Parenthetical Citations

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Parenthetical Citations using the MLA (Modern
Language Association)Format

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Parenthetical Citations
What is a parenthetical citation? Information
that is included in a paper which tells the
reader where to find the source.

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Parenthetical Citations in MLA
In MLA style, when you refer to the works of
others in your text, either through paraphrasing
or quoting them directly you must include the
reference in your paper AND then on your works
cited page. 1. Provide the author's name or the
title of the work and the page or paragraph
number of the work in parentheses THEN 2 Provide
full citation information for the work on your
Works Cited page.
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3 Ways to Borrow Information Quote- Quote only
the passages that deal directly with your subject
in memorable language. Paraphrase- Restate the
content of a short passage phrase by phrase,
rewording the authors words in your own (Trimmer
24). Summarize- Shorten a long passage, keep the
main idea and outline the main points, in you own
words (Trimmer 24).
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The author's name may appear in the sentence
itself or in parentheses following the quotation
or paraphrase or summary. The page number should
always appear in the parentheses following the
quotation, summary, or paraphrase, not in the
text of your sentence. Sally Walker contends
that Halifax, in Nov Scotia, Canada, has an
interesting past (1). OR Nova Scotia has an
interesting past (Walker 1).
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If no Author, use the Title(This is especially
true for some internet sources and encyclopedia
articles) After the war, Hiroshima became the
center of a peace movement hoping to ban nuclear
weapons. (Hiroshima ) "Hiroshima." Britannica
School. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2014.
Web. 5 Mar. 2014. lthttp//school.eb.com/levels/
high/ article/40562gt.
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A Comparison of Quoting, Summarizing, and
Paraphrasing the same information in the
following examples.
Quoting (Author, Page at the end of the
quote). President Truman was pleased that the
testing of the atomic bomb had gone so well, Let
there be no mistake about it. I regarded the bomb
as a military weapon and never had any doubt that
it should be used. (Truman 415-21).
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Long Quotations four or more lines Indent 1
inch one each side, do not use quotation marks,
double-space, set off by a colon, final period
goes before parenthetical citation (Trimmer
25) In the Iliad, both Achilles and Hector call
on Zeus for protection Now, at last, as the
two came closing for the kill it was tall
Hector, Helmet flashing, who led off No more
running from you in fear, Achilles! Not as
before. Three times I fled around the great
city of Priam I lacked courage then (66)
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Secondary QuotationJohn Malam, in his book The
Bombing of Hiroshima, recounts statements of
Albert Einstein, whose letter encouraged the U.S.
to build the atomic bomb. Einstein said, I
could burn my fingers that I wrote that first
letter to Roosevelt (27). OR (Author and page at
end) Albert Einsteins response after the bombing
of Hiroshima is telling of the horrific aftermath
and his guilt resulting from the event. In
reflecting on a letter he had once written to
President Roosevelt regarding uranium, he said,
I could burn my fingers for ever writing it
(qtd. In Malam 27).
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Paraphrasing (Author, Page at the end of the
paraphrase). President Truman was pleased that
the testing of the atomic bomb had gone so well
he felt the use of the bomb could bring the war
in the Pacific to an end, saving countless
American lives (Malam 18).
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Summarizing (Author, Page at the end of the
summary). Though a tough political situation,
President Truman thought it would be best to use
the atomic bomb to bring the war in the Pacific
to an end (Malam 18).

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Works Cited
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.
7th ed. New York The Modern Language
Association of America, 2009. Print."Hiroshima."
 Britannica School. Encyclopædia Britannica,
Inc., 2014. Web. 5 Mar. 2014.
http//school.eb.com/levels/high/article/40562.
Malam, John. The Bombing of Hiroshima. North
Mankato, MN Smart Apple Media, 2003.
Print. Trimmer, Joseph F. A Guide to MLA
Documentation. 7th ed. Boston Houghton
Mifflin, 2006. Print Truman, Harry S. Memoirs.
New York Oxford, 1953. Print