MLA Style: In-Text Citations (8th Ed., 2016)
Summary
TLDRThis video from Eliza Gellis in collaboration with Purdue OWL explains how to use MLA style in-text citations. It covers when to use citations, either when quoting directly or paraphrasing, and the correct format for different types of sources, including works with one author, multiple authors, or no author. It also discusses citing corporate authors and online sources, and how to include citations directly in the sentence using signal phrases. The video emphasizes ensuring that in-text citations match the first element in the corresponding Works Cited entry.
Takeaways
- đ MLA in-text citations are used to reference others' work within your writing by placing source information in parentheses.
- đ In-text citations are necessary when you directly quote someone or when you paraphrase their work.
- đ€ For author-page style citations, include the author's last name and the page number. If there is no page number, just the author's name will suffice.
- đą For corporate authors, list the organization name and the page number, if applicable.
- đ„ For two authors, list both last names in the order they appear in the source.
- đ„ For three or more authors, use the first author's last name followed by 'et al.'
- đ When citing multiple works by the same author, use a shortened version of the title in the citation to specify the correct work.
- đïž If there is no author, use a shortened version of the title in your citation.
- đ For online sources without page numbers, simply include the author's name or the title of the source.
- đĄ Signaling in-text citation is when you integrate part or all of the citation into the sentence for a more fluid reading experience.
Q & A
What is an in-text citation in MLA style?
-An in-text citation in MLA style is a parenthetical reference placed at the end of a sentence to indicate that you are using information from another source.
When should you use an in-text citation?
-You should use an in-text citation when you directly quote someone or when you reference or paraphrase their work.
How do you cite a source using the author-page style?
-Use the author's last name followed by the page number. If there is no page number, just use the author's name.
How do you cite a source with a corporate author?
-Use the name of the organization followed by the page number if there is one.
How do you cite a source with two authors?
-List both last names in the order they appear in the source.
How do you cite a source with three or more authors?
-List the first author's last name and replace the other authors' last names with 'et al.'
What should you do if you are using more than one work by the same author?
-Use a shortened version of the title in your citation to specify which work you are citing.
How do you cite a source with no author?
-Use a shortened version of the title of the work.
How do you cite an online source without a page number?
-Just use the author's name or the title, as online sources often do not have page numbers.
What is a signaling in-text citation?
-A signaling in-text citation is when you incorporate all or part of the citation into the sentence itself, often including the author's name directly in the sentence.
Outlines
đ„ Introduction to MLA In-text Citations
This paragraph introduces the concept of MLA in-text citations, explaining that they are parenthetical citations used in academic writing to reference other works. The information is placed at the end of a sentence in parentheses. The vidcast is brought by Eliza Gellis in cooperation with the Purdue Online Writing Lab.
â When to Use In-text Citations
The paragraph details when in-text citations are needed: 1) when directly quoting someone else's words and 2) when paraphrasing or summarizing another author's work. Two examples are provided: one for quoting Wordsworth and one for paraphrasing his ideas.
âïž How to Cite Using Author-page Style
This section explains how to format in-text citations using the author-page style. If there is a page number, the authorâs last name is followed by the number; if there isn't one, only the name is needed. Examples include citing Wordsworth and reports from organizations like the EPA.
đ„ Citing Multiple Authors
The paragraph covers how to cite works with multiple authors. For two authors, list both last names (e.g., Best and Marcus). For three or more authors, list the first author's last name followed by 'et al.' The paragraph provides examples of both cases.
đ Citing Multiple Works by the Same Author
When using more than one work by the same author, a shortened version of the title must be included in the citation to distinguish the sources. The paragraph demonstrates this using 'Visual Studies' as a short title for one of Alken's works.
đ How to Cite Sources Without an Author
This section explains how to cite a source that does not have a listed author. In these cases, a shortened version of the title should be used. The example provided uses 'Impact of Global Warming' as a shortened title for an article without an author.
đ Citing Online Sources
For online sources without page numbers, only the authorâs name or the title is necessary for the citation. An example is given using the Purdue OWL webpage, which doesnât have numbered pages, so only the authors are cited.
đ Match In-text Citations with Works Cited
This paragraph advises that the in-text citation should always correspond to the first piece of information listed in the Works Cited section for that source. If there is any confusion about how to cite, this alignment will guide the correct format.
đ Using Signaling Phrases in In-text Citations
This section discusses how to incorporate citations into the sentence itself using signaling phrases. This method includes the authorâs name within the sentence and is considered a more elegant way to introduce a quote. An example is provided to illustrate this style.
đ Conclusion and Additional Resources
The paragraph concludes the video, thanking viewers for watching and reminding them to check out additional resources available on the Purdue OWL website. It also notes that the video covers MLA's eighth edition and provides information on how to find more details about it.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄIn-text citation
đĄParenthetical citation
đĄDirect quote
đĄParaphrase
đĄAuthor-page style
đĄCorporate author
đĄEt al.
đĄSignal phrase
đĄShortened title
đĄMLA Eighth Edition
Highlights
An in-text citation involves placing source information in parentheses at the end of the sentence.
In-text citations are used in two situations: when directly quoting or paraphrasing another's work.
MLA uses the author-page style for in-text citations, showing the author's last name followed by the page number.
If no page number is available, just use the author's name in the citation.
For corporate authors, use the organization's name followed by the page number, if available.
When citing two authors, list both last names in the order they appear in the source.
For sources with three or more authors, list only the first author's last name followed by 'et al.'
When citing multiple works by the same author, use a shortened title in the citation to distinguish the work.
If the source has no author, use a shortened version of the title in the in-text citation.
For online sources without page numbers, just the author's name or the title of the work is needed.
In-text citations should match the first element listed for the source in the Works Cited page.
Signaling in-text citations incorporate part of the citation, such as the author's name, into the sentence itself.
Signaling citations are often the most elegant way to incorporate a quote into your writing.
The Purdue OWL webpage citation format is demonstrated using the contributors' names instead of page numbers.
This video uses MLA 8th edition guidelines; more information is available on Purdue OWLâs MLA page.
Transcripts
MLA Style In-text Citations: a vidcast lecture
brought to you by Eliza Gellis in cooperation with the Purdue Online
Writing Lab. What is an in-text citation? In MLA, when you reference others' work in
your writing, you use a parenthetical, or an in-text citation. This involves
placing that source information in parentheses at the end of the sentence.
So when do you need an in-text citation? You use in-text citations in two
situations. One, when you directly quote someone, like here, for example, where we
use Wordsworth's own words, or two, when you reference or paraphrase their work,
like we do here when we summarize Wordsworth's ideas in our own words. So
how do you cite in-text? First, there's author-page style. Just use the author's
last name followed by the page number. If there is no page number, just the name is
fine. For example, here we show Wordsworth's name and the page where we
got the quote. For a corporate author, just use the name of the organization
followed by the page number, if there is one. As we can see here, we summarize
information from an EPA report listing both the EPA and the page we're
paraphrasing. For two authors, list both last names in the order they appear in
the source, like we do here with Best and Marcus.
For three or more authors, list the first author's last name and replace the other
author's last names with "et al." Just like the example, only the first author's
name is shown. If you're using more than one work by an author, use a shortened
version of the title in your citation to specify which work you're citing. Looking
to the example below, here we use "Visual Studies" as a shortened title to let our
readers know specifically which of Alkens' pieces we're quoting. And if there
is no author, just use a shortened version of the title. Again, here we use
"Impact of Global Warming" to help our readers identify which piece we're
quoting, since this article has no author. With online sources, you're unlikely to
have a page number, so just the author's name or the title is fine. For example,
since the Purdue OWL webpage doesn't have numbered pages, we just list the
authors who worked on the specific piece we're quoting. Still confused or
unsure? When in doubt, just remember that your in-text citation should match up
with the first thing listed for that source in your Works Cited. Lastly, there's
signaling in-text. That's when you incorporate all or part of your
parenthetical citation into the sentence itself. Thinking through this, we can see
from the example below that we've included the author's name, part of our
citation, into the sentence itself. This is often the most elegant way to
incorporate a quote and use an in-text citation.
Thanks for watching, and don't forget to check out Purdue OWL's other resources on
our website. This vidcast uses MLA eighth edition. For more information, visit our
page on MLA Eight.
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