MLA in-text citations vary, depending on the type of work. General guidelines include:
- Print source, known author - author and page number in parentheses (Green 7)
- Print source, corporate author - acceptable to use the name of the corporation then page number
- Print source, no known author - use a shortened title of the work instead of an author name
- Print source, 2 authors - list both author's name and page number (Green and Smith 4)
- Print source, 3+ authors - list only the first author's last name, add et al. (Green et al. 8)
- Bible - first reference note translation in italics, book, chapter, verse (New Living Translation, John 3:16)
- Bible - after first translation reference, just book, chapter, verse if same translation
- Internet source - reference the first word of the citation in your works cited, author, article, website, etc.
- Film - point to the first word of your Works Cited, director, producer, performer, etc. (Spielberg)
Note that the parentheses come before the ending punctuation for your sentence.
For in-text citation guidelines for other sources not listed here, reference the MLA Handbook. The online writing lab at Purdue University also has support for various MLA guidelines.
