MLA In-Text Citations Lesson

MLA 9 In-Text Citations

The basics of citing in your text with MLA 9

Introduction to In-Text Citations

In-Text Citations are used within your writing to show where you have included information from another source. They help you avoid plagiarism and allow your reader to find the source of the information.

Multiple Choice

What is the primary purpose of in-text citations?

• To make the paper longer

• To avoid plagiarism

• To confuse the reader

Basic Narrative Citation

When you mention the author's name in your sentence, you're making a narrative citation. For example, Mike McDaniel points out that 'the news is certainly disappointing for the Pelicans.' This tells your reader to look for Mike McDaniel in your Works Cited page for more information.

Multiple Choice

What is a narrative citation?

• Citing without mentioning the author's name

• • Mentioning the author's name as part of your sentence

  
  

• Using a quote without citing

Basic Parenthetical Citation

If you don't mention the author's name in the sentence, use a parenthetical citation. For example, 'the team is being extremely cautious' (McDaniel). This means the information came from a source written by someone named McDaniel.

Multiple Choice

When should you use a parenthetical citation?

• When the author's name is mentioned in the sentence

• When citing a webpage without an author

• When the author's name is not mentioned in the sentence

Citing with Page Numbers

When you're citing something from a book or print source, include the page number. For example, 'the time of year was described as a sultry summer' (Plath 1). This tells your reader exactly where to find the quoted material in the source.

Multiple Choice

How do you cite a source with page numbers?

• By including the URL

• • By mentioning the author's name only

  
  

• By including the page number

Now, think about picking up a single book from the library. This book, with its own unique content, is like a webpage. It's a single document on the Internet, usually a part of a larger website. It has its own specific URL (web address) you can visit directly. For instance, when someone shares a link to a specific recipe for chocolate cake on BBC Good Food, they're sharing a webpage.

Imagine you walk into a library. This library is huge and has thousands of books. In this analogy, the library represents a website. It's a collection of related pages under one domain name, accessible via the Internet. For example, when you hear someone say "Check out the recipes on BBC Good Food," they're referring to the entire collection of recipes, articles, and other content under the "BBC Good Food" website.

Website vs. Webpage

Multiple Choice

What is the difference between a website and a webpage?

• A website is a single document on the Internet, while a webpage is a collection of related documents.

• A website and a webpage are the same things, just different terms.

• A website is a collection of related webpages under one domain name, while a webpage is a single document within that collection.

• A webpage is the Internet, and a website is a search engine.

Citing a Webpage with an Author

When citing a webpage that has an author, include the author's last name in the parenthetical citation. For example: 'The impact of social media on society is significant' (Smith).

Multiple Choice

How do you cite a webpage with an author?

• Use the website name in parentheses

• Use the author's last name in parentheses

• Use the article title in parentheses

Citing a Webpage without an Author

If the webpage you're citing does not list an author, use a shortened version of the title of the page. Place the title in quotation marks. For example: 'Early literacy development is crucial for children' ('Reading Milestones').

Multiple Choice

How do you cite a webpage without an author?

• Use "no author" in parentheses

• Use a shortened version of the webpage title in quotation marks

• Use the full URL in parentheses

Citing Multiple Authors

When a source has two authors, mention both in your citation. For example, 'some of the best things in life are free' (Fredericks and Miller 28). If there are three or more authors, use 'et al.' after the first author's name, like (Ralston et al.).

Multiple Choice

How do you cite a source with three or more authors?

• List all authors every time

• Use "et al." after the first author's name

• Only use the first author's name

Citing Different Works by the Same Author

If you're citing different works by the same author, include a shortened title of the work in the citation to differentiate them. For example, if you are using two Hemingway books, The Old Man and The Sea, and A Farewell to Arms, but are referencing one of the titles, it would look like this. (Hemingway, Farewell 3).

Multiple Choice

How do you differentiate between works by the same author in citations?

• By including the publication year

• By including a shortened title of the work

• By using "et al."

Organizations as Authors

Sometimes, organizations can be authors too. For your first citation, use the full name of the organization. After that, you can abbreviate it. For example, World Wide Fund or (World Wide Fund).

Multiple Choice

How do you cite an organization as an author?

• • Use the organization's acronym only

  
  

• Use the full name of the organization for the first citation

• Always use the website URL

Quoting Material Within a Source

If you're quoting something that your source is quoting, use 'qtd. in' to show this. For example, 'all men are created equal' (qtd. in Jones).

Multiple Choice

How do you cite a quote within a source?

• • Use "qtd. in" before the source you are directly quoting from

  
  

• Use "et al."

• Use a direct quote only

Final Thoughts

Remember, the goal of in-text citations is to guide your reader to the full citation in your Works Cited page. Always make sure your in-text citations match up with your Works Cited entries.

Multiple Choice

What is the goal of in-text citations?

• • To provide detailed descriptions of sources

  
  

• To guide readers to the Works Cited page

• To replace the Works Cited page