Name: Date: Due: Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Parenthetical Citations:
-Are used by the Modern Language Association (MLA) in the text of a [research] essay to document every quotation, paraphrase, summary, or other material requiring documentation.
-Refer to full bibliographic entries in a list of works cited at the end of a text.
-Should be short, with just enough information for your reader to locate the full citation on your works-cited at the end of the text. This includes the writer’s last name and the paragraph number.
-Should be placed as close to the relevant material as possible without disrupting the flow of the sentence.
-Should come before the punctuation mark at the end of the sentence.
-Look like this:
1. Author named in a signal phrase:
The author/writer’s last name has been mentioned in the signal phrase, so all that remains is to cite which paragraph that the information was taken from. Example: Steroids
Gammons indicates that the use of steroids has been increasing dramatically since the advent of free agency, and notes that large contracts could be a motivator in a player’s decision to use (par. 17).
2. Author not named in a signal phrase, or author named in a citation:
All of the same rules apply, except in this case, the author’s last name must appear inside the parenthetical citation, because you have chosen not to use a signal phrase. Example: Steroids
The use of steroids has been increasing dramatically since the advent of free agency, and large contracts could be a motivator in players’ decisions to use (Gammons par. 17).
3. Two or more authors:
Use all last names in either a signal phrase or within the parenthetical citation. Example: SSM
Lehmann and Evan report that conservative members of Congress are renewing efforts to pass an Amendment to the U.S. Constitution outlawing gay marriage (par. 1).
-OR-
Conservative members of Congress are renewing efforts to pass an Amendment to the U.S. Constitution outlawing gay marriage (Lehmann and Evan par. 1).
4. Corporate, group, or unspecified author:
If you can’t find the name of the author, or if the article you’ve used doesn’t have a specific author, then you need to name the group or organization responsible for producing the information as the responsible party. You can do this, as in the other instances, with a signal phrase or a parenthetical citation. Example: SSM
Same-sex marriages are legal in Belgium and the Netherlands (Associated Press par. 8)
-OR-
According to the Associated Press, same-sex marriages are legal in Belgium and the Netherlands (par. 8).
If the corporate author is a website, such as Newsweek.com, CNN.com, or LATimes.com, then you should list that as the author. For example, if ESPN.com publishes an article on its website and does not mention an author, your parenthetical citation would look like this. Example: Steroids
The Minnesota bullpen was drastically affected by the loss of Juan Rincon, and that could be a possible reason as to why they were never able to take a foothold in the AL Central in 2005 (ESPN.com par. 12).
5. Bible
Identify quotations by abbreviated chapter and verse (2 Tim 2:15), unless using the book title in a signal phrase, in which case you must spell out the entire title of the book. Example: Ten Commandments
The Fifth Commandment states, in the book of Exodus, “Thou shalt not murder” (20:13).
-OR-
The Fifth Commandment states, “thou shalt not murder” (Exo. 20:13).