What Are Parenthetical
Citations?
REMINDER: STEALING IS BAD!
AVOID THE FRUSTRATION,
GUILT, AND FAILING GRADE BY
FOLLOWING THESE SIMPLE
RULES.
What Are Parenthetical Citations?
 Citations that document the sources used within your
writing
 Informs the reader not only of your source, but what
information you found in the source and where exactly
you found it.
When Do I Use Parenthetical Citations?
 Immediately after
 direct quotes
 summarized information
 paraphrased information
 This means that you cite often!
How Do I Use Parenthetical Citations?
 Well, that depends on how you set up your information
within the paragraph.
 Let’s look at a few examples.
One Author
 Author’s name in text
 If the author’s name is used in
the sentence prior to the
citation, then you need only cite
the page numbers (or author’s
last name [or abbreviated
article, book, or webpage title]
if no page numbers are
available) where the information
was found.
 Ex. Tannen has argued this point
(178-185).
 Note: the punctuation appears
after the citation!
 Author’s name in reference
 If the author’s name is not used
in the sentence, then you need
to cite the author and page
number (or author’s last name
[or abbreviated article, book, or
webpage title] if no page
numbers are available) in the
parentheses.
 (Author’s LAST name page
number)
 Ex. This point has already been
argued (Tannen 178-185).
 Note: there is no punctuation
between the author’s last name
and the page number.
Multiple Works by the Same Author
 If you are using two sources by the same author, you use the
title of the work in your citation.
 For a book, use the book title.
 For an article, use the “article title”.
 For a website, use the “webpage title”.
More Than One Author
 2 or 3 authors:
 4 or more authors
 Authors’ names in text
 Authors’ names in text
 Others, like Jakobson and
 Others like Jakobson et al.




Waugh (201-215), hold the
opposite point of view.
Authors’ names in reference
Others hold the opposite
point of view (Jakobson and
Waugh 210-215).
3 authors (Jakobson, Smith,
and Waugh 210-215).
Names are cited
alphabetically.
(201-215) hold the opposite
point of view
 Authors’ names in reference
 Others hold the opposite
point of view (Jakobson et al.
210-215).
 Et al. Latin abbreviation for
et alia “and others”
Direct Quotes (2 in one sentence)
 Citations must follow each direct quote.
 In the late Renaissance, Machiavelli contended that human beings
were by nature “ungrateful” and “mutable” (Smith 1240), and
Montaigne thought them “miserable and puny” (Jones).
 Be sure to use slashes to indicate the end of a line of poetry! You do
not need to include any abbreviation in your citation to indicate that
you are using line numbers versus page numbers.
Long Quotes
 4 or more lines of prose or 5 or







more lines of poetry:
Start the quote on a new line
Indent that line 10 spaces (one
inch) and type it double-spaced
All lines are indented 10 spaces
Do NOT add quotation marks
Citation comes AFTER the
punctuation
Usually set off by colon
Do not use slashes for poetry
 Ex.

At the conclusion of Lord of the Flies,
Ralph and the other boys realize the horror
of their actions:
The tears began to flow and sobs shook
him. He gave himself up to them now
for the first time on the island; great,
shuddering spasm of grief that seemed
to wrench his whole body. (Golding
186)
No Author?
 If you do not have an author, then you will site either the
book title, “magazine article”, or “webpage title”.
 Book Ex.: Information (Building Relationships 14).
 Webpage Ex. No page numbers: Information (“Literary
Symbolism”).
 Magazine Ex. : Information (“Living With A Monster” 23).
Reminders
 Use PAGE NUMBERS where you have them (novels,
essays, etc.).
 Cite often to avoid plagiarism
 Be sure to use synthesis throughout your paper. This
means that you should not have “chunking” of sources.
Your sources should speak to one another. This will
ensure that you are not just getting your proof from one
source, which means that proof of your thesis will be
stronger.