Parenthetical Documentation
- The parenthetical citation directs readers to the full bibliographic citations listed in the Works Cited list, located at the end of the document.
Book (Parenthetical Citation)
In most cases, the parenthetical documentation includes the author's last name and the specific page number for the information cited.
Book Example:
Medieval Europe was a place both of “raids, pillages, slavery, and extortion” and of “traveling merchants, monetary exchange, towns if not cities, and active markets in grain” (Townsend 10)
Explanation:
The parenthetical reference “(Townsend 10)” indicates that the quotations came from page 10 of a work by Townsend. Given the author’s last name, your readers can find complete publication information for the source in the alphabetically arranged list of works cited that follows the text of your paper.
Works cited source:
Townsend, Robert M. The Medieval Village Economy.
Princeton: Princeton UP, 1993.
Internet (Parenthetical Citation)
When citing an Internet source, give only the name of the author, and if that is not provided, give the name of the Internet site. You do not have to put page numbers. For example: (Smith) or (Website of the Wasteland)
Long Quotes
When quoting or citing four lines or more, indent every line you are citing or quoting and do not use quotes.
For example:
- The use of nuclear weapons in today’s society is strikingly alarming.
Though the United States is the only country to employ it in the past,
they are at the same time the country that condemns its use the most.
While this may seem hypocritical, it is the most proper action for the United States to
make as the global leader (Tandall 9)
For More Information:
St. Cloud University Parenthetical Citation Guide or the newest MLA Handbook at the Check-out desk in Wilsey Library.