PARENTHETICAL DOCUMENTATION MLA Style When do we use

PARENTHETICAL DOCUMENTATION MLA Style

When do we use parenthetical documentation? Parenthetical documentation gives credit to the sources used in the research paper. � Direct quotations � Statistics and Facts � Paraphrases � Information and Summaries that is not common knowledge

Basic Format: We see Scout admit that she lies to her father when she says, “I said I could like it very much, which was a lie, but one must lie under certain circumstances” (Lee 128). � � Put the author’s name and page number, without punctuation, in parentheses. End punctuation follows the citation.

Variations: The older waiter in Hemingway's "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" asks himself, "What did he fear? " (79). � The author’s name does not appear in the parenthetical documentation because it is already mentioned in the sentence. � If the source has no page numbers, parenthetical documentation is not needed since the author’s name is stated.

Parenthetical Documentation for Internet Sources No one knows the fate of Virginia Dare and the Lost Colony. Stories and legends have been created to help explain what might have happened (“The Expedition”). Work Cited “The Expedition. ” Mysteries of the Lost Colony. North Carolina Museum of History, 2008. Web. 8 Mar. 2012. � � � If no author is given, use the first item in the citation from the Works Cited page. Use the same format (italics, quotation marks, etc. ) Online sources do not have page numbers.

Parenthetical Documentation for Source with Up to Three Authors: There has been a drastic increase in frivolous lawsuits in the United States in the last ten years (Dewey, Cheatum and Howe 45). Dewey, Cheatum and Howe observed a drastic increase in lawsuits in the United States in the last ten years (45).

More than Three Authors: Legal experts counter Smith, Yang, and Moore's argument by noting that the current spike in gun violence in America compels law makers to adjust gun laws (Jones et al. 4). Jones et al. counter Smith, Yang, and Moore's argument by noting that the current spike in gun violence in America compels law makers to adjust gun laws (4).

Interview: As junior students, we were told that this paper is “dummy proof and it’s impossible to do wrong if you try” (Lesh interview). Lesh, John. Personal Interview. 5 June 2011.

Final Note: Common sense and ethics should determine the need for documenting sources. Familiar proverbs, wellknown quotations or common knowledge do not need to be cited. Additional answers can be found in the MLA Handbook (2007 edition), in the Media Center.