MLA Style relies on containers to format sources in the Works Cited list. A container is a work that holds another work. For example, an article may be contained in a journal or newspaper. A short story may be contained in an anthology.
Image Source: "Works Cited: A Quick Guide," MLA Style Center, https://style.mla.org/works-cited/works-cited-a-quick-guide/
Example provided by Works Cited: A Quick Guide from the MLA Style Center.
Example provided by Works Cited: A Quick Guide from the MLA Style Center.
Example provided by Works Cited: A Quick Guide from the MLA Style Center.
In-text citations are brief references within your text that let the reader know where your information was sourced. They also help lead readers to your works-cited list. You need to use an in-text citation whenever you directly quote or paraphrase another work.
An in-text citation should begin with the first element in the works-cited entry, which is commonly the author's name or the title of the work. If a specific part of a work is quoted or paraphrased, a location marker such as a page number, line number, or stanza number should be included in parentheses.
Examples provided by the MLA Style Center:
Citation in prose:
Naomi Baron broke new ground on the subject.
Parenthetical citation:
At least one researcher has broken new ground on the subject (Baron).
Parenthetical citation with location marker:
According to Naomi Baron, reading is "just half of literacy. The other half is writing" (194).
Parenthetical citation when author and location marker are not in the narrative:
Reading is "just half of literacy. The other half is writing" (Baron 194).
For more details and examples on in-text citations, consult the MLA Handbook or Purdue Online Writing Lab's MLA In-text Citations Resource.
