Research Paper

MLA Parenthetical Citation Quick Sheet

Basic In-Text Citation Rules

In MLA style, referring to the works of others in your text is done by using what is known as parenthetical citation. This me thod involves placing relevant source information in parentheses after a quote or a paraphrase. Any source information that you provide in-text must correspond to the source information on the Works Cited page. More specifically, whatever signal word or phrase you provide to your readers i n the text, must be the first thing that appears on the left-hand margin of the corresponding entry in the Works Cited List. In-Text Citations: Author-Page Style MLA format follows the author-page method of in-text citation. This means that the author's last name and the page number(s) from which the quotation or paraphrase is taken must appear in the text, and a complete reference should appear on your Works Cited page. The author's name may appear either in the sentence itself or in parentheses following the quotation or paraphrase, but the page number(s) should always appear in the parentheses, not in the text of your sentence. For example: Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (263). Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263). Wordsworth extensively explored the rol e of emotion in the creative process (263). Both the citations in the examples above, (263) and (Wordsworth 263), tell readers that the information in the sentence can be located on page 263 of a work by an author named Wordsworth. If readers want more information about this source, they can turn to the Works Cited page, where, under the name of Wordsworth, they would find the following information: Wordsworth, William. Lyrical Ballads. London: Oxford U.P., 1967. Print.

This is a short list of the most common parenthetical citations for the research paper assignment. The general rule of thumb is, if you are not certain when you are typing it-go look it up.

1. Short Stories and Essays  

When citing a short story or an essay, cite the page numbers. You should have already given the author’s name and the story title/essay title in your discussion. If you did not give the author’s name and the story title/essay title, then include the author’s last name and the page number.

Example: Therefore, “This is my fabulous quotation” (267). Therefore, “This is my fabulous quotation” (Twain 646)

2. Database Sources   

When citing an article from a database source, cite only the author’s last name (include page number if available) If there is no author, use the title of the article (include page number if available). The title may be abbreviated and should appear within quotation marks.

Examples: Many of Byron’s contemporaries thought him “eccentric and out of touch with the world around him” (“Lord Byron”). Many of Byron’s contemporaries thought him “eccentric and out of touch with the world around him” (Lizman).

Quoting and Citing Poetry General Rules:  You should have already given the author’s name in your discussion. If you didn’t, include the author’s last name in the citation. (See #7 for an example)  You should have already given the poem title in your discussion. If you didn’t, include the first significant word of the poem’s title in your citation.  Single words of poems are enclosed within quotation marks  1, 1-2, or 2-3 lines of poetry are enclosed within quotation marks  1-2 or 2-3 lines of poetry are separated by a “/” with a space on either side (See #7 for an example)  Poetry is not cited by page number  Cite poetry by line numbers enclosed within parenthesis (line numbers are found to the right of the poetical text)  Place enclosed line numbers after the end quote and before any end punctuation.  If there are no line numbers, cite by poem title  There are many “special cases” that have specific rules. You will find examples below.

3. Poem Titles  

Poem titles are enclosed in quotes. They are neither underlined nor italicized.

Example: Lord Tennyson’s “The Lady of Shallot” reflects the changing roles of women in the Victorian age.

4. A Single Word  

The word must be enclosed within quotation marks Put the line number at the end of the sentence enclosed within parenthesis.

Example: When Heaney uses a simile to compare his pen to a "gun," he creates a startling image (2).

5. Several Single Words  

Each word must be enclosed within quotation marks List the line numbers directly after each word.

Example: Roethke uses a variety of words in "My Papa's Waltz" that indicate physical violence, words such as "death" (3), "battered" (9), "scraped" (12), "beat" (13), and "hard" (14).

6. A Single Line  

The entire line must be enclosed within quotation marks Line number(s) are enclosed in parentheses and go after the end quote before any end punctuation.

Example: Lord Byron uses alliteration in the following lines, "Where thoughts serenely sweet express" (11).

7. Omitting Words From a Line 

If you remove words from the middle of a line, do use an ellipsis to represent the missing text.

Example: As a boy, the persona visited his grandfather in the fields: "Once I carried him milk. . . . / He straightened up / To drink it" (Heaney 1921).

8. 2-3 Lines 

If you are quoting two-three lines of poetry, you will use a slash with one space on each side.

Example: Lord Byron uses alliteration in the following lines, "Where thoughts serenely sweet express / How pure, how dear their dwelling-place" (11-12).

9. 3 or More Lines      

If you are quoting more than three lines of poetry, you will indent each line by two tabs (one inch, ten spaces). The lines are not enclosed in quotes. The line number(s), enclosed in parentheses, go after any end punctuation. The lines, as always with MLA style, are double-spaced. Do not change any of the poem’s capitalization or punctuation. If a poem’s line goes further than the right margin of the page, continue it onto the next line and indent it three additiona l spaces.

Example: Emily Dickinson writes about heroism: We never know how high we are Till we are called to rise; And then, if we are true to plan, Our statures touch the skies. (1-4)

10. Beginning Quote Midline  

To start quoting in the middle of a line of poetry, just add indentions to indicate the text is only a partial line. Do not use ellipses points (. . .)

Example: McDonald paints a picture of a family in pain, but he uses images that usually show up in cozier circumstances, such as child ren reading the comics: At dawn we folded the quilts and funnies, crept softly through our chores. (13-16) 11. Omitting One or More Full Lines  If you remove one or more full line, use a line of ellipses to indicate the omission. Example: The persona in Hayden's poem would wake to hear the fire his father started before dawn: Sundays too my father got up early . .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. . .. . I'd wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking. When the rooms were warm, he'd call, and slowly I would rise and dress. (1, 6-8)