Parenthetical Citations
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A quotation or paraphrase from another source followed by abbreviated
information about that source is called a parenthetical citation.
If a parenthetical citation occurs in the text, an entry should also appear for this
source in the Works Cited list.
Mastering parenthetical citation helps the essayist to avoid plagiarism.
A. Author listed in the signal phrase; exact quotation
Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a “spontaneous
overflow of powerful feelings” (263).
B. Author not listed in the signal phrase; exact quotation
Romantic poetry is characterized by the “spontaneous overflow of
powerful feelings” (Wordsworth 263).
C. Paraphrase
Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative
process of the poet (263).
D. Citation if author is unknown or if the work is a non-print source
An anonymous Wordsworth critic once argued that his poems were too
emotional (“Wordsworth’s Flaws” 22).
E. Embedded
Some argue that dreams express “profound aspects of personality”
(Foulkes 184), but others disagree.
F. Citation introduced by a signal phrase and colon
The play’s archetypal trickster, Mercutio, delivers a pun even when he nears
death: “Ask for me tomorrow / And you shall find me a grave man” (3.1.9798).
OVER 
G. Adding Words in Quotations
If you add a word or words in a quotation to clarify your meaning, put
brackets around the words to indicate that they are not part of the original text.
Example: Jan Harold Brunvand, in an essay on urban legends, states: "some
individuals [who retell urban legends] make a point of learning every rumor or
tale" (78).
H. Omitting Words in Quotations
If you omit a word or words from a quotation, you should indicate the deleted
word or words by using ellipsis marks, which are three periods ( . . . )
preceded and followed by a space.
Example: In an essay on urban legends, Jan Harold Brunvand notes that
"some individuals make a point of learning every recent rumor or tale . . . and
in a short time a lively exchange of details occurs" (78).
I. Long citation (more than four lines)
Long quotations are formatted differently to help the reader distinguish
between the quoted text and the essayist’s text. Double space and double tab
the selection. No quotation marks are necessary. Place the citation at the end
of the selection.
Example: Nelly Dean and the Earnshaws dehumanize Heathcliff from the
beginning:
They entirely refused to have it in bed with them, or even
in their room, and I had no more sense, so, I put it on the
landing of the stairs, hoping it would be gone on the
morrow. By chance, or else attracted by hearing his voice,
it crept to Mr. Earnshaw’s door, and there he found it on
quitting his chamber. Inquiries were made as to how it got
there; I was obliged to confess, and in recompense for my
cowardice and inhumanity was sent out of the house.
(Brontë 78)