Rules for in-text citation format vary based on the number of authors.
Common rule exceptions are also found at the bottom of this page.
One Author:
List the last name of the author, followed by the page number or page range (MLA 228).
Example:
(Baron 194)
(Alexander 17-25)
Two Authors:
Separate the last names of the authors with the word "and" (MLA 232).
Example:
(Dorris and Erdrich 23)
Three or More Authors:
Begin the entry with the first author's last name followed by "et al." (MLA 233).
Example:
(Burdick et al. 42)
No Author
Your in-text citation will begin with the title of the work. The title may appear in the text itself or, abbreviated, before the page number in the parentheses (MLA 237).
Example:
Reading at Risk notes that despite an apparent decline in reading, during the same period, "the number of people doing creative writing - of any genre, not exclusively literary works - increased" (3).
OR
Despite an apparent decline in reading, during the same period, "the number of people doing creative writing - of any genre, not exclusively literary works - increased" (Reading 3).
If your source uses a stable numbering system, such as explicit paragraph numbers instead of page numbers, give the relevant numbers preceded by a short label to explain the system used. Place a comma after the author's name in this citation. If you reference an eBook, be sure the page numbers appear consistently to other users. If not, you should cite a stable numbered section, such as the chapter (MLA 244).
Paragraph: par. or pars.
Sections: sec. or secs.
Chapters: ch. or chs.
Example:
(Chan, par. 41)
For sources with no stable numbering system, no number should be used. Do not manually count unnumbered paragraphs or parts (MLA 248).
Example:
(Baron)
To differentiate two authors with the same last name, add the author's first initial (MLA 234). "If the authors' first names begin with the same initial, use their full first names in your parenthetical citations (MLA 235).
Example:
(N. Baron 194)
After the author's name, include a comma, then a short form of the source's title (MLA 235-236). For brevity, the title should be shortened if it is longer than a noun phrase; Give the first noun, preceded by any adjectives, while excluding any initial article: a, an, the (MLA 237).
Example:
(Baron, Redefining 194)
Corporate Author
When an author is a corporation or institution, "shorten the name to the shortest noun phrase" (MLA 233). Give the first noun, preceded by any adjectives, while excluding any initial article: a, an, the (MLA 233).
Example:
The National Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society shortens to (National Academy 9).
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