In-Text Citations
What two things belong in a basic in-text citation?
Author’s last name and page number (e.g., Smith 42)
What comes first in a Works Cited entry?
The author’s name (last, first)
What’s the difference between paraphrasing and quoting?
Paraphrasing = your words; quoting = exact words from source
What is the most common Works Cited error?
Missing or incorrect formatting of the hanging indent
You summarize an article—what citation do you need?
An in-text citation with the author’s name
How do you cite a source with two authors?
(Smith and Jones 77)
How do you cite a basic book?
Last, First. Title. Publisher, Year.
Do you need a citation for a paraphrase?
Yes – always cite paraphrased ideas
True or False: In MLA format, it’s okay to include hyperlinks in blue and underlined on your Works Cited page.
False. (URLs should appear in plain black text with no underlining or blue font—just like the rest of your paper.)
You use two quotes from the same book—what’s needed?
A full Works Cited entry and in-text citations
What if there’s no page number available?
Just include the author’s last name (Smith)
How do you cite an article from a website?
Last, First. “Title.” Website, Publisher, Date, URL.
What punctuation goes around a direct quote?
Quotation marks (“ ”)
What’s wrong with this citation: Smith, John. “Climate.” NYT 2020.
It’s missing the full title, date format, and URL
You cite ChatGPT in a paper—how should it be cited?
OpenAI. ChatGPT. 22 Apr. 2025, chat.openai.com/chat.
What is the correct way to cite an in-text source that has three or more authors?
What is First Author’s Last Name et al.?
What should be italicized in a Works Cited entry?
Titles of books, websites, films, journals
What’s a signal phrase?
A phrase that introduces the source (e.g., “According to Smith…”)
Where should the period go in an in-text citation?
After the parentheses: “…quote” (Smith 42).
Your friend says you don’t need citations for paraphrasing. Are they right?
No – paraphrasing still requires citations
How do you cite multiple works by the same author?
Include the title: (Smith, Climate Change 55)
How do you cite a YouTube video?
Creator's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Video." Website Name, uploaded by Username, Day Month Year, URL.
What is “patchwriting”?
Poor paraphrasing that copies structure/phrases from the original – still plagiarism
What’s wrong with this in-text citation?
(Smith, 2020).
What is including a comma between the author’s name and the year? (MLA uses only the author’s last name and page number, no comma, and no year: Smith 22.)
You forget to cite a source, but list it on your Works Cited. Is that enough?
No – you need both in-text and Works Cited citations for every source used