Parenthetical Citation | APA, MLA & Chicago Styles
A parenthetical citation is a type of in-text citation enclosed in parentheses that includes information about a source, such as the author’s name, publication date, and page number(s). Parenthetical citations come at the end of the sentence or clause that cites the source material.
Many citation styles use parenthetical citations, including APA, MLA, and Chicago style formats. Each in-text citation will correspond to an entry in the reference list, Works Cited page, or bibliography.
QuillBot’s free Citation Generator can automatically create in-text citations in many different styles for you. Additionally, our online Plagiarism Checker can detect accidental plagiarism.
APA parenthetical citations
APA parenthetical citations include the author’s name, publication year, and, when applicable, page number(s). This information is always separated with commas.
When the author’s name is already used in the sentence, the publication year goes in parentheses after the author’s name, and applicable page numbers are included in another set of parentheses at the end of the sentence. This is called a narrative citation.
“P.” is used to denote a single page (e.g., “p. 7”), while “pp.” is used to reference multiple pages. Nonconsecutive pages are separated by commas (e.g., “pp. 6, 7”). Consecutive pages are written as a range (e.g., “pp. 24–73”).
The parentheses should always come before the sentence’s final punctuation mark, but after the quotation marks for direct quotes.
Garvía (2015) writes that “all member states and citizens” would be placed on “equal footing” if the entire world adopted Esperanto as a global language (p. 167).
If there are two authors, separate their names with an ampersand (&). If there are three or more authors, list the first author’s name followed by “et al.”
| What is being referenced | Example |
|---|---|
| General idea or message | (Smith, 2024) |
| Idea or quote (narrative citation) | (2024) |
| Direct quote | (Smith, 2024, pp. 7–13) |
| Source with two authors | (Smith & Lowe, 2016, p. 62) |
| Source with 3 or more authors | (Smith et al., 2021, pp. 183, 299) |
MLA parenthetical citations
MLA parenthetical citations include the author’s name and the number of the page from which the idea or quote has been taken. These two elements are not separated by a comma.
When the author’s name is already used in the sentence, only the page number is included in the parentheses. This is called a narrative citation.
Nonconsecutive pages are separated by commas. Consecutive pages are written as a range (e.g., “4–12”).
The parentheses should always come before the sentence’s final punctuation mark, but after the quotation marks for direct quotes.
The San Bernardino Valley is characterized by Didion as “haunted by the Mojave just beyond the mountains, devastated by the hot, dry Santa Ana wind” (3).
If a source has two authors, separate them with the word “and.” If a source has three or more authors, list the first author’s name followed by “et al.”
| What is being referenced | Example |
|---|---|
| Idea or quote | (Smith 11) |
| Idea or quote (narrative citation) | (11) |
| Source with two authors | (Smith and Lowe 98, 99) |
| Source with three or more authors | (Smith et al. 2) |
Chicago parenthetical citations
Chicago format has a few different stylistic options, depending on the specific field of study the research falls under, but the most commonly used style is author-date.
If you’re referencing the text as a whole, the page number is unnecessary. Nonconsecutive pages are separated by commas. There is always a comma in between the publication year and the page number. The parenthetical citation should be placed after the paraphrased information or direct quote, but before the end punctuation of the sentence.
Lorenz explains that The New Yorker’s covers were designed to “be part of one’s living space,” not “seize the buyer’s attention on the newsstand” (1995, 121).
If a source has two or three authors, list all of them. If a source has more than four authors, list the first author’s name, followed by “et al.”
| What is being referenced | Example |
|---|---|
| Idea or quote | (Smith 2019, 88–90) |
| Idea or quote when author’s name has been used in sentence | (2019, 88–90) |
| Source with two or three authors | (Smith, Lowe, and Hughes 2012, 46, 66) |
| Source with four or more authors | (Smith et al. 2017, 276) |
Frequently asked questions about parenthetical citation
- What is a parenthetical citation?
-
A parenthetical citation is an in-text citation within a set of parentheses. It includes source information like the name of the author, publication date, and page number(s). It will usually come at the end of a sentence before the punctuation mark.
Parenthetical citations vary depending on the citation style (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago).
QuillBot’s Citation Generator can help you quickly generate citations in APA, MLA, and Chicago style formats.
- What is the difference between a parenthetical and narrative citation?
-
An APA parenthetical citation includes the author’s name, publication date, and page number(s) within parentheses. In APA Style, a narrative citation has the author’s name in the sentence and the date of publication in parentheses.
Example: In As I Lay Dying, Faulker illustrates the effects of death on the living (1930).
QuillBot’s Citation Generator can help you quickly generate citations in APA, MLA, and Chicago style formats.
- How do you create an APA parenthetical citation?
-
To cite a text in an APA parenthetical citation, list the author’s last name and the publication year, separated by commas. If you use a direct quotation, also include a page number.
Example: (Smith, 2014) or (Smith, 2014, p. 67)
QuillBot’s Citation Generator can help you quickly generate citations in APA, MLA, and Chicago style formats. Additionally, you can keep track of source information with our free notepad online.
