IXL | Use in-text citations (MLA 8th–9th editions)

Add an in-text citation using MLA format.

"I lie to myself all the time. But I never believe me," Ponyboy thinks to himself.

Source: The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton, chapter 1, page 18. Published by Penguin Group, New York 1995:

I lie to myself all the time. But I never believe me.

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question

Add an in-text citation using MLA format.

"I lie to myself all the time. But I never believe me," Ponyboy thinks to himself.

Source: The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton, chapter 1, page 18. Published by Penguin Group, New York 1995:

I lie to myself all the time. But I never believe me.

key idea

When writing research papers, you will often be asked to follow a particular style guide for your citations. One popular style guide is the Modern Language Association (MLA) Handbook. The MLA style of citations involves two parts: an in-text citation and a Works Cited page. The in-text citation cites the source and points to a more detailed entry in the Works Cited page.

Usually, the in-text citation consists of the author's last name and the page number(s) enclosed in parentheses. The citation should go immediately after the cited text, before any commas or periods.

The new program has been criticized for its ineffectiveness (Wilson 140-144).

The new program has been criticized for its ineffectiveness (Wilson 140-144), but its long-term impacts are not yet clear.

Citations should go outside quotation marks.

The new program has been called "ineffective at best" (Wilson 143).

If the author is mentioned in the text, do not repeat the name in the citation.

According to Roy Wilson, the program is "ineffective at best" (143).

Question marks and exclamation points that are not part of the quotation should go after the citation.

Why might the new program have been called "ineffective at best" (Wilson 143)?

Question marks and exclamation points that are part of the quotation should appear within the quotation marks. The citation and additional end punctuation should follow.

As one critic questioned, "Why should we trust these results?" (Wilson 98).

solution

Here is the correct citation:

"I lie to myself all the time. But I never believe me," Ponyboy thinks to himself (Hinton 18).

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