MLA- In-Text Citations

MLA

In-Text Citations

Be sure to read everything carefully so that you are able to respond to the questions that follow!

In-Text Citations aka Parenthetical Citations allow readers to distinguish between paraphrased and/or quoted information and the author's own words within informative writing.

In-Text Citations

You MUST include an in-text citation when you:

-paraphrase information from a source

-quote information from a source word for word (put it in quotation marks)

In-Text Citations

ALL END PUNCTUATION IS PLACED AFTER IN-TEXT CITATIONS AND YOU DO NOT NEED A COMMA TO SEPARATE THE TWO ITEMS WITHIN AN IN-TEXT CITATION.

The students were told, "all end punctuation is placed after in-text citations" (LaRosa 9).

It was on that day that they learned how the in-text citations come before any end punctuation (LaRosa 9).

In-Text Citations

An in-text citation MUST include:

The author's last name OR the first few words of the source's title (if the author's name is not listed) AND the page number(s) if available

In-Text Citations

Remember:

• Only two items belong inside the parentheses for an in-text citation

• The author's last name ALWAYS WINS over the title

• When using the title, never put more than the first few words of the title and always put it in quotation marks

• If there is no page number, that is fine. You just do not include a page number.

Multiple Choice

What do you do if you source does not show page numbers?

• Find a new source.

• Go to "print view" and list what page it is on when printed.

• Nothing, it is okay to not include page numbers in the citation if there are none.

• Make it up.

Quoted Information

• When information from a source is quoted word for word, you must:

  • place that information within quotation marks

  • place an in-text citation IMMEDIATELY after the quotation

• When information from a source is paraphrased

• if all of the paraphrased information in a paragraph came from the same source, the in-text citation should come at the end of that entire paragraph.

• Ex: Police aren’t the only people who can arrest someone who is breaking the law. Any law enforcement conservation officer has the authority to arrest someone who is hunting without a license, catching more than the legal limit of fish, or speeding (Sassafras 12).

• When information from a source is paraphrased

• if your writing is composed of paraphrased information from multiple sources, you must include an in-text citation at the end of each source's section within the paragraph (before moving onto the paraphrased information from the next source)

• Ex: Any law enforcement conservation officer has the authority to arrest someone who is hunting without a license, catching more than the legal limit of fish, or speeding (Sassafras 12). Everyone else should call their local police department as soon as possible and inform them of where they are and what they are witnessing. Someone will be dispatched as soon as possible. Safety is always of the upmost importance (Snokes 46).

Signal Phrases

• The job of a signal phrase is to "signal" that information is to come and will typically include either the source's author or title.

EXAMPLES:

• According to Steward, smoke inhalation, through either first or second-hand, is one of the leading causes of lung cancer (12).

• The anonymous book, Cancer Caregiving A to Z: An At-Home Guide for Patients and Families, claims that in addition to medical prescriptions, therapy treatments, and a combination of relation and exercise, the support of loved ones is pivotal to overcoming cancer (12).

​Signal Phrase Paraphrased Information Citation

Signal Phrases

• According to Steward, smoke inhalation, through either first or second-hand, is one of the leading causes of lung cancer (12).

• If you utilize either the author's last name or the title in your signal phrase when introducing paraphrased information like above, you do not need to include it in your in-text citation. However, when you are including quoted information (word for word in quotation marks), you must always include a full in-text citation.

​Signal Phrase Paraphrased Information Citation

Multiple Choice

When do you place the in-text citation when directly quoting a source?

• At the end of the paragraph

• Immediately after the quoted words

• You don't have to

• Throughout the paragraph

Multiple Choice

Where do you place the in-text citation when paraphrasing information within your paragraph from more than one source?

• At the end of the paragraph

• Immediately after the quoted words

• You don't have to

• After you're done using that source

Works Cited Page

• Works Cited Page = Bibliography

• MUST be the last page and MUST be titled "Works Cited"

• Each source should be listed in alphabetical order

• If your source goes onto a second (or even a third) line, it must have a hanging indentation

  • A hanging indentation is when the first line is NOT indented, but each line the follows IS indented)

• We will create this together next week.

Open Ended

Practice: Use the following text, author, and page number to write an in-text citation with a DIRECT quote:

Text: Concerns about technology and its impact on student learning aren’t new. So when people say that if we allow students to access artificial intelligence (AI), it will negatively impact their ability to learn and think, I don’t believe that to be the case. I think it’s simply a matter of reframing how we use AI.

Author: Sunaina Sharma

Page Number: 2

All done!

Your next task:

• All MLA Materials are on google classroom (Slideshow, Handout)

• Continue drafting body paragraphs- fixing or adding citations if needed

• Body paragraphs are due: by the start of class Friday