In-text Citation Guidelines in APA and MLA

What is In-text Citation in Academic Writing?

If you’ve never used this in-text citation before, it may seem a little complicated. It becomes much easier once you have seen some examples. This is also called the “in-text” or “paraphrased” citation. It is used when you directly quote or paraphrase an element of the text being used. A parenthetical reference is when you refer to something found in another source. This can be done by inserting part of the text directly into your paper. You must summarize, paraphrase or quote from another source in most cases. If you use an in-text quotation in your paper, make sure to include a reference entry in your Works Cited list or References list.

You may have already noticed that it is important to give your parenthetical quotations accurately and without changing the meaning of direct quotes. Paraphrasing is another option to preserve the original idea. This information is intended to give your audience details about the author of the work being cited. It should also include information about the date of creation and a page number, if any. Your References page will help your readers locate the original source more easily.

The Rules of In-text Citation l Citation in APA & MLA Formats

MLA In-text Citation

Here’s how to do  in-text citation when you have only one author

(Last Author’s Page Number)

• MLA has two authors:

(Last name and last name Page Number)

• There are three or more authors

(Last Name et al. Page Number

• If you don’t know the author of the article, you can use:

(Organization’s name Page Number) (“Title of article” Page Number).

• Corporate Authors

(The National Museum 23).
(United States Taxation Dept. Report 224)

• Source with the editor

(Last name page number)

• Different sources:

(Last name page number; Last name page number)

APA In-text Citation

Here’s how to parenthetically cite different sources in APA 7th Edition:

• One Author

(Last Name, Year)

• Two Authors

(Last Name, Last Name, Year)

• Three to five authors:

For the first time, you must cite all authors. However, when you use all future citations, “et al.” is acceptable. “.

• Six Authors and More

(Last Name, et al, Year)

• Abbreviation for group author:

For your first citation, please use the following link: Ministry of Education [MOE], Year

For all subsequent citing, please refer to the MOE Year.

• Group Author (Organisation) without Abbreviation

(HealthTimes, Year)

• No Author

( Title and Year of the Article

In-text Citation Examples: MLA & APA

Let’s now move on to the actual examples of how to cite in brackets:

MLA In-text Citation Examples

• No Author

You can include text from a larger source if you have it.

“The Paradise Lost”, 223)

A citation will not look the same if it is a title for an article.

(Strange Things 27).

• One Author

(Jones 12)

• Two Authors

(Stipe and Mills, 79).

• Three and More Authors

(Lange et al. 34)

• Corporate Authors

(The Aviation Museum 300).
(United Arab Emirates Habib Dept. 210)

• Example of a Parenthetical Citation Source with an Editor:

(King 26)

• Two Sources for the Same Citation

(Samick 13; Downes 98)

Examples of APA In-text Citation:

• One Author

(Thomas, 2021)

• Two Authors

(Kane & Lord, 2009, p.32)

• Three to five authors

(Wade et al., 2004)

• Six Authors or More

(Lakewood et al., 1995)

• Group Author with Abbreviation

First citation:

(Ministry of Defense [MOD], 2019).

For all subsequent occasions, cite parenthetically:

(MOD, 2019)

Group Author without Abbreviation

(Henriksen Corp, 2018)

• No Author

( How do we know the way? 2009

Italics must be used in APA parenthetical citations when they are also italicized in the References list. In-text citations must be in the same title case as the example.