FAQ: How do I do an in-text citation in MLA Style?
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Last Updated: May 30, 2025
Views: 16005
MLA Style requires an in-text citation to indicate the sources that were consulted and used in your work. The in-text citation must correspond with the entry on the Works Cited page,
MLA in-text citations follow the Author-Page style, meaning the author's last name and the page number(s) of the quotation or paraphrase must appear in the text. Page numbers always appear in the parentheses, not in the text of your sentence.
General Format
Parenthetical Citation
(Author page#)
Citation in Prose
Author stated that ... (page#).
For Example
One Author
Parenthetical Citation
(Ramugondo 189)
Citation in Prose
Ramugondo stated that ....... (189).
Two Authors
Parenthetical Citation
(Leon and Andrews 250-258)
Citation in Prose
Javier F. Leon and Ronald Andrews argue that ....... (250-258).
Three or More Authors
Parenthetical Citation
(Zhang et al. 11)
Citation in Prose
Zhang and colleagues concluded from their experiments that ....... (11).
More Information
- MLA Guide (Shapiro Library)
Further Help
This information is intended to be a guideline, not expert advice. Please be sure to speak to your professor about the appropriate way to cite sources in your class assignments and projects.
Campus Students
To access Academic Support, visit your Brightspace course and select “Tutoring and Mentoring” from the Academic Support pulldown menu.
Online Students
To access help with citations and more, visit the Academic Support via modules in Brightspace:
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