Citations are added to a work to let the reader know that the topic discussed is (1) either taken from the sources mentioned in the text or (2) supported by previously published works. This makes the work more relevant. The citations also help the readers locate the original source for further research.
MLA stands for Modern Language Association. MLA style uses two citations to provide reference to a source: One is the in-text citation, which is a short citation used in the text, and the other is the works-cited-list entry, which is a full citation of the source.
The in-text citation directs the reader to the works-cited-list entry to get full details of the source.
Both citation types are essential to properly citing a source. Each in-text citation has a corresponding works-cited-list entry. In the same way, every works-cited-list entry has one or more corresponding in-text citations.
The fundamental element used in an in-text citation is the name of the author. You can provide an in-text citation in two ways in the text: as a citation in prose or a parenthetical citation.
When you want to include the citation as a component of your sentence, you need to use the citation in prose style for citing the source. In its first mention, the citation takes the full author name given in the source. Therefore, use both the first name and surname of the author(s) in your in-text citation. After the first occurrence, use only the surname of the author(s). Middle names are not included for in-text citations. Consider the following example:
William Laughlin talks about Eskimos and Aleuts.
Here, the author’s name, “William Laughlin,” is read along with the sentence. This is referred to as a citation in prose.
If you frame your sentence in such a way that there is no need to mention the author’s name in your sentence, then parenthetical citations can be used. Note that parenthetical citations use only the author’s surname. See the below example:
Eskimos and Aleuts are being talked about (Laughlin).
Here, the sentence is complete and meaningful, even if the author’s name is omitted. Such citations are called parenthetical citations.
When you quote some text from a source, you must include the page number of the text in the original source. Add the page number as given in the below example:
Edouard Masson-MacLean claims, “There is evidence from the Nunalleq Site for Pre-Contact Adaptations to the Little Ice Age in Southwest Alaska” (137).
You can also include other components of the source in your in-text citations. The below examples show how to cite a few components in both types of citations:
Citation in prose:
chapter 17
scene 33
line 42
Parenthetical citation:
(ch. 17)
(sc. 33)
(line 42)
A few examples of in-text citations for different numbers of authors are given below:
One author
Citation in prose takes the full name of the author when the source is mentioned the first time in the text but takes only the surname in other instances. Only the surname of the author is used in parenthetical citations.
Citation in prose:
First mention: Shauna MacDonald …. (167).
Subsequent occurrences: MacDonald …. (167).
Parenthetical:
….(MacDonald 167)
Two authors
Follow the same rule as for one-author sources. Use “and” to separate the two authors.
Citation in prose:
First mention: Magda Miranda and Rea Dennis ….
Subsequent occurrences: Miranda and Dennis ….
Parenthetical:
….(Miranda and Dennis)
Three or more authors
Sources having more than two authors are cited in the text using only the first author’s name. For citations in prose, add “and others” or “colleagues” after the first author’s name. Use “et al.” in parenthetical citations.
Narrative:
Mevagh Sanson and colleagues…. or Mevagh Sanson and others ….
Parenthetical:
….(Sanson et al.)
Corporate author
Follow the rule given for one author when you want to cite the corporate author. Use the corporate author instead of the author name. In parenthetical citations, shorten the organization name.
Narrative:
The Linguistic Society of America….
Parenthetical:
….(Linguistic Society of America)
No author
Include the source title in place of the author’s name if there are no authors in the source being cited.
Narrative:
Ethics of Trigger Warnings explains …. (19)
Parenthetical:
….(Ethics 19)
Works-cited-list entries provide additional information, which enables anyone to find the original source for more information.
Most entries have the following information:
Book
The title of the book is set in italics and title case.
Template:
Surname, First Name. Middle name initial. Book Name. Publisher, Publication Date. Page range.
Example:
Ahmed, Sara. Living a Feminist Life. Duke University Press, 2017.
Webpage of a website
Template:
Author or Organization Name. “Title of the webpage.” Website Name. Publication Date, URL.
Example:
Treisman, Rachel. “This floppy 13-year-old pug can tell you what kind of day you’re going to have.” NPR. 19 Oct. 2021. www.npr.org/2021/10/19/1047302978/noodles-pug-bones-no-bones-day-tiktok-mood-prediction.
Journal article
Template:
Surname, First name Middle initial. “Article Title.” Journal Name, Volume, Issue, Publication Date, Page range.
Example:
Wheatley, Elizabeth E. “How Can We Engender Ethnography with a Feminist Imagination?” Women’s Studies International Forum, vol. 17, pp. 403–16.
Online image
Template:
Artist Surname, First Name Middle initial. Image Title. Day Month Year. Name of the Museum or Gallery, URL.
Example:
Spiegel, Frances. Nicholas Hilliard: The Gentle Art of Limning. 15 Nov. 2015. Decoded Past, www.decodedpast.com/nicholas-hilliard-the-gentle-art-of-limning/.
One author
Template:
Surname, First name. “Article Title.” Journal Name, Volume, Issue, Publication Date, Page range.
Example:
Fox, Ragan. “‘Homo’-work: Queering Academic Communication and Communicating Queer in Academia.” Text and Performance Quarterly, vol. 33, no. 1, 2013, pp. 58–76.
Two authors
Style the first author in surname-first name format, and the second author in first name-surname format. The names of the authors are separated by “and.”
Template:
Author Surname, First name Middle initial., and First name Surname. “Article Title.” Journal Name, Volume, Issue, Publication Date, Page range.
Example:
Galle, Jennifer, and Lorelei Lingard. “A Medical Student’s Perspective of Participation in an Interprofessional Education Placement: An Autoethnography.” Journal of Interprofessional Care, vol. 24, 2010, pp. 722–33.
More than 2 authors
Template:
Author Surname, First name, et al. “Article Title.” Journal Name, Volume, Issue, Publication Date, Page range.
Example:
Sanson, Mevagh, et al. “Trigger Warnings Are Trivially Helpful at Reducing Negative Effect, Intrusive Thoughts, and Avoidance.” Clinical Psychological Science, vol. 7, 2019, pp. 778–93.