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In-text citations
An in-text citation tells your reader which source an idea or quote comes from, and points to its full entry at the end of your paper. Each style has its own rules. Pick yours for the rules, examples and a builder.
Choose your style
- APA in-text citationAPA 7th edition. Author and year. Common in psychology, education, nursing and the social sciences.Example: (Poropat, 2009, p. 330) or Poropat (2009, p. 330)
- MLA in-text citationMLA 9th edition. Author and page, with no year. Common in literature, languages and the humanities.Example: (Poropat 330) or Poropat (330)
- Chicago in-text citationChicago 18th edition, author-date system. Author and year with no comma between them.Example: (Poropat 2009, 330) or Poropat (2009, 330)
- Harvard in-text citationHarvard, as Cite Them Right sets it out. Author and year. Common at UK universities.Example: (Poropat, 2009, p. 330) or Poropat (2009, p. 330)
Narrative and parenthetical citations
Every style here has two forms. A parenthetical citation puts the whole citation in parentheses, usually at the end of the sentence. A narrative citation names the author as part of your sentence, with the rest in parentheses.
Both point to the same entry. Use whichever reads better in your sentence.