If you use a direct quotation, the reader can identify where it begins and ends by the quotation marks. Immediately following the end quotation mark, and before the period at the end of the sentence, include parentheses with the author's last name and exact page number of the quote. For example, if you quoted from page 10 of a work by Mary Smith, your citation would read like this:
". . .the final decision must be made by the constituents" (Smith 10).If you used two books by Mary Smith and want to quote from one entitled Education After 30, you must add an abbreviated title of the work in the parentheses after the author's name to let the reader know which of her books you used. In this case, separate name and title with a comma:
". . .the final decision must be made by the constituents" (Smith, Education 10).Most of the time, you will not use direct quotations, but will SUMMARIZE and PARAPHRASE ideas from the source. Let your reader know the beginnning of the summary or paraphrase by identifying the author. For example, start the summary by saying " Smith states," or "According to Jones." Since you already identified the author at the beginning of the summary or paraphrase, you only need to include the page number in the parentheses at the end of the summary or paraphrase:
According to Philip Jones, Head of the State Education Board, summer school should be mandated for any student who fails to maintain a C average (16).If you are using a source that has no author, such as a newspaper article, you must use a shortened form of the title in the parentheses if you do not mention it in your text:
According to a New York Times editorial, there is something deeply troubling about the way we are avoiding the plight of Bosnians ("See no Evil" B16).
Here is the format for other kinds of sources you will encounter most often.
Diana Hacker's A Writer's ReferenceIt is available from the ESC Distribution Center (518-587-2100). It includes both the MLA and APA formats.