purdue owl quote within a quote

How do I punctuate a quotation within a quotation within a quotation?

Note: This post relates to content in the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook . For up-to-date guidance, see the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook .

A simple principle applies for what seems like a thorny issue: Nest punctuation that appears within punctuation by alternating punctuation marks to disambiguate–in this case, between double and single quotation marks.

One Level of Nesting

The most common reason for nesting punctuation is shown in section 1.3.7 of the MLA Handbook (p. 87): when you need to present a quotation within a quotation, use double quotation marks around the quotation incorporated into your text and single quotation marks around the quotation within that quotation:

In “Memories of West Street and Lepke,” Robert Lowell, a conscientious objector (or “C.O.”), recounts meeting a Jehovah’s Witness in prison: “‘Are you a C.O.?’ I asked a fellow jailbird. / ‘No,’ he answered, ‘I’m a J.W.’” (38-39).

Two Levels of Nesting

If the quotation enclosed in single marks also contains material–whether another quotation or the title of a work–that needs to be set off with quotation marks, use double quotation marks around that material. The pattern is double, single, double quotation marks. In other words, nest punctuation within punctuation and alternate to disambiguate:

“[Mr. Lawson] called out the name [Gogol] in a perfectly reasonable way, without pause, without doubt, without a suppressed smile, just as he had called out Brian and Erica and Tom. And then: ‘Well, we’re going to have to read “The Overcoat.” Either that or “The Nose”’” (Lahiri 89). Work Cited Lahiri, Jhumpa.  The Namesake . Mariner Books, 2004.

A Related Case

The same principle applies when you need to incorporate parenthetical material. Alternate between parentheses and brackets, as in this aside:

(Early in  The Namesake , the narrator explains that “[t]hough Gogol doesn’t know it, even Nikolai Gogol renamed himself. . . . [He had also published under the name Yanov, and once signed his work ‘OOOO’ in honor of the four  o ’s in his full name]” [Lahiri 97]).

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

This handout is intended to help you become more comfortable with the uses of and distinctions among quotations, paraphrases, and summaries. This handout compares and contrasts the three terms, gives some pointers, and includes a short excerpt that you can use to practice these skills.

What are the differences among quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing?

These three ways of incorporating other writers' work into your own writing differ according to the closeness of your writing to the source writing.

Quotations must be identical to the original, using a narrow segment of the source. They must match the source document word for word and must be attributed to the original author.

Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from source material into your own words. A paraphrase must also be attributed to the original source. Paraphrased material is usually shorter than the original passage, taking a somewhat broader segment of the source and condensing it slightly.

Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including only the main point(s). Once again, it is necessary to attribute summarized ideas to the original source. Summaries are significantly shorter than the original and take a broad overview of the source material.

Why use quotations, paraphrases, and summaries?

Quotations, paraphrases, and summaries serve many purposes. You might use them to:

• Provide support for claims or add credibility to your writing
• Refer to work that leads up to the work you are now doing
• Give examples of several points of view on a subject
• Call attention to a position that you wish to agree or disagree with
• Highlight a particularly striking phrase, sentence, or passage by quoting the original
• Distance yourself from the original by quoting it in order to cue readers that the words are not your own
• Expand the breadth or depth of your writing

Writers frequently intertwine summaries, paraphrases, and quotations. As part of a summary of an article, a chapter, or a book, a writer might include paraphrases of various key points blended with quotations of striking or suggestive phrases as in the following example:

In his famous and influential work The Interpretation of Dreams , Sigmund Freud argues that dreams are the "royal road to the unconscious" (page #), expressing in coded imagery the dreamer's unfulfilled wishes through a process known as the "dream-work" (page #). According to Freud, actual but unacceptable desires are censored internally and subjected to coding through layers of condensation and displacement before emerging in a kind of rebus puzzle in the dream itself (page #).

How to use quotations, paraphrases, and summaries

Practice summarizing the essay found here , using paraphrases and quotations as you go. It might be helpful to follow these steps:

• Read the entire text, noting the key points and main ideas.
• Summarize in your own words what the single main idea of the essay is.
• Paraphrase important supporting points that come up in the essay.
• Consider any words, phrases, or brief passages that you believe should be quoted directly.

There are several ways to integrate quotations into your text. Often, a short quotation works well when integrated into a sentence. Longer quotations can stand alone. Remember that quoting should be done only sparingly; be sure that you have a good reason to include a direct quotation when you decide to do so. You'll find guidelines for citing sources and punctuating citations at our documentation guide pages.

•   [email protected]
• Shapiro Library
• SNHU Library Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ: How do I cite a secondary source (a quote within a quote)?

• 7 Academic Integrity & Plagiarism
• 60 Academic Support, Writing Help, & Presentation Help
• 27 Access/Remote Access
• 7 Accessibility
• 9 Building/Facilities
• 7 Career/Job Information
• 26 Catalog/Print Books
• 26 Circulation
• 128 Citing Sources
• 14 Copyright
• 310 Databases
• 24 Directions/Location
• 18 Faculty Resources/Needs
• 7 Hours/Contacts
• 2 Innovation Lab & Makerspace/3D Printing
• 25 Interlibrary Loan
• 43 IT/Computer/Printing Support
• 3 Library Instruction
• 37 Library Technology Help
• 6 Multimedia
• 17 Online Programs
• 19 Periodicals
• 25 Policies
• 8 RefWorks/Citation Managers
• 4 Research Guides (LibGuides)
• 217 Research Help
• 23 University Services

Last Updated: Jun 22, 2023 Views: 245141

A secondary source is a source cited within another source. Sometimes, this is called an indirect source. It is always recommended to locate and cite the original source whenever possible, but there are times when the original source is unavailable (e.g. it’s out of print, in a language other than English, or difficult to obtain through usual sources, etc.). If that’s the case, you may find that you need to cite the secondary source instead.

Generally speaking, to cite a secondary source, you would cite the original source in the text of your paper, but you would provide a reference to the secondary source in the reference list.

Here are examples of how it works in the three major citation styles:

According to the APA manual it is best to "cite secondary sources sparingly--for instance, when the original work is out of print, unavailable, or available only in a language that you do not understand. If possible, as a matter of good scholarly practice, find the primary source, read it, and cite it directly rather than citing a secondary source” (American Psychological Association [APA], 2020, p. 258).

In your in-text citation identify the primary source, and include in parentheses "(as cited in Author, Date)". The reference list will only list the secondary source. In the examples below, Smith's study is the primary source and Queenan et al. is the secondary ("as cited in") source.

Example In-Text Citation

Smith's 2008 study (as cited in Queenan et al., 2016) found that...

Example Reference List Entry

Queenan, H. R., Johnson, F. W., Yili, T. S., Sannefort, M. R, & Langman, R. C. (2017). Cyberbullying in American youth . Oxford University Press.

Citing an Indirect (Secondary) Source

The MLA Handbook (9th edition), p. 284 states that you should use the original source if you can find it. However, if you need to cite an indirect source, as the manual refers to secondary sources, if what you quote or paraphrase is itself a quotation, put the abbreviation qtd. in (“quoted in”) before the indirect source you cite in your parenthetical reference. (You may wish to clarify the relation between the original and secondhand sources in a note.)

Works Cited Example

Beirne, Logan. Blood of Tyrants: George Washington & the Forging of the Presidency . Encounter Books, 2013. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=589117&site=eds-live&scope=site .

In-Text Example

George Washington described his meeting with French officers, then a twenty-one year old, in his diaries and explained that the wine the officers drank “banished their restraint” (qtd. in Berine 450).

Chicago Style

Per the Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition) you want to try your best to find the original source and cite that.  However, if that isn't possible, the general formats are described below.

Notes & Bibliography

Both the original and the secondary sources must be listed in the note; however, only the secondary source appears in the reference list (see Section 14.260: Citations taken from secondary sources ).

Bibliography Example

Costello, Bonnie. Marianne Moore: Imaginary Possessions . Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1981.

Note General Format

2. Author First Name Author Last Name, Title of Book (Place: Publisher, Year), page number(s), quoted in Author First Name Author Last Name, Title of Book (Place: Publisher, Year), page number(s).

3. Author First Name Author Last Name, "Title of Article," Title of Journal vol#, no.(issue#) (Date): page number(s), quoted in Author First Name Author Last Name, Title of Book (Place: Publisher, Year), page number(s).

Note Example

2. Louis Zukofsky, “Sincerity and Objectification,” Poetry 37 (February 1931): 269, quoted in Bonnie Costello, Marianne Moore: Imaginary Possessions (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1981), 78.

Author-Date References

If an original source is unavailable, and “quoted in” must be resorted to, mention the original author and date in the text, and cite the secondary source in the reference list entry. The in-text citation would include the words “quoted in” (see Section 15.56: “Quoted in” in author-date references ).

Reference List Example

Costello, Bonnie. 1981. Marianne Moore: Imaginary Possessions . Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

In Louis Zukofsky’s “Sincerity and Objectification,” from the February 1931 issue of Poetry magazine (quoted in Costello 1981) ...

More Information

• Citing Your Sources Guide  (Shapiro Library)  

Further Help

This information is intended to be a guideline, not expert advice. Please be sure to speak to your professor about the appropriate way to cite sources in your class assignments and projects.

Campus Students

To access Academic Support, visit your Brightspace course and select “Tutoring and Mentoring” from the Academic Support pulldown menu.

Online Students

To access help with citations and more, visit the Academic Support via modules in Brightspace:

• Academic Support Overview: Getting Help with your Schoolwork This link opens in a new window
• Share on Facebook

Was this helpful? Yes 33 No 74

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are a self-serve option for users to search and find answers to their questions. 

Use the search box above to type your question to search for an answer or browse existing FAQs by group, topic, etc.

Tell Me More

Link to Question Form

More assistance.

Submit a Question

Related FAQs

• MiraCosta College

Q. How do I cite a quote within a quote in MLA format?

• 20 Citation
• 1 CLC Services
• 6 Computer Lab
• 6 Course Reserves
• 7 Hours & Locations
• 20 Laptops & Hotspots
• 44 Library Databases
• 10 Library Instruction
• 36 Library Materials
• 13 Library Services
• 22 MCC/HUB Services
• 3 Relocation
• 66 Research Help
• 9 Textbooks

Answered By: Victoria Ganguli Last Updated: Aug 24, 2021     Views: 21662

Whenever you can, use the original source for a quotation, rather than an "indirect source". If you can't access the original source, then create a full citation for your indirect source in the Works Cited list. Then, for the in-text or parenthetical citation, use this format: (qtd. in [last name of author of your indirect source] [page number of quotation]). This answer was adapted from p. 226 of the MLA Handbook, 7th ed.

Click here to see Purdue OWL's explanation of indirect quotes, and a sample citation (scroll down to "Citing Indirect Sources")

Links & Files

• Purdue OWL MLA citation: Citing Indirect Sources
• Share on Facebook

Was this helpful? Yes 9 No 29

Can't find the answer? Submit an email question.

Related topics.

APA Style Guide (7th Edition)

• APA Resources
• Formatting Your Essay
• Building an Article Reference Entry
• Building Specialized Reference Entries
• In-text Citations

Quotations: The basics

Short quotations: less than 40 words, long quotations: 40+ words, identifying the part: quotations without page numbers, citing class materials.

• The Annotated Bibliography in APA

Books for APA questions

We have print books that you can access at all of our campuses and eBooks that you can access anywhere!

This print copy of APA's  official publication  lays out every aspect of APA style formatting.  We have copies at every campus!

We also have eBooks, like this  online guide  that can be accessed anywhere through our library! 

¡Incluso hay una guía APA en español disponible en línea!

A quotation is when you use another person’s word-for-word  narrative in your own writing. Citation rules for quotations are similar to the rules for paraphrased or summarized content from another source, but there are some extra things you need to do to give proper credit to the original author; how you treat the quote depends on whether you are including 40 or more  words from the resource.

With a direct quote, proper citation includes the Author and Date , and MUST include a Page or Part designation that will help your reader locate the information within the original source. The standard parenthetical format is (Author, Date, Page/Part) though portions of the citation can still be placed in the narrative rather than the parentheses.

Page numbers are preceded by "p." for a single page and “pp.” for a span of multiple pages as shown in examples below; see the Identifying the Part section below for citing resources without page numbers and for citing non-text items that you are duplicating directly from another resource.

SHORT QUOTATIONS (less than 40 words)

Short quotations are placed into the standard sentence structure of your narrative and set apart from your words by quotation marks. In-text citations for direct quotations require the Author, Date (year) of publication, and Page number for the reference. If you introduce the Author’s name in the narrative, place the Date immediately after the Author. The Page number/s go immediately before the closing punctuation of the sentence.

• According to Smythe (2021), "students often found librarian assistance and library tutorials helpful when learning about citation styles" (p. 48).
• Smythe (2021) discovered that "students often found librarian assistance and library tutorials helpful when learning about citation styles " (pp. 48-49); what does this mean for course instructors?

If you do not include the Author’s name in the narrative, place the Author, Date (year), and the Page number/s in parentheses after the quotation itself.

• She stated, "Students often found librarian assistance and library tutorials helpful" (Smythe, 2021, para. 3).
• She said that "Students often found librarian assistance and library tutorials helpful" (Smythe, 2021, p. 48), but she did not offer an explanation as to why.

Long quotations are set apart from the narrative into what is called a block quote . A block quote is a double-spaced section of text that begins a new on a new line, is indented ½” from your narrative text at the left margin, and is cited by a parenthetical reference AFTER the closing punctuation mark; you do not use quotation marks for a block quote, nor do you add an extra blank line before or after the block quote. Here is an example of a block quote from Purdue’s OWL website (n.d., “Formatting example for block quotations in APA 7 style”):

Direct quotation or duplication of information from a source that does not contain original pages should not reference a Page number; the purpose of the Page number is to help your reader find the quote within the larger resource, so the source of the Page/Part identifier should be universal to the Referenced format or access method for that resource.

Instead, you may need to use another logical, universal identifying element: a heading, section number or name, paragraph number, a chapter number or name, a table number or name, etc. Religious texts can also incorporate special location identifiers like verse numbers; similarly, you can use verses or act/scene/line designations for literary works that are often reprinted such as plays or poetry.

In short: pick a substitute for Page numbers that makes sense for your source and that is universally the same for anyone else who may access that resource.

Parts of electronic resources

Many of the electronic resources that you will access through the library databases DO have Page numbers; you should use Page numbers when they are available! When you access the full text of a journal article online, the PDF format has the same Page numbers as the print version of the journal!

When there are absolutely no reasonable page numbers available in a resource from which you directly duplicate information, how do you cite:   

• Use the name of the item, e.g. (Figure 3) or (Slide 7) or (Table 2).
• In the case of the image of the block quote used above, the title of the graphic on the original page was used as the Part identifier after the Date in the citation; the Author appears in the narrative.
• Use the section, heading, or chapter name, line or paragraph number, etc.
• (Smythe, 2021, para.14).
• (Jonas, lines 18-20)
• (International Organization of Smythe Families, 2021, About Us section)
• Use a time stamp from the original resource recording that corresponds with the beginning of your quote.
• He asks us "Is it possible to have institutions in our country, universities, where people from all backgrounds can come and learn, and learn to work together and learn to become leaders and to support each other in that experience?” (Hrabowski, 2013, 4:45).

Class materials?!

Yes! You can use quotations from a lecture video that your professor provided or from a course discussion board, not to mention the course textbook, handouts, and your class notes! These are often excellent resources to use to tie your work into the assignment objectives, as the material was explicitly designed to directly support those objectives.

So how do you cite class materials?!

Your References are supposed to help others to find and access your sources. Readers who aren’t in your classes won’t have access to the course material that you have access to, and those who are within your class will need only minimal information to find which lecture or discussion you are citing. In these circumstances, best practice is to format the citation after one used for the category of Personal Communication.

Personal Communications, works that cannot be recovered by general readers, include unpublished interviews, emails, texts, some social media posts, live speeches, letters, etc.). Since readers cannot retrieve the information they contain, they are cited in-text but are NOT added to the References list.   Personal communications are to be used sparingly and only when necessary; for example, if you quote your textbook, you should cite the book in your References list and if a lecture referred to an outside resource, it’s better to find and use that resource than to cite the lecture. 

A personal communication citation should minimally include Author, "personal communication", and Date (Author, personal communication, Month day, year) ; elements of the citation can be used in the narrative rather than parenthetically, as with other citations. You may also include the format of the communication in the citation (Author, personal communication [ENG 101 lecture], Month day, year) .

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association: The official guide to APA style  (7th edition). 

Hrabowski, f. (2013, february). four pillars of college success in science. ted. https://www.ted.com/talks/freeman_hrabowski_4_pillars_of_college_success_in_science., purdue owl. (n.d.).  in-text citations: the basics . purdue writing lab. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/in_text_citations_the_basics.html..

• << Previous: In-text Citations
• Next: The Annotated Bibliography in APA >>
• Last Updated: Oct 12, 2023 10:01 AM
• URL: https://libguides.gateway.kctcs.edu/APACitationStyle7th

Chapter 14: MLA Documentation

Mla in-text citations and formatting quotations.

Because the use of in-text citations will be so integral to your writing processes, being able to instantly craft correct citations and identify incorrect citations will save you time during writing and will help you avoid having unnecessary points taken off for citation errors.

Here is the standard correct in-text citation style according to MLA guidelines:

Take a moment to carefully consider the placement of the parts and punctuation of this in-text citation. Note that there is no punctuation indicating the end of a sentence inside of the quotation marks—closing punctuation should instead follow the parentheses. There is also no punctuation between the author’s last name and the page number inside of the parentheses. The misplacement of these simple punctuation marks is one of the most common errors students make when crafting in-text citations.

Include the right information in the in-text citation. Every time you reference material in your paper, you must tell the reader the name of the author whose information you are citing. You must include a page number that tells the reader where, in the source, they can find this information. The most basic structure for an in-text citation looks like this: (Smith 123).

So, let’s say we have the following quote, which comes from page 100 of Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South : “Margaret had never spoken of Helstone since she left it.” [1]

The following examples show incorrect MLA formatting:

The following example shows correct MLA formatting:

However, there are exceptions to the above citation guideline. Consider the following format of an in-text citation, which is also formed correctly.

Elizabeth Gaskell’s narrator makes it clear that “Margaret had never spoken of Helstone since she left it” (100).

Do you notice the difference between this citation format and the format of the first example? Unlike the first example, this citation does not list the author’s last name inside the parentheses. This is because the last name is included in quotation’s introduction, which makes the identity of the author clear to the reader. Including the author’s last name again inside of the parenthesis would be thus redundant and is not required for MLA citation.

The same rule about inclusion of the author’s last name applies for paraphrased information, as well, as shown in the following example:

In this paraphrase, the author’s last name precedes the paraphrased material, but as in the case of quotation integration, if the author’s last name is not described in the paraphrase then it is required inside of the parentheses before the page number.

Being more compliant with MLA in-text citation guidelines will become easier if you review these examples and the citation rules on which they rely.

In-text citations are often parenthetical, meaning you add information to the end of a sentence in parentheses. But if you include that necessary information in the language of the sentence itself, you should not include the parenthetical citation. This example shows you proper uses of in-text citations.

Formatting Quotations and In-Text Citation Information (from Purdue OWL)

• MLA Formatting Quotations
• MLA In-Text Citations: The Basics

Video Illustrating How to Create MLA Style In-Text Citations

When to Use a Block Quotation

A typical quotation is enclosed in double quotation marks and is part of a sentence within a paragraph of your paper. However, if you want to quote more than four lines of prose (or three lines of verse) from a source, you should format the excerpt as a block quotation, rather than as a regular quotation within the text of a paragraph. Most of the standard rules for quotations still apply, with the following exceptions: a block quotation will begin on its own line, it will not be enclosed in quotation marks, and its in-text citation will come after the ending punctuation, not before it.

For example, if you wanted to quote the entire first paragraph of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland , you would begin that quotation on its own line and format it as follows:

Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, ‘and what is the use of a book,’ thought Alice, ‘without pictures or conversations?’ (Carroll 98)

The full reference for this source would then be included in your Works Cited section at the end of your paper.

The entire block quotation should be indented one inch from the left margin. The first line of the excerpt should not be further indented, unless you are quoting multiple paragraphs—in which case the first line of each quoted paragraph should be further indented 0.25 inches. As should the rest of your paper, a block quotation in MLA style should be double-spaced.

Block Quotations

Watch this video from Imagine Easy Solutions for more information on formatting block quotations:

• Gaskell, Elizabeth. North and South. Oxford UP, 1973. ↵
• Revision and Adaptation. Provided by : Lumen Learning. License : CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
• MLA In-text citation graphic. Authored by : Kim Louie for Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution
• MLA: Block Quotations. Authored by : Catherine McCarthy. Provided by : Boundless. Located at : https://www.boundless.com/writing/textbooks/boundless-writing-textbook/writing-a-paper-in-mla-style-humanities-255/mla-structure-and-formatting-of-specific-elements-302/mla-block-quotations-310-16896/ . Project : Boundless Writing. License : CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike
• Formatting In-text Citations (MLA). Authored by : Jennifer Yirinec and Lauren Cutlip. Located at : http://writingcommons.org/open-text/writing-processes/format/mla-format/444-formatting-in-text-citations-mla . Project : Writing Commons. License : CC BY-NC-ND: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives
• Images and text from How to Cite an Essay. Provided by : WikiHow. Located at : http://www.wikihow.com/Cite-an-Essay . License : CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
• In-Text Citations in MLA 8th Edition. Authored by : EasyBib. Located at : http://www.easybib.com/guides/citation-guides/mla-8/in-text-citations/ . License : CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
• In-Text Citations Made Easy: MLA 9th Edition. Authored by : Smart Student. Located at : https://youtu.be/YhYQ-pU8YWg?si=Zb6AGwtTyGVaQW-E . License : Public Domain: No Known Copyright
• Block Quotations | MLA | Essay Writing. Provided by : The Nature of Writing. Located at : https://youtu.be/5bsFp56ugzY?si=tuNn3FSyvs_5yI3J . License : Public Domain: No Known Copyright

Privacy Policy

LibAnswers: MLA FAQs

What is a block quote and how do i format it.

According to the Purdue OWL MLA guide, a block quote is a long quote from your source that is "more than four lines of prose or three lines of verse". Start a block quote on a new line with no quotation marks, and indent it 1/2 inch from the left-margin, still double-spaced. The parenthetical citation goes after the end of the quote, after the punctuation mark. Keep the original line breaks when quoting verse("MLA Formatting Quotations").

Example: 

Payne contextualizes the history and attitudes of America's mental institutionalization:

For more than half the nation's history, vast mental hospitals were prominent architectural features on the American landscape. Practically every state could claim to have at least one. The catalyst for their creation was the schoolteacher-turned-reformer Dorothea Dix (1802-1887), who, beginning in the early 1840s, traveled the country lobbying states to build hospitals for the proper care of the "indigent insane". Dix's humanitarian appeals were persuasive, and they were well-timed: expansionist America was eager to erect large civic institutions that would serve as models of an enlightened society. Public schools, universities, prisons, and insane asylums were all part of this agenda, though high-minded rhetoric was not always matched by the less-than-altruistic motives of politicians. (Payne 7)

For more information: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_formatting_quotations.html

Works Cited

"MLA Formatting Quotations."  The Purdue OWL,  The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue U, 2022, https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_formatting_quotations.html. Accessed 20 Mar. 2023.

Payne, Christopher.  Asylum : Inside the Closed World of State Mental Hospitals , MIT Press, 2009.  ProQuest Ebook Central , http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/linfield/detail.action?docID=3339090.  

• MLA Quotations
• Last Updated Mar 28, 2023
• Answered By Linfield Librarian

FAQ Actions

• Share on Facebook

Comments (0)

To view all questions in this faq group, go to the "featured" tab..

Welcome to the Linfield Library. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Generate accurate Chicago citations for free

• Knowledge Base
• Chicago Style
• Chicago In-text Citations | Styles, Format & Examples

Chicago In-text Citations | Styles, Format & Examples

Published on September 12, 2019 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on December 5, 2022.

An in-text citation is used to point readers toward any source you quote , paraphrase or refer to in your writing. The Chicago Manual of Style has two options for in-text citations:

• Author-date : you put your citations in parentheses within the text itself.
• Notes and bibliography : you put your citations in numbered footnotes or endnotes.

You should choose one of these two citation options and use it consistently throughout your text. The source details are listed in full in a bibliography or reference list at the end. Make sure to pay attention to punctuation (e.g., commas and quotation marks ).

Chicago Reference Generator

Author-date citation example

(Woolf 1921, 11)

Footnote citation example

1. Woolf, “Modern Fiction,” 11.

Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text

Upload your document to correct all your mistakes in minutes

Table of contents

Which chicago style should you use, option 1: author-date in-text citations, option 2: citations in footnotes or endnotes, citing sources with multiple authors, missing information in chicago in-text citations, frequently asked questions about chicago in-text citations.

First, you need to decide whether you are using notes or author-date in-text citations. You can usually find out from your instructor or syllabus which style you should use.

The notes and bibliography system is usually preferred in humanities subjects like literature, history and the arts. The author-date system is preferred in the sciences, including social sciences.

The styles are similar in the information they present, but they differ in terms of the order, location, and format of that information. It’s important to use one style consistently, and not to confuse the two.

The only proofreading tool specialized in correcting academic writing - try for free!

The academic proofreading tool has been trained on 1000s of academic texts and by native English editors. Making it the most accurate and reliable proofreading tool for students.

Try for free

Author-date style places citations directly in the text in parentheses . In-text citations include the author’s last name, the year of publication, and if applicable, a page number or page range:

This style of Chicago in-text citation looks the same for every type of source.

When using author-date, you should always include a reference list  with an entry corresponding to each citation. This provides the reader with full publication information to locate the source.

Where should citations appear in the text?

The author-date style gives you some flexibility in where you place your citations in the text.

Most commonly, you will put the citation at the end of the relevant sentence (before the period). You can also integrate it into the sentence. If you name the author in your sentence, you only need to include the date and page number in parentheses.

Multiple citations can also be combined within one set of parentheses using a semicolon .

As you can see in the Valentine citation, it’s not always necessary to include a page number—only when you’re referring to a specific part of the text. If you want to cite the text as a whole, you can leave out the page number.

In notes and bibliography style, your citations appear in either footnotes or endnotes .

To create a Chicago footnote or endnote reference, a superscript number is placed at the end of the clause or sentence that the citation applies to, after any punctuation (periods, quotation marks , parentheses ). Your first citation is marked with a 1, your second with a 2, and so on.

These superscript numbers correspond to numbered footnotes or endnotes containing the actual citation.

Full notes and short notes

There are two types of note you can use in Chicago style: full and short.

• Full notes contain the full publication details of the source.
• Short notes contain the author’s last name, the title (shortened if it is longer than four words), and the page number (if relevant).

You should usually use a full note the first time you cite each source. If you cite the same source more than once, use a short note for each subsequent citation. You may also use “ ibid. ” to repeat the citation from the previous note, but short notes are the more usual choice.

The rules of your specific institution may vary, requiring you to use one of the two note styles every time. It’s important to check with your instructor if you’re unsure.

This is what a full and short note for the same citation might look like:

The format of the note varies depending on the type of source. Below you can see examples of a Chicago website citation , book citation , book chapter citation , and journal article citation .

Chicago footnote citation examples

• Book chapter
• Journal article

Footnotes or endnotes?

Footnotes appear at the bottom of the page they refer to, while endnotes appear in their own section at the end of the text, before the Chicago style bibliography .

The citation looks exactly the same whether it appears in a footnote or an endnote . If you haven’t been told which one to use, the choice is a matter of personal preference. The important thing is to consistently use one or the other.

In both styles, when you cite a source with two or three authors, list the names in the order they appear in the original publication:

When a source has four or more authors, use the term “ et al. ” after the first author’s name:

Receive feedback on language, structure, and formatting

Professional editors proofread and edit your paper by focusing on:

• Academic style
• Vague sentences
• Style consistency

See an example

Sometimes, not all of the information you need for your citation will be available. Thankfully, there are ways to work around this in both styles.

No page number

Page numbers are not always necessary; if the source doesn’t have page numbers (e.g., a website ), or if you’re referring to the general argument of a text instead of a specific passage, you can omit page numbers.

If a source has no page numbers but you still want to specify a particular part of the text, you can use other locators like paragraphs, chapters or headings instead—whatever markers the text provides:

No publication date

If the source doesn’t have a stated publication date, you can write “n.d.” in place of the year:

If no specific author is listed, you can refer to the organization that published the source:

Page numbers should be included in your Chicago in-text citations when:

• You’re quoting from the text.
• You’re paraphrasing a particular passage.
• You’re referring to information from a specific section.

When you’re referring to the overall argument or general content of a source, it’s unnecessary to include page numbers.

When a source has four or more authors , your in-text citation or Chicago footnote should give only the first author’s name followed by “ et al. ” (Latin for “and others”). This makes your citations more concise.

In your bibliography or reference list , when a source has more than 10 authors, list the first seven followed by “et al.” Otherwise, list every author.

• A reference list is used with Chicago author-date citations .
• A bibliography is used with Chicago footnote citations .

Both present the exact same information; the only difference is the placement of the year in source citations:

• In a reference list entry, the publication year appears directly after the author’s name.
• In a bibliography entry, the year appears near the end of the entry (the exact placement depends on the source type).

There are also other types of bibliography that work as stand-alone texts, such as a Chicago annotated bibliography .

In Chicago author-date style , your text must include a reference list . It appears at the end of your paper and gives full details of every source you cited.

In notes and bibliography style, you use Chicago style footnotes to cite sources; a bibliography is optional but recommended. If you don’t include one, be sure to use a full note for the first citation of each source.

In Chicago notes and bibliography style , the usual standard is to use a full note for the first citation of each source, and short notes for any subsequent citations of the same source.

However, your institution’s guidelines may differ from the standard rule. In some fields, you’re required to use a full note every time, whereas in some other fields you can use short notes every time, as long as all sources are listed in your bibliography . If you’re not sure, check with your instructor.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2022, December 05). Chicago In-text Citations | Styles, Format & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved April 2, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/chicago-style/chicago-in-text-citation/

Is this article helpful?

Jack Caulfield

Other students also liked, chicago style footnotes | citation format & examples, chicago author-date style | a complete guide to citing sources, the basics of in-text citation | apa & mla examples, what is your plagiarism score.

• WESTCHESTER CAMPUS
• Social Media Center
• Directories

ENG 201: LaScala Spring 2024

• Source Types
• Finding Books
• Finding Articles
• Keywords & Searching
• Evaluating Sources
• Instruction Evaluation
• Contact Your Librarian

Additional Citation Resources

For more information and examples of citations, please be sure to check out these additional resources: 

• Pace Libraries: Academic Integrity & Avoiding Plagiarism
• Pace Libraries: Citing Sources & Style Guides
• Pace Libraries: Mini Zine on Citations
• Excelsior Owl | Online Writing Lab

Why Do We Cite?

Citations are short, yet thorough, references to another's work within your own writing, particularly in scholarship and academic communities. 

So why are they important and necessary for us to understand AND be able to use? 

• Citing your sources shows that you've done thorough, well-crafted research;
• Citing makes you a responsible scholar by giving credit where credit is due;
• Helps others find your sources
• Contributes to the growth of research/a discipline

Finally, citing your sources accurately & fully is the best way to avoid plagiarism! 

There are many different kinds of citation styles out there, but the Big 3 are: 

• MLA (Modern Language Association
• APA (American Psychological Association)
• The Chicago Manual of Style

Each style is utilized in specific disciplines. For example, MLA and Chicago tend to be utilized in The Humanities disciplines, while APA is useful in the social and health sciences. 

MLA: The Basics

Why use mla citation style.

MLA is most commonly used to cite sources within in the liberal arts, specifically the humanities.

What does that really mean?:

When you cite in MLA, you use  parenthetical citations for your in-text citations  and a works-cited page at the end of your paper.

A typical MLA citation will include: 

• the author's full name, last and first
• the year of publication
• the publisher/journal title
• page numbers

What does an in-text citation typically look like?:

Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (263) . Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263) .   Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263) .*

*example from the Purdue OWL

What does a work-cited citation typically look like?:

Your works-cited page and your in-text citations should line up with each other - meaning that if you include an in-text citation, you will be able to find more detailed information about that source in the complete works-cited list.

For example the in-text citation might read, "(Worsdworth, 263)" - indicating the author's last name, and the page used in the paper. 

The works-cited citation for that book would be:

Wordsworth, William. Lyrical Ballads . London: Oxford UP, 1967.

The general format for a citation in your works-cited list in MLA will more or less follow this guideline:

Author Last Name, Author First Name. Title of the Book . Publisher Location: Name of Publisher, Year of Publication.

Citation Style Guides:

The Purdue OWL is an amazing resource that gives great examples of how to cite different materials in MLA. Your citations in MLA will change slightly depending on the format of the work that you are using. Citing a book is slightly different than citing an article.

The Purdue OWL: MLA Formatting and Style Guide is a wonderful resource that breaks down how to cite different formats in MLA.

For more information, check out our citing sources guide .

APA: The Basics

Why use apa citation style.

APA (American Psychological Association) style is most commonly used to cite sources within the social sciences, also including most hard sciences, psychology, sociology, and related disciplines.

APA employs in-text citations and a references list .

APA in-text citations also ask you to include :

• the author's first & middle initials & last name;
• the year of publication;
• the journal title, the volume number, and the issue number;
• source page numbers

If you are directly quoting from a work, include the author, year of publication, and the page number for the reference (preceded by "p.").

Introduce the quotation with a signal phrase that includes the author's last name followed by the date of publication in parentheses.

According to Jones (1998) , "Students often had difficulty using APA style, especially when it was their first time" (p. 199) . Jones (1998) found "students often had difficulty using APA style" (p. 199); what implications does this have for teachers?

If the author is not named in a signal phrase, place the author's last name, the year of publication, and the page number in parentheses after the quotation.

She stated, "Students often had difficulty using APA style" (Jones, 1998, p. 199) , but she did not offer an explanation as to why.*

*examples from the Purdue OWL

Your reference list should appear at the end of your paper. It provides the information necessary for a reader to locate and retrieve any source you cite in the body of the paper. Each source you cite in the paper must appear in your reference list; likewise, each entry in the reference list must be cited in your text.

Your references should begin on a new page separate from the text of the essay; label this page "References" centered at the top of the page (do NOT bold, underline, or use quotation marks for the title). All text should be double-spaced just like the rest of your essay.*

*example from Purdue OWL

The general format for a citation in your works-cited list in APA will more or less follow this guideline:

Author, A. A. (Year of publication).  Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle . Location: Publisher.

APA style has a specific formatting and style that requires you to include different elements in your work that a paper formatted in MLA would.

The Purdue OWL guide for APA  includes more information on citing different in formats, as well as a  sample paper  formatted in APA style.

For more information, check out our  citing sources guide .

• << Previous: Evaluating Sources
• Next: Instruction Evaluation >>
• Last Updated: Apr 2, 2024 2:53 PM
• URL: https://libguides.pace.edu/lascala_ENG_201
• © Pace University
• Work at Pace
• Privacy Policy