Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
There are two steps involved in citing your sources:
in text or parenthetical citations
and a bibliography list that’s better known as Works Cited for MLA and References for APA.
Since there are more than one citation style (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc…),
we’ll just concentrate on the Modern Language Association or MLA.
An in-text citation occurs when you provide credit to a source within your paper.
In this example, a student took a direct quotation from a book and added it to her essay.
She provides proper credit by citing the author and the page number where those words exist.
This in-text citation gives partial credit to the overall source.
Note that because the credit exists within the text, this first part of the citation process is known as “in-text” citing.
Creating an in-text citation is relatively easy.
You need the author’s name and page number enclosed in parenthesis.
There are variations to this format since not all sources have an author or page number (especially web-based ones).
Consult the MLA handbook for these variations or ask a librarian.
It is important to keep in mind that in-text citations do not exist alone.
In other words, you cannot just leave an in-text citation in your paper
without referencing the complete bibliographic citation,
which usually can be found at the end of the paper in the Works Cited or References page.
The complete bibliographic citation provides the rest of the information for that in-text source.
Besides showing the author’s name, the complete citation displays the title of the work,
the publisher, and the year of publication.
Again, there are minor differences between the two main citations styles (MLA and APA),
but for the most part, both styles include these basic features.
Also, the complete bibliographic citation allows your readers the opportunity to find the source for their use.
Some use it as a means to check your research.
Lastly, providing this complete information helps you avoid plagiarism
since you are properly giving credit to the source of information.
If you need help, feel free to contact a librarian.