MLA In-Text Citations | Format & Examples

MLA in-text citations should include the author’s last name and page number in parentheses immediately after the cited material.

For sources with two authors, the citation should include both authors’ names connected with “and.”

For sources with three or more authors, include the first author’s name followed by “et al.” to indicate that the other authors’ names are omitted.

The key for MLA citations is that the in-text citation must correspond with the relevant entry on your Works Cited page.

MLA in-text citation examples
Number of authors Examples
One author (Kinsley 46).
Two authors (Kinsley and Eong 79–81)
Three or more authors (Kinsley et al. 92, 95)

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When and where to use MLA citations

Citations should accompany any quotations you use as well as any paraphrased material. Including a citation whenever you copy, paraphrase, or summarize another researcher’s work is imperative to avoid accidental plagiarism.

In-text MLA citations, also known as parenthetical citations, should come immediately after the quoted material and before any punctuation. If the material is being paraphrased rather than quoted, the citation is typically placed at the end of the clause.

If you refer to the author in the sentence itself, the citation should contain the page number only. If you refer to a source with three or more authors in the text of the sentence, replace “et al.” with “and colleagues” or “and others.”

To cite a page range, include the first and last page connected by an en dash (–). MLA also permits the use of hyphens (-) for page ranges for student (non-professional) papers.

To cite multiple non-consecutive pages, list the pages separated by commas.

MLA in-text citation examples
MLA citations are often used for research in the humanities (Al-Adim 22).

Al-Adim observes that MLA “is most often used when discussing literature, art, or other humanities disciplines” (25).

MLA requires the information in parenthetical citations to point readers to the corresponding Works Cited entry (Al-Adim 26–27).

According to Piña and colleagues, this makes it easier for readers to identify useful source materials (71, 74).

Note
QuillBot’s online Plagiarism Checker can check your text for any material that may constitute plagiarism.

Multiple sources in a single citation

If your sentence uses material from multiple sources, you can cite all the sources within a single in-text citation by separating them with a semicolon.

MLA multiple source in-text citation examples
Children’s stories have a long history as cautionary tales (Polk 85–89; Eqqa 102).

Tariq and colleagues, as well as other scholars, have noted the importance of this theme (104; Yong 56; Tre et al. 33–40).

The book’s relevance is reflected in its inclusion in high school curricula across the country (Reddoe 11; Yulieva 98; Werner 23; Pinkings 60, 84).

Citing the same source

If you cite the same source consecutively, you can cite only the page number after the first full citation. This can be done when the same source is used throughout a paragraph.

MLA in-text citation examples
Frye observes that “it is somehow ridiculous to regard the critic as the final judge of [a poem’s] meaning” (5). However, this argument fails to understand “that criticism deals with literature in terms of a specific conceptual framework” (6).

If a new source is introduced or you begin a new paragraph, you should include the full citation again.

Citing sources with the same author name

You may need to cite multiple sources by the same author or sources from multiple authors who share the same last name. In these cases, your in-text citation should include the necessary information to direct the reader to the correct Works Cited entry.

Multiple sources by the same author

At times, you may need to cite multiple works by a single author, such as different poems from a collection. In this case, citations should include an abbreviated version of the title following the author’s name and a comma.

MLA different works with same author in-text citation examples
(Carroll, Alice’s Adventures 36)

(Carroll, Looking-glass 10)

(Frost, “Apple-Picking,” lines 27–29)

(Frost, “Sound of Trees,” line 6)

When citing lines of poetry, the author’s name is followed by a comma and the line numbers of quoted material. Only the line numbers are needed for subsequent citations of the same poem if no other sources are introduced in between.

Citing authors with the same last name

When multiple authors share the same last name, include the author’s initials in the in-text citation so the reader knows which Works Cited entry to refer to for the particular source. If the authors have the same initials, write out their full first name.

MLA same last name in-text citation examples
(E. Smith 93)

(W. Smith 31)

Citing sources with no author

To cite material from an anonymous or otherwise unnamed writer, include a citation that directs readers to the first words in the Works Cited entry. Usually, this will be the name of the publishing organization or website or the title of the piece.

Organization names or titles that exceed four words should be shortened to the first main word or phrase used in the Works Cited entry (excluding the articles “the,” “a,” “an”).

The formatting of the name or title should follow MLA rules for italics versus quotation marks. If the source is a book title or website name, it should be italicized. If the source is the title of a specific article or a poem, use quotation marks.

MLA no author in-text citation examples
Reference entry title In-text citation title
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Sir Gawain)
“The First Kiss of Love” (“First Kiss”)
American Association of Professional Apiculturists (American Association)

Citing sources without page numbers

Because MLA is often used for humanities research, you may need to cite various sources besides books and articles.

For sources with numbered parts such as plays, poems, or audiovisual materials like videos or podcasts, citations should include the numbers (e.g., line number, verse, paragraph, timestamp, scene) indicating where to find the quoted material in the source text and the type of system used (e.g., “lines 5–6”).

For sources without numbered or labeled parts, include only the author’s name. Do not add your own numbers to the source; this may cause confusion because the numbering system is not standardized across editions, publication formats, etc.

Citing sources with no page numbers in MLA
Source  How to cite Example
Source with numbered parts Author name followed by a comma and the line, paragraph (par.), section (sec.), or chapter (ch.) number (Torriani, par. 9)

(Poe, line 14)

Play with numbered lines Author name followed by act, scene, and line numbers, separated by periods (Shaw 2.1.42–48)

(Shakespeare 1.1.19–27)

Audiovisual source Author name and timestamps (Spielberg 1:14:36–1:15:08)

(Ward 08:03:03–21)

Sources without numbering Author name or shortened title (Panjat)

(“MLA in-text citations”)

Citing sources indirectly

When you encounter quoted or paraphrased material in a secondary source that you would like to cite, the best practice is to find the original source.

If this isn’t possible, you must cite both the original author and the source you used for the information using “qtd. in” (an abbreviation for “quoted in”). The Works Cited entry includes only the secondary source.

MLA indirect source in-text citation examples
Fussell notes that “early wishes to escape the family” were a driving force in the popularity of the genre (qtd. in Mason 337).

Evidently, one might not feel up to “fac[ing] Piccadilly” in exotic dress (Kingsley, qtd. in Ciolkowski 337).

Frequently asked questions about MLA in-text citations

When do I need MLA in-text citations?

MLA in-text citations must be included any time you quote or paraphrase another source. Failing to include a citation could result in accidental plagiarism.

Citations are not usually needed for generally available knowledge, such as the dates of historical events or the birthdates of historical figures.

How can I cite information from a footnote in MLA style?

To cite information from a footnote in an MLA in-text citation, include the author’s name and page number as usual, followed by “n” and the footnote number (Bing 205n4).

To cite multiple footnotes, use “nn” and an en dash with the number range (Bing 205nn4–8).

For footnotes without numbers, include a space after the page number followed by “un” (Bing 103 un).

QuillBot’s free Citation Generator can automatically create citations for all types of sources.

How do I cite a source with no author in MLA?

MLA in-text citations for sources without an author should include the first element of the corresponding Works Cited entry. This is usually the title of the piece (“Practice Writing Exercises”) or the name of the organization that has published the piece (Princeton Review).

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Alexandra Rongione, MA

Alexandra has a master’s degree in literature and cultural studies. She has taught English as a foreign language for a range of levels and ages and has also worked as a literacy tutor.