In-Text Citations in MLA 9th Edition

(adapted from the MLA Handbook, Ninth Edition, 2021)

In-Text citations are brief citations found after a direct quote, paraphrase, or summary. They are located in the body of your work.

In-Text citations are placed in parentheses, and have two components:

• The first word found in the full citation on the Works Cited page (usually the last name of the author)

• The location of the direct quote or paraphrase (usually a page number)

In-Text citations should be placed directly after the direct quote or paraphrase, or in a place that is a natural pause and does not cause the reader to become distracted while reading the body of your work.

Example:

In order to prevent starvation, Watney knew exactly what he needed to do. “My best bet for making calories is potatoes” (Weir 17).

When using the author’s name in the sentence, only include the page number in the parentheses.

Example:

Seuss’s use of words such as “lurk” and “dank” help students understand the type of character that the Once-ler is (6).

Click here for a printable version of the information on this page.