How do I cite a poem by line numbers if the numbering of the lines begins again at each section?
Provide the section number as well as the line number: As Wordsworth writes in his series of sonnets The River Duddon, “Child of the clouds!… Read More
Posts related to in-text citations
How do I cite a quotation that I use in the title of my paper?
If you include a quotation in the title of your paper, you should discuss the quotation in the body of your essay. Do not place… Read More
If I cite sources with the same lead author but different coauthors, do I use et al.?
Yes. In MLA style, when a work has more than two authors or editors, the works-cited-list entry provides the name of the lead author or… Read More
If my paraphrase consists of several sentences, should a citation for the original source appear after each sentence?
No. The citation should appear only after the final sentence of the paraphrase. If, however, it will be unclear to your reader where your source’s… Read More
How do I abbreviate a title for a parenthetical reference if it begins with numbers?
Remember that the goals of parenthetical citation are clarity and concision. Thus, if a title begins with a number–for example: 1066: A New History of… Read More
How do I cite a Twitter thread or conversation in my text and in my works-cited list?
A thread is a series of separately written but related tweets that are given a single URL. If you’re discussing the thread as a whole… Read More
If I cite a source quoted in another source, am I obligated to check that the quotation is correct?
No, but it’s always best to consult the original and quote from it directly, if possible. Read More
When you cite from the same source in more than one paragraph and no other source intervenes, do you need to repeat the author’s name each time you start a new paragraph?
As the MLA Handbook notes, “[W]hen an entire paragraph is based on material from a single source,” you might “define a source in the text at the… Read More
Do I cite a word or passage each time I quote it?
No. If you quote from a work and provide an in-text citation at first mention, you usually do not have to provide an in-text citation… Read More