In-text (parenthetical) Citations

Transcription

1 Online Writing Center, Darton State College 1 In-text (parenthetical) Citations This document includes some sample parenthetical citations. The MLA Manual for Writers of Research Papers, 7 th ed. is the definitive authority for all possible citation variants. Websites, such as Purdue University s Online Writing Lab (OWL), are also helpful. There are two major and some minor citation styles in use today. At Darton State College, the most often required are the citation style created by the Modern Language Association of America (MLA) and the citation style created by the American Psychological Association (APA). Always check with your instructors to make sure you know which style you have to use. This document is the introduction to MLA citation in general. As you search for material for your research project, keep in mind that sources from which you borrow information MUST be cited in your project in order (1) to lead your readers to your sources, (2) to credit the source with the information you borrowed, and (3) to avoid plagiarizing. Follow these steps to avoid plagiarizing (please see other documents in relation to plagiarism in the Online Writing Center s Plagiarism section): 1. Keep track of your sources: Record the sources from which you decide to use information. The list should be electronic for easy formatting and access. 2. On your list of sources, record the essential publication information. (You will know what they are when you learn what information is needed in the actual citations. See further documents.) 3. As you are writing the paper, add in-text citations after all borrowed material. 4. As you add the in-text citations, create the full citation on the Works Cited page, which is the last page of your research paper.

2 Online Writing Center, Darton State College 2 When you are ready to cite your sources, you will need to know that there are two types of citations within each research project: (1) in-text citation and (2) end-of-text citation. The first is also referred to as parenthetical citation and the second is also referred to as the Works Cited page. IN-TEXT, OR PARENTHETICAL, CITATIONS: 1. In-text citations are placed inside the paper, directly after the borrowed material. The citations provide enough information for the readers of the paper to be able to locate the source on the Works Cited page. References in the text must clearly point to specific sources in the list. Typically, we put in parentheses the same information that begins the long citation on the Works Cited page. This way, the reader is able to find the citation very easily on the alphabetized list of works cited. 2. Variations of parenthetical citations: a. Author s name stated in the text: Zender has argued this point (178-85). Page-number range. (Note: the period is placed after the citation.) b. Author s name not stated in the text: This point has already been argued (Zender ). c. Two or more authors: Note the lack of comma and p. (APA uses the comma and the p ; MLA does not.) Others have also argued this point (Rabkin, Greenberg, and Olander vii-ix) d. Four or more authors: i. (Lauter et al ) ii. (Lauter, Smith, Tannen, and King )

3 Online Writing Center, Darton State College 3 e. Two or more authors with the same last name: (A. Patterson ) (P. Patterson 96) f. Author s name in text with a quotation: It may be true, as Fukuyama maintains, that in the appreciation of medieval art the attitude of the observer is of primary importance (136). g. Author s name not mentioned before the quotation: It may be true that in the appreciation of medieval art the attitude of the observer is of primary importance (Fukuyama 136). h. When the author s name is unknown, use the title of the work (in quotation marks): The nine grades of mandarins were distinguished by the color of the button on the hats of office ( Mandarin ). i. If the quotation extends to more than four lines, set it off from your test by beginning a new line and indenting one inch from the margin. Doubles-space the lines, and omit quotation marks: In conclusion of Lord of the Flies, Ralph and the other boys realize the horror of their actions: The tears began to flow and sobs shook him. He gave himself up to them now for the first time on the island; great, shuddering spasms of grief that seemed to wrench his whole body. His voice rose under the black smoke before the burning wreckage of the island: and infected by that emotion, the other little boys began to shake and sob too. (186) In block quotations, the period does not follow the citation.

4 Online Writing Center, Darton State College 4 END-OF-TEXT, OR WORKS CITED PAGE, ENTRIES: Every source cited with an in-text citation inside your paper MUST have an end-of-text citation equivalent. In-text citations are meaningless without the work-cited entries and the workcited entries are meaningless without the in-text citations. The following Works Cited page entries correspond to some of the in-text citations you saw on the previous pages: Works Cited Fukuyama, Frances. Our Posthuman Future: Consequences of the Biotechnology Revolution. New York: Farrar, Print. Mandarin. The Encyclopedia Americana ed. Print. Rabkin, Eric S., Martin H. Greenberg, and Joseph D. Olander. Preface. No Place Else: Explorations in Utopian and Dystopian Fiction. Ed. Rabkin, Greenberg, and Olander. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, vii-ix. Print. Zender, Karl F. Loving Shakespeare s Lovers: Character Growth in Romeo and Juliet. Approaches to Teaching Shakespeare s Romeo and Juliet. Ed. Maurice Hunt. New York: MLA, Print. You will find more in-depth information about the Works Cited page entries in other documents in the Online Writing Center s MLA and APA sections.

5 Online Writing Center, Darton State College 5 Work Cited MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7 th ed. New York: MLA, Print.