MLA Parenthetical Citations A Guide for Proper Source

MLA Parenthetical Citations A Guide for Proper Source Formatting *stolen from Ms. Grady

What is a Parenthetical Citation and when would we use one? ►A reference at the end of a sentence that refers to a source stated in the works cited page. ►For Example: (Smith 48) ►Any time that you use another person’s idea(s), EVEN IF you put those ideas into your own words.

For Example: You want to use an idea that you found in one of your articles. ► You have 2 choices: § 1. You can use the exact words of the author and place them in quotation marks followed by the author’s last name and the page number. § Example: “By age 24, up to sixty percent of people who are identified as childhood bullies have at least one criminal conviction” (Harris 3).

Or… ► 2. You can put that idea into your own words. Then you place the author’s last name and the page number the idea was on in the parentheses that follows. ► Example: Over 50% of childhood bullies have at least once criminal conviction by the time they are 24 years of age (Harris 3).

Things to remember… ► The punctuation mark for the sentence (even for a quote) comes after the parentheses. ► The only information that does not have to be followed by a parenthetical citation in your paper is what is known as COMMON KNOWLEDGE (information that YOU know or that can be found in several sources written by different authors).

Things to Remember Cont’d. ► The second time you use information from a source, IF NO OTHER SOURCE HAS BEEN CITED IN BETWEEN, you may write only the page number where you found information in the parentheses. ► If you cite the author to introduce your quote, you may also just put the page number in parentheses. ► According to Harris, bullying can lead to both physical and psychological harm (9).

How do you cite multiple authors? ► For two or three authors give the last names of every author in the same order that they appear in the works-cited section. ► Example: Samuel Moore Walton, founder of Wal-Mart, owed much of his ambition for success to the fact that he grew up during the Great Depression (Vance and Scott 1).

For more than three authors: ► Give the first author’s last name as it appears in the works-cited section followed by et al. with no punctuation in between. ► Example: Methane gas trapped in ice crystals on the seafloor may be an important source of fuel in the future (Suess et al. 80).

Why do we want to include parenthetical citations? ►To support our thesis statement. ►To support our main arguments. ►To add meaning to our papers. ►To give a real-life example for our readers.

How do we introduce a quotation or a reference? ► It is important that your citations are introduced and not simply placed throughout your paper. ► If necessary, explain to the reader what your citation means. ► We should see evidence that you understand your citations and that they flow with the rest of your paper.

What do I do if I have a source with no author? ► If your source does not have an author, use the title of the source in place of the author in your parenthetical citation. ► Example: (History of Bullying 14)

****** ►Be certain your parenthetical citation matches with the FIRST bit of information offered on your Works Cited page. ►For example…….

Works Cited ► Beck, Roger B. , et al. Modern World History: Patterns of Interaction. Boston: Mc. Dougal Littell, 2003. ► citation= (Beck 23). ► The Industrial Revolution. New York: Prentice-Hall, 1999. ► citation= (The Industrial Revolution 4).

► Questions? ► You will be using 3 sources for your papers. We should be reading quotes and paraphrases from 3 different sources. You may use more – but be certain those sources are on your Works Cited page.