How do I cite quotations that are on nonconsecutive pages?
Note: This post relates to content in the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook. For up-to-date guidance, see the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook.
Nonconsecutive page numbers are presented in the same order as the quotations to which they refer:
As Ann Smith notes, some scholars contend that “the sky is green,” but others claim that “the sky is red” (80, 120).
As Ann Smith notes, some scholars contend that “the sky is red,” but others claim that “the sky is green” (120, 80).
When the work you are citing is not printed on consecutive pages, include specific page numbers in the in-text citation even though they are represented by a plus sign in the works-cited-list entry:
Smith, Ann. “Debates about the Color of the Sky.” Journal of Silly Arguments, vol. 8, no. 2, 2017, pp. 80+.