How to Properly Write a Parenthetical Citation for Your Research Paper in MLA Style
Plagiarism is a problem that many students can avoid by properly citing their work. This includes both inside the research paper and in a "Works Cited" page. It may appear repetitious to some, yet whenever you use the words of someone and do not properly give him credit, it is stealing. Luckily, the MLA format provides many guidelines for in-text, parenthetical citations to help avoid plagiarism.
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Instructions
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Use the following format when dealing with print sources (such as books and magazines) where the author is known but not quoted in the text: (Author's Last Name pg. number). So for example, if the author's name was Brown, and the fact you found was on page 63, you insert (Brown 63) at the end of the example you used.
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Place only the page number in the parenthetical citation if you mention or quote the author directly. For example, if you state "According to Brown," you need only put (63) at the end of your sentence.
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Use the following for works with multiple authors: (Last Name 1, Last Name 2, Last Name 3 page number). This means that if the authors are Brown, White and Red and you found them on page seven, then you would place the citation (Brown, Red, White 7) at the end of your sentence.
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Use the following when the author of the text is not known: ("title of work" pg. number). For example, if the title is "The History of Dinosaurs" and you use information from page 3, then your citation will appear as ("The History of Dinosaurs 3) at the end of your sentence.
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