Citing Sources

This is a quick tip.  Consult the MLA Handbook for complete information.

Parenthical citations in the body of your paper are generally formatted as the author's surname followed by the cited page number.

...in 1933, the original King Kong opened to crowds of anxious movie-goers (Smith 209).

...1933 saw "groundbreaking new film-making techniques" used in the classic motion picture King Kong. (Smith 320)

If you mention the author's name in the sentence, put just the page number in parentheses.

Smith declares that "movie-making would never be the same." (320)

According to Smith, the film opened to crowds of anxious movie-goers (209).