Using in-text citations in your research papers is an important way to prevent plagiarism. This can be easy to do if you only use 1-2 sources in a paper, but if you are doing a research paper with several sources, it can be a nightmare!
Let Formatically help you cite your sources in MLA format correctly so you can spend more time on, well, anything else!
Formatically Makes In-Text Citations A Breeze
The in-text citation tool within Formatically is almost done! You can create an account here to be the first to know when the feature is released.
When the tool is done, and you have an account you'll need to click on the "upload your essay" button under the essay page section. This will open the essay editor. Once there you'll be able to upload your essay. Formatically will automatically detect quotations and ask if you'd like to create an in-text citation for each.
You'll be prompted to answer a few questions and eventually type the appropriate information into a box. Formatically will make sure spacing, commas, and captilization are all correct.
That's it! Want to be one of the first to try it out? Either create an account, or sign up for updates in the box below.
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MLA 7th Edition
When writing your academic paper, having a Works Cited page is not enough. You also have to insert in-text citations whenever you use a quote or paraphrase information that came from a credible source. Here’s a guide to make writing in-text citations easier. If you need to know about other types, then scroll to the bottom and click the link.
Parenthetical Citations
Simply put, each source that you utilize, whether through direct quotations or paraphrase, needs to include an in-text citation. Each in-text citation will reference a source also found on your Work Cited page. It is important that your in-text citations and Work Cited page entries correspond directly so your reader can access your information quickly and easily. The in-text citation should always come after the material you cited, most commonly at the end of the sentence, and include a page number (unless your sources are unpaginated). While it may seem daunting at first, formatting your in-text citations is actually fairly easy.
1. If the author is named in the sentence…
In the following example, the signal phrase, According to John Smith, already names the author. As a result, the corresponding in-text citation does not need to name the author an addition time. It does, however, need to denote the page number where the quoted words are found. Using the MLA Template, if a quotation ends with an exclamation point or a question mark, these punctuations remain intact, while you add a period at the end of the sentence. Remember that the final period comes after the in-text citation.
Example:
According to John Smith, the amount of brutality during the war was aggravated by the tensions between the two countries, which “puts all the people caught in between at an alarming risk”(123).
2. If the author is not named within the sentence…
Alternatively, if you don’t use a signal phrase, the MLA Format Template requires you to put the author’s last name inside the parentheses along with the page number, and without punctuation between the two.
Example:
Racial discrimination is largely in part due to cultural differences, stemming from the sheer number of ethnicities in the world (Doe 345).
3. If the author is unknown…
In cases where the author of a source is unknown, the MLA Template requires you to use a shortened title of the source as the in-text citation. If the source is long-form, italicize the title; if it is short-form, like an article, its title is put in quotation marks.
Example:
Exercise is undoubtedly one of the healthiest things a human being is capable of doing (“Exercise”).
4. If the page number is unknown…
In the case of citing a source that doesn’t have a page number (like web pages), the MLA Format Template necessitates you to include only the author’s name. However, if the source has numbered paragraphs, it is best to use “par.”or “pars.”when giving the in-text citation.
Example:
A recent poll on Online Journals about the perceived effects of rock music on the study habits of 12th graders indicate that people think rock music negatively affects the students’ study habits (Gabor).
5. If the source only has one page…
According to the MLA Template, you are not required to provide the page number if the source is only a page long. However, your teacher might still require doing so to avoid any confusion.
Example:
Lana Diamandis reports that the negative correlation between the time couples spend apart and their perceived fondness of each other are still affected by other external factors (1). However, these factors may or may not have a direct effect on the relationship.
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More Kinds Of In Text Citations
One of the biggest problems that many students experience with making citations, especially in text citations, is the variation between the different styles. Yes, there are of course many different styles of citations. For example, the APA style, American Psychological Association, is used by education, psychology, and the sciences. The Chicago style of citation is used by business, history, and fine arts, and the MLA style, which we are talking about here today, is used by the humanities. In case you were wondering, MLA stands for Modern Language Association.
What we are getting at here is that you need to know which style of citation you need for the paper in question. Now, your professor is usually going to tell you what style of citation is required, which is obviously quite useful. However, now it is up to you to figure out what the differences between those styles are and how to format the one you need to be using. That is the real challenge, getting the right format of in text citations.
Well, for all of your MLA in text citation needs, Formatically can help make things a whole lot easier for you. Sure, it might be beneficial to know exactly how to do these kinds of citations, but you just don’t always have the time or patience for it. For those papers when time and accuracy is of the essence, MLA in text citations from Formatically are a sure fire way to get a great result every time. We all know that referencing and citing your paper incorrectly can quickly lead to a failed essay and even a charge of plagiarism. To avoid those things and continue your schooling career with an exemplary record, you might want to seriously consider using this great feature.
Making MLA In Text Citations
One of the big problems with these kinds of citations is that there many different ways of doing them. We know that we already mentioned the different kinds of citations styles. However, there are also many different variations within styles themselves. For example, MLA in text citations can look very different depending on what you need them for and how you use them.
If you get these little variations wrong, a professor might just make you pay for it with a bad grade or even nail you for plagiarism altogether. Lucky for you, Formatically and the MLA In Text Citation generator tool knows all of these subtle differences down to a tee.
Author & Page Numbers
For example, say that your reference includes the Author “John Smith” and you are referencing pages 12 – 14. So, how do you do this for an in text citation? Well, to be fair, in some circumstances it might take on the simple form of (12-14), and sometimes it can take the form of (Smith 12 – 14). Do you know when and where to use either of those? To be exact, if you mention the author’s name in the preceding sentence, you can leave the name out of the citation. Yet, if you don’t have the name of the author in the sentence, you will need to add that name into the in text citation.
This may not seem like a hard concept to grasp, but when you are citing a really long paper, having to check which one of those in text citations to use can quickly get tiring. Formatically will always know which citation to use and that means a lot of saved headaches for you.
What About Multiple Authors?
Another thing that can get confusing when it comes to making these in text citations is when multiple authors are involved. Do you know how to make in text citations for 1 author? 2 authors? Multiple authors? The point is that you do need to know the difference.
Or actually, better yet, Formatically knows the difference so you don’t have to. Once again, we aren’t saying that you shouldn’t know the difference, because knowledge is power. Yet, you can know the difference and at the same time have a convenient formatting and generator tool do the heavy lifting for you.
Formatically will always know when to put (Smith 2 -3), (Smith & Jonhson 2-3), (Smith et al. 2-3), and so on. The beauty is that no matter how many authors are involved, this genius app will always get it right for you.
Other Tools & Resources
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The hitchhikers guide to the galaxy is a wholly remarkable book. The day we meet our adventurous crew is the single worst Thursday of Arthur Dent's life. "'Funny,' he intoned funereally, 'how just when you think life can’t possibly get any worse it suddenly does.'" Sadly, it is not just Arthur who is having a bad day. This particular Thursday, is the Thursday earth is udderly destroyed for a completely disappointing reason. There's only one who knew what was to take place, and he himself was not even from earth. Ford Prefect, best friend of Arthur is a smooth talking, blanket carrying person from the remote planet of Betelgeuse Five. “A towel, [The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy] says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have." As you were probably able to infer, Ford Prefect was not the name given to him by his parents, but instead the name of a car that was never popular, which he chose as his moniker, as to better fit in with the humans of earth. Our story begins with Arthur waking up early at his London flat. This was just like any other Thursday, except that outside, a demolition crew was beginning to destroy his house to create a highway bypass. This was news to Arthur...
Title of an APA Paper
An abstract is a single paragraph, without indentation, that summarizes the key points of the manuscript in 150 to 250 words. For simpler papers in Paul Rose’s classes, a somewhat shorter abstract is fine. The purpose of the abstract is to provide the reader with a brief overview of the paper. When in doubt about a rule, check the sixth edition APA style manual rather than relying on this template. (Although I prefer only one space after a period, two spaces after a period are suggested by the sixthedition APA manual at the top of page 88.) This document has a history that compels me to give credit where it’s due. Many years ago I downloaded a fifthedition template from an
on the outcome of one man's idealistic motives and desires of dabbling with nature, which result in the creation of a horrific creature. Victor Frankenstein is not doomed to failure from his initial desire to overstep the natural bounds of human knowledge. Rather, it is his poor parenting of his progeny that lead to his creation's thirst for the vindication of his unjust life. In his idealism, Victor is blinded, and so the creation accuses him for delivering him into a world where he could not ever be entirely received by the people who inhabits it. Not only failing to foresee his faulty idealism, nearing the end of the tale, he embarks upon a final journey, consciously choosing to pursue his creation in vengeance, while admitting that it may result in his own doom. The creation of an unloved being and the quest for the elixir of life holds Victor Frankenstein more accountable for his own death than the creation himself.
Although humans have the tendency to set idealistic goals to better future generations, often the results can prove disastrous, even deadly. The tale of Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, focuses on the outcome of one man's idealistic motives and desires of dabbling with nature, which result in the creation of a horrific creature. Victor Frankenstein is not doomed to failure from his initial desire to overstep the natural bounds of human knowledge. Rather, it is his poor parenting of his progeny that lead to his creation's thirst for the vindication of his unjust life. In his idealism, Victor is blinded, and so the creation accuses him for delivering him into a world where he could not ever be entirely received by the people who inhabits it. Not only failing to foresee his faulty idealism, nearing the end of the tale, he embarks upon a final journey, consciously choosing to pursue his creation in vengeance, while admitting that it may result in his own doom. The creation of an unloved being and the quest for the elixir of life holds Victor Frankenstein more accountable for his own death than the creation himself.
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Although humans have the tendency to set idealistic goals to better future generations, often the results can prove disastrous, even deadly. The tale of Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, focuses on the outcome of one man's idealistic motives and desires of dabbling with nature, which result in the creation of a horrific creature. Victor Frankenstein is not doomed to failure from his initial desire to overstep the natural bounds of human knowledge. Rather, it is his poor parenting of his progeny that lead to his creation's thirst for the vindication of his unjust life. In his idealism, Victor is blinded, and so the creation accuses him for delivering him into a world where he could not ever be entirely received by the people who inhabits it. Not only failing to foresee his faulty idealism, nearing the end of the tale, he embarks upon a final journey, consciously choosing to pursue his creation in vengeance, while admitting that it may result in his own doom. The creation of an unloved being and the quest for the elixir of life holds Victor Frankenstein more accountable for his own death than the creation himself.