There are five methods for Integrating MLA in-text citations:
Use a Complete Signal Sentence (Author/Descriptor + Present Tense Verb) Followed by a Colon
Narrative Example
Professor of psychology Carol Dweck provides data about how children develop attitudes about themselves: “When we observed in grade school classrooms, we saw that boys got eight times more criticism than girls for their conduct” (79).
Parenthetical Example
Research shows how children develop attitudes about themselves: “When we observed in grade school classrooms, we saw that boys got eight times more criticism than girls for their conduct” (Dweck 79).
Note: Use a signal sentence and a colon before a block quotation (4 lines of text). Indent block quotation ½ inch. Do not use quotation marks. Parenthetical citation
Use an Author/Descriptor + Present Tense Verb as a Signal Phrase
Narrative Example
Dweck asserts that females, who were less likely to hear the kind of negative comments males give and receive as they are growing up, are more likely to second-guess themselves after hearing the type of offhand comments that would not concern male counterparts (79).
Parenthetical Example
Researchers also believe that females, who were less likely to hear the kind of negative comments males give and receive as they are growing up, are more likely to second-guess themselves after hearing the type of offhand comments that would not concern male counterparts (Dweck 79).
Use with a Prepositional Phrase and Author’s Name/Descriptor Followed by a Comma as the Signal Phrase
Narrative Example
According to Dweck, elementary teachers tend to give boys more feedback on their behavior than on their scholarship (79).
Parenthetical Example
In the opinion of one researcher, elementary teachers tend to give boys more feedback on their behavior than on their scholarship (Dweck 79).
Some suggested prepositional phrases: According to, in XY’s opinion, on the authority of, & as XY states.
Use Short, Quoted Phrases as Part of Your Own Sentence.
Narrative Example
Dweck maintains that elementary teachers tend to give boys more feedback on their behavior than on their scholarship; they receive fewer positive comments and “eight times more criticism than girls for their conduct” (79).
Parenthetical Example
In addition, elementary teachers tend to give boys more feedback on their behavior than on their scholarship; they receive fewer positive comments and “eight times more criticism than girls for their conduct” (Dweck 79).
Omit the Signal Phrase—Parenthetical Only
Parenthetical with Quotation
“We saw that boys got eight times more criticism than girls for their conduct” (Dweck 79).
Parenthetical with Paraphrase
Researchers who visited classrooms to describe the types of interaction between teachers and the students discovered that girls receive negative comments on their behavior one eighth as often as boys (Dweck 79).
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