The methods of citing sources require that you credit your source immediately after the borrowed information with an "in-text" citation enclosed in parentheses. MLA and APA citation styles have slightly different rules.
Parenthetical citation is referring to the works of others in your text. This method involves placing relevant source information in parentheses after a quote or a paraphrase. Any source information that you provide in-text must correspond to the source information on the Works Cited page. Whatever signal word or phrase you provide to your readers in the text must be the first thing that appears on the left-hand margin of the corresponding entry in the Works Cited List.
The author's last name and the page number(s) from which the quotation or paraphrase is taken must appear in the text, and a complete reference should appear on your Works Cited page. The author's name may appear either in the sentence itself or in parentheses following the quotation or paraphrase, but the page number(s) should always appear in the parentheses, not in the text of your sentence.
For example:
Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (263).
Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263).
Both citations in the examples above tell readers that the information in the sentence can be located on page 263 of a work by an author named Wordsworth. If readers want more information about this source, they can turn to the Works Cited page.
When a source has no known author, use a shortened title of the work instead of an author name.
Visit the MLA Style Center for more information.
The MLA Handbook Ninth Edition was published in April 2021. The citation format can be used for all source types. It does not matter whether a book, website, YouTube video, or presentation was consulted, all sources use the same citation format.
The researcher is required to locate the “core elements” of their sources: the author’s name(s), the title, the title of the container, any other contributors associated with the source, the version, any numbers (such as the volume for a book or an episode number for a television show), publisher, publication date, and the location (page number(s) of a book or URL of a website).
These core elements are placed in the citation, usually in this format:
Author. “Title.” Title of the container. Other contributors, Version, Number, Publisher’s name, Date of publication, Location.
In addition to one universal format for all source types, MLA Ninth Edition allows for more flexibility than previous versions. There is no right or wrong way to document a source and certain aspects of a source can be included or excluded.
Purdue Online Writing Lab Excellent resources for formatting a paperVisit the APA site for detailed information.
Click here to watch the tutorial. You will learn how to structure and format your paper, create headings, cite references in the text, and create the reference list.
Visit the site of the Purdue Online Writing Lab for more APA style assistance.
APA-style formatted paper in Google Docs
APA In-Text Citations video
APA vs. MLA Style
An annotated bibliography includes a summary and/or evaluation of each of the sources. Depending on your project or the assignment, your annotations may do one or more of the following:
Summarize: What are the main arguments? What is the point of this book or article? What topics are covered?
Assess: Is it a useful source? How does it compare with other sources in your bibliography? Is the information reliable? Is this source biased or objective? What is the goal of this source?
Reflect: Was this source helpful to you? How does it help you shape your argument? How can you use this source in your research project? Has it changed how you think about your topic?
Your annotated bibliography may include some of these, all of these, or even others. You should always ask your teacher for specific guidelines.
