In a previous article, I covered the basics of narrative in-text citations in both MLA and APA formatting styles. In this article, I am going to cover the basics of parenthetical in-text citations in MLA and APA, along with a few do’s and don’ts to consider when citing and formatting your essay.

Parenthetical In-Text Citations in MLA Format

The parenthetical in-text citation is a formatting style that references the author’s last name (surname), a space, then is followed by the page number of the source in parenthesis at the end of the quote. Take, for example, the indirect quote (paraphrase) below.

• The President has added $15 billion to support the manufacturing and distribution of vaccines in the Country (Weller 1).

When writing a direct quote, it’s important to be cognizant of the proper commas, quotation marks, the placement of the parenthetical in-text citations, and the period afterward.

• The article goes on to state that “President Joe Biden included $15 billion to support vaccine manufacturing and distribution, among other related efforts, in his signature American Rescue Plan that passed Congress in March 2021” (Weller 1).

Notice that the direct quote is introduced with context first, followed by a comma and open quotations. You don’t want to quote directly without informing the reader. There are many ways to add context before introducing the direct quote, such as by saying, “One source states that…”.

For either or in-text citations (direct or indirect), you’ll also need to be sure to add them in your works cited section so that the reader knows where to find complete information about the source. The works cited citation at the end of the essay would be:

Weller, Christian E. "The COVID-19 Vaccine Has Measurable Economic Benefits." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2022. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/ERLJLW176290059/OVIC?u=mnamsumank&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=dca8a4dd . Accessed 3 Feb. 2022. Originally published as “The Economic Benefits of Vaccinations,” Center for American Progress, 15 July 2021.

Parenthetical In-Text Citations in APA Format

In APA format, whenever you quote the source, refer to the last name (surname) of the author, then a comma, followed by the publication date in parenthesis at the end of the quote. Take, for example, the indirect quote (paraphrase) below.

• The President has added $15 billion to support the manufacturing and distribution of vaccines in the Country (Weller, 2022).

When writing a direct quote, then it’s important to be cognizant of the proper commas, quotation marks, the placement of the parenthetical in-text citations, and the period afterward.

• The article goes on to state that “President Joe Biden included $15 billion to support vaccine manufacturing and distribution, among other related efforts, in his signature American Rescue Plan that passed Congress in March 2021” (Weller, 2022).

For either or in-text citations (direct or indirect), you will also need to be sure to add them in your references section so that the reader knows where to find complete information about the source. The reference citation at the end of the essay would be:

Weller, C. E. (2022). The COVID-19 vaccine has measurable economic benefits. In Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. Gale. (Reprinted from The economic benefits of vaccinations, Center for American Progress, 2021, July 15). https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/ERLJLW176290059/OVIC?u=mnamsumank&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=dca8a4dd

As can be seen, the major difference between MLA and APA is the use of a page number in MLA while APA uses a publication year. Keep in mind that the works cited for MLA and the references for APA are also formatted differently. Both use hanging indentations, which you can search for using an Internet browser of your choice.

Do’s and Don’ts of MLA and APA

A few do’s:

In MLA,

• If there are two authors, then include the surnames of the two authors separated with ‘and’ between both names alongside the page number: (Harris and Mitchell 275).
• If there are three or more authors, then include the surname of the first author followed by the Latin abbreviation “et al.” followed by the page number: (Gonzalez et al. 97).
• If there are no authors (or pages) mentioned in the source, like from an organization website, then include the first few words of the title in quotations or use italics for multi-page websites: (“Comprehending Genetic Domains”) or (The Mysteries of Quantum Physics).

In APA,

• If there are two authors: (Harris & Mitchell, 2009).
• If there are three or more authors: (Gonzalez et al., 2002).
• If there are no authors or publication year: (“Comprehending Genetic Domains,” n.d.) or (The Mysteries of Quantum Physics, n.d.).

And a few don’ts:

• Don’t combine a narrative in-text citation with a parenthetical in-text citation in the same sentence.
• Don’t mix MLA and APA formats for the same source.
• Don’t add a comma in MLA parenthetical citations — it should be (Author Page), not (Author, Page).
• Don’t forget the comma in APA — it should be (Author, Year), not (Author Year).

Conclusion

This is not a comprehensive list of formatting instructions. As you encounter different sources and newer ways to cite them, it’s best to refer to trustworthy sites such as the official MLA Style homepage (style.mla.org) or the official APA Style homepage (apastyle.apa.org) for correct formatting.