In MLA style, brief parenthetical citations are inserted in the text to direct the reader to your sources. An MLA in-text citation includes the author’s last name and a page number.

If a source has two authors, name both. If a source has more than two authors, name only the first author, followed by “et al.” If the text or information you’re citing spans multiple pages, include the full page range.

General Form: (Author Last Name Page #)

Example: (Smith 42)

Number of authors

Example

1 author (Moore 37)

2 authors (Moore and Patel 48–50)

3+ authors (Moore et al. 59)

If there is NO AUTHOR, a title fragment should be used to make a connection between the use of the source and the citation for the source on the Works Cited page.

General Form: (“Title Fragment” Page #) or (Title Fragment Page #)

Examples: (“Library Links” 13) or (Building a Bookshelf 42)

*Each in-text citation must correspond to a full reference in the list of Works Cited. See the Works Cited page for help.

If it is a POEM, follow these directions:

General Form: (Poet’s Last Name Line Number)

Example: (Angelou 14-15)

If it is a PLAY, follow these directions:

General Form: (Playwright’s Last Name Act Number. Scene Number. Line Numbers)

• • NOTE: The act and scene numbers should be in Roman Numerals (see chart below)

Example: (Shakespeare I.ii.13-15)

Check out this Sample Paper Below: