Q. What are in-text citations?

In-text citations are inserted in the body of your research paper to briefly document the source of your information. Brief in-text citations point the reader to more complete information in the reference list or works cited list at the end of the paper.

• If you are quoting directly the page number should be included. 
• If you are paraphrasing the page number is not required but may be included if it will help the reader locate the information in long text.

APA Style in-text citations

Here are some typical rules and examples for APA Citation Style:

In-text citations usually begin with the last name of the author followed by a comma and the publication year enclosed in parentheses:

(Smith, 2007)

If the author's name is not given (and you don't have a group author), then use the first word or words of the title. Follow the same formatting that was used in the title, such as italics:

(Naturopathic, 2007)

You can also include the author's name in the sentence when you are quoting directly such as:

Smith (2007) found that "insert quote here" (p. 36). 

Or if you're paraphrasing you can include the author's name in the sentence, leaving out the page number at the end:

Smith (2007) found that...

Still have more questions? Learn more about APA Style in-text citations on our APA citation guide.

MLA Style in-text citations

Here are some typical rules and examples for MLA Style:

In-text citations usually begin with the last name of the author followed by a space and the page number enclosed in parentheses:

(Smith 28)

If the author's name is not given (and you don't have a group author), then use the first word or words of the title. 

(Naturopathic 136)

You can also include the author's name in the sentence when you are quoting or paraphrasing such as:

Smith found that "insert quote here" (36). 

Still have more questions? Learn more about MLA Style in-text citations on our MLA citation guide.