Examples of MLA Parenthetical Citation

These examples will provide you with the information you need to learn how to correctly format parenthetical citations used in text when quoting from other sources following MLA style.

For examples of MLA Works Cited entries, see below.

One Work by a Single Author

Smith discovered substantial differences in the two substances (10). [The author name is not repeated, because it appears in the sentence.]

In a recent study these differences were carefully described (Smith 10).


One Work with Two or Three Authors

A recent report describes the differences in the two substances (Smith and Jones 10).

In a recent report, Smith and Jones described the two substances (10).

Smith, Jones, and Moore descibed their recent experiment (12).

The latest issue of Science contains a description of the experiment (Smith, Jones, and Moore 12).


One Work with Four or More Authors

Jones et al. described their work in a recent report (12).

A new report on ozone depletion describes recent discoveries (Jones et al. 12).


Two Works by the Same Author

When citing two works by the same author, use a short title to indicate the different works:

(Twain, Sawyer 1)

(Twain, Finn 1)

More Than One Citation Within a Single Parenthetical Reference

In recent studies the differences were clearly described (Allen 15; Jones 10; Smith 25). [Note that entries are separated by semicolns and arranged alphabetically, not chronologically by date.]


Two Authors with the Same Surname

If two authors being cited have the same surname, use the first initial of each author when cited in a parenthetical reference.

(L. Allen 15)

(S. Allen 12)

A Source Without Page Numbers [such as a web site]

Every human, Pipin said, possesses an 'aquatic genetic memory'" (Kvints, par. 3). [Note that the paragraph number, rather than the page number, is included.]

Examples of Entries for the Works Cited List, MLA Style

 NOTE: If your document is a "final product" your works cited list will be double spaced with a hanging indentation (that is, first line of each entry flush with the left margin and all other lines indented one-half inch). This hanging indent is not easily formatted for all browsers, so consult MLA Format for Student Essays for examples.

A Book

Garruth, Gordon. What Happened When: A Chronology of Life and Events in America. New York: Signet,1991.


A Book with Two or Three Authors

Ruland, Richard, and Malcolm Bradbury. From Puritanism to Postmodernism: A History of American Literature. New York: Viking, 1991.


An Edited Book

Mizener, Arthur, ed. Modern Short Stories. New York: Norton, 1979.


An Edition

Lannon, John. M. Technical Writing. 5th ed. New York: HarperCollins, 1991.


An Article or Chapter in an Edited Book

Dundes, Alan. "On the Psychology of Legend." American Folk Legend. Ed. Wayland D. Hand. Berkeley: U of California P, 1971. 21-36.


An Article or Essay Reprinted in a Collection

Platt, Charles. "What's It Mean To Be Human, Anyway?" Wired 3.04 (1995). Rpt. in Composing Cyberspace: Identity, Community, and Knowledge in the Electronic Age. Ed. Richard Holeton. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 1998. 12-20.


More Than Two Reprinted Articles or Essays from the Same Collection

Gibson, William. "Johnny Mnemonic." Holeton 48-61.

Holeton, Richard, ed. Composing Cyberspace: Identity, Community, and Knowledge in the Electronic Age. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 1998.

Lyles, Charlise. "CyberFaith: Promoting Multiculturalism Online." Holeton 113-115.

Platt, Charles. "What's It Mean To Be Human, Anyway?" Holeteon 12-20.


A Work in an Anthology

Bradstreet, Anne. "Before the Birth of One of Her Children." 1678.The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Nina Baym. 5th ed. Vol. 1. New York: Norton, 1998. 271.


More Than Two Works from the Same Anthology

Baym, Nina, ed. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 5th ed. Vol. 1. New York: Norton, 1998.

Bradford, William. Of Plymouth Plantation. Baym 165-204.

Bradstreet, Anne. "Before the Birth of One of Her Children." Baym 271.

Taylor, Edward. "Upon a Wasp Chilled with Cold." Baym 348-349.

[NOTE: If the anthologized work is a poem, essay, or article, place the title within quotation marks; if it is a novel, play, or any work originally published independently, underscore or italicize it.]

Two or More Works by the Same Author

Brunvand, Jan. Folklore: A Study and Research Guide. New York: St. Martin's, 1976.

---, ed. Readings in American Folklore. New York: Norton, l979.

---. The Study of American Folklore: An Introduction. 4th ed. New York: Norton, 1998.


A Periodical Paginated by Volume

Arora, Shirley. L. "On the Importance of Rotting Fish: A Proverb and Its Audience." Western Folklore 48 (1989): 271-288.


A Periodical Paginated by Issue

Becker, Leonard. K., and Clive Seligman. "Welcome to the Energy Crisis." Journal of Social Issues 37.2 (1981): 1-7.


A Magazine Article

With an Author

Junod, Tom. "A Miracle of Faith." Life July 1991: 28-39.

No Author Given

"Moments." Life July 1991: 8-16.

A Newspaper Article

With an Author

Welch, Bob. "Masters of the Garden." The Eugene Register Guard 21 Mar. 1994: D1.

No Author Given

"Frequent Moves Can Hurt Children." The Eugene Register Guard 21 Mar. 1994: D2.

An Interview

Fagan, Susan. Personal interview. 22 Sep. 1997.


An Article in an Online Periodical

Kvints, Paul. "Is Time Running Out for the Mythic Man Fish?" Outside Magazine. Oct. 1998. 21 Sept. 1998 <http://outside.starwave.com/magazine/1098/981/Omanfish.html>. [NOTE: First date given is the publication date; second date given is date of site access.]


A Professional or Personal Web Site

Fagan, Susan. "Examples of MLA Parenthetical Citation." Susan Fagan's Home Page. 16 Oct. 2001. Department of English, University of Oregon. 20 Oct. 2001. <http://www.uoregon.edu/~sfagan/mla_documentation.htm>. [NOTE: First date given is the date of electronic publication or the most recent update and second date given is the date of site access.]


An On-Line Data Base

Cohen, Warren. "Putting a Hold on Executions (Nebraska Measure Would Evaluate Death Penalty)." U.S. News and World Report 21 May 1999:29. Expanded Academic Index. University of Oregon Knight Library. 26 June 1999.


Other

If you don't see listed above the particular type of citation you need, you can find a copy of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers at the Reference Desk in the Knight Library. Another good source is the Knight Library's Citing Electrronic Sources. The best way to learn a referencing system is not to have someone tell you how to do it, but to sit down with a copy of the style sheet and work through it on your own.

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Last updated 10/07/04