (2) providing all sources information at the end of the citation. Take a look at the different methods below.

Gardner suggests that "all dogs should be fed twice daily and given routine exercise opportunities" (23).
One study suggests that "all dogs should be fed twice daily and given routine exercise opportunities" (Gardner 23).

In both cases above, note that the citation (Gardner 23) & (23) come after the end of the quote, and that the sentence punctuation appears AFTER the citation.

Some sources may not have an author and/or page number listed. This usually occurs with websites, or other online sources. Refer to the sidebar resources for help formatting those.

Remember that a citation should come after each source's information. This applies to material that is copied, summarized in a writer's own words, or paraphrased in a writer's own words. When in doubt, cite the source!

Image of an MLA formatted essay

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