Unit 3 Completing a Report Using MLA Lesson

Unit 3: Completing a Report Using MLA Lesson 3: Using In-Text Citations

Lesson 3: Using In-Text Citations Objectives: Based on MLA Guidelines: Add in-text citations

In-Text Citations An in-text citation is a reference made in the text of a document. It alerts the reader that the author is using information from another source. In-text citations include the author’s last name and the page numbers in the source where the information can be found. Examples of information that must have in-text citations: • Direct quotes • Paraphrase of any idea • Facts • Images

In-Text Citations An in-text citation is a short-hand reference to more detailed information about the source. This detailed information is found in the bibliography. A bibliography is a list of sources used for in-text citations that usually appears at the end of the document.

MLA In-Text Citation Format Open parenthesis (Smith 136 -138) Author’s last name Page numbers in source Close parenthesis

One or Two Authors For sources with one author, list the author’s last name and page numbers. (Green 123 -127) (Smith and Jones 93)

Three or More Authors For sources with three or more authors, list the last name of the first author, followed by “et al” and the page numbers. (Blue et al. 45 -46) “Et al” means “and others”, it is derived from Latin.

Internet Source For sources published directly to the Internet there are generally no page numbers, and many times no specific author. If there is an author, use the author’s last name with no page number. If there is no author listed, use the title of the source enclosed in quotations. If there is no title then use the web site name in italics. (Russel) (“Alternate Energy”) (SI. com)

Creating MLA Citations in Word You can use the Citation tool provided in Microsoft Office 2016 to create citations, but it’s not perfect. This is because the current version of the MLA guidelines is version 8, but the tool is based on version 7. Luckily, for basic source information, there are some small tricks and edits that you can do to make things work.

Summary In this lesson, based on MLA Guidelines, you: • Added in-text citations