If you do not know the name of the author, use the name of the organization that published the work you are citing.Įxample 1: According to Kristine Johnson, there is a connection between writing and emotion (59-60).Įxample 2: Michelle Navarre Cleary proposes ten reasons why students plagiarize (66-71). A signal phrase includes a verb as well as the name of the author who wrote your source. The first time you mention a source in your paper, you must include a signal phrase. Just use the author's name or the title of the work.Įxample 4: Search engines like Google have changed the way scholars find research (Grigas et al.). Signal phrases help readers move from your own words to the words of a source without. One of the best ways to let readers know more about your source is to use a signal phrase. No page number? That can be the case for electronic sources. By introducing a quotation or paraphrase with a signal phrase, you provide an effective transition between your own ideas and the evidence used to explore your ideas. Use the title of the work instead.Įxample 3: Writing is a recursive process ('Resources for Writers: The Writing Process'). The way you format an in-text citation depends on the type of source and how the source appears on your Works Cited page.Įxample 1: Writing is a process of discovery (Murray 1235).įun fact! If you've already mentioned the author's name in the sentence, you don't have to include their name again in the parenthetical citation.Įxample 2: Peter Elbow and Pat Belanoff contend that research is a process of combining new and existing knowledge (303).ĭon't know the author's name? Don't panic. You can do this by using a parenthetical citation, aka an in-text citation. Whether you've used a quote or a paraphrase, you must always cite your evidence. Organize your works cited page alphabetically.For in-text citations, include the author's name and page number(s), when known.The author/title goes in parentheses at the end of your sentence. Parenthetical citation: Paraphrasing an idea or using a quotation without the author/title in your sentence text. If using act and scene, write them as numbers separated by a period.

It is suggested that you provide the author and potentially title of the work in a signal phrase (see sidebar), so your parenthetical citation can just include information such as page number or act and scene number. Use a signal phrase the first time you mention a source Signal phrase ('Citation in prose' in the MLA Handbook): Introducing the name of the author or the work's title in the text of your sentence. Your parenthetical citation comes at the end of the dialog.Citations and Works Cited entries in MLA prioritize the name and authority of the author. MLA is typically the preferred citation style for writers in the humanities.

MLA citations A guide to formatting in MLA style The basics

Mla signal phrase citation