What should I include in parentheses if the author’s name is provided in a signal phrase and the source has no page numbers or other kind of part number?

As the MLA Handbook notes, “When a source has no page numbers or any other kind of part number, no number should be given in a parenthetical… Read More

What You Can Omit When Quoting Sources

by Angela Gibson

There is an entire category of material that you do not reproduce . . . Read More

How do I cite an author’s name known only by initials?

If a source is written by an author who is known only by initials, you have several options. Treat the Initials as a Unit One… Read More

How do I cite quotations that are on nonconsecutive pages?

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… Read More

If a page number includes letters in addition to a number, should I include the letters?

Yes. In the following example of a quotation from an early English work, the quotation appears on page 37v, so you would include both the… Read More

Are there instances when you might not place a parenthetical citation at the end of a sentence?

MLA style aims to make in-text citations as unobtrusive as possible, so we normally recommend placing them at the end of a sentence, but sometimes… Read More

How do I cite a photograph found on a website in the text and in my works-cited list?

Cite a photograph found on a website the same way you would cite any work of art found online. See our post on citing images… Read More

Where do I place an exclamation point or a question mark in relation to a parenthetical reference for a paraphrase?

You should place an exclamation point or a question mark after the parenthetical reference for a paraphrase: Why did Karl Marx say that a commodity is… Read More

If I am referring to two sources that make the same point, how do I make my citations clear?

If you directly cite two sources that make the same point, you must make clear to your reader the source of each quotation.  Johnson argues that “mint chip ice… Read More

In-text citations in MLA style involve authors, titles, and page numbers. Can I also include the date of a work?

In MLA style, you must key works you discuss to the works-cited list. You may do so by mentioning the author in the text or in a… Read More