In-text Citation

Also known as
parenthetical citation
When do I give a citation in my paper?
ALWAYS!!!
• DIRECT QUOTATIONS
• STATISTICS
• PARAPHRASED INFORMATION

• The only time you won’t cite a source is if it is

your own opinion or general knowledge.
If you have the author’s name, …
give the author’s name!

Always!
There are two ways to do this …
Either: In the text itself (this is called
a ‘signal phrase’).

• When the author's name is used in the signal phrase

then put the page number(s) in parentheses:

In his book Go to Work on an Egg, John Easter explains

that the kind of feed given to hens in the USA on LCFs
(low cholesterol farms), is often low in calcium and may
cause poor bone development. This, coupled with lack of
exercise, in some cases leads to chickens that are unable
to walk (59).
Do this the first time you mention a source.
Use phrases like:
• In his article, … John Bull explains…
• According to …, there are…
• The article … mentions …
• This is supported by …
• Etc, etc.
 OR: In parentheses.
• When the author's name is not used in the sentence
introducing the source material, then include the author's last
name in the parenthetical citation before the page number(s).
Note that no comma appears between the author's name and
the page number(s).

In some severe cases it may lead to hens “which are so

crippled that they cannot raise their heads to reach the
feeding bowls” and consequently starve to death.
(Chuckie 73).
 When you have two or more
authors …
• place all of the authors' last names in the
text using ‘a signal phrase’.
According to Rooster and Leghorn this is the
optimum level for chickens and should
guarantee them a long life (29).
• or in the parenthetical citation:
Apparently this is the optimum level for chickens and
should guarantee them a long life (Rooster and
Leghorn 29).
 When a source has four or more authors,

give the first author's last name followed by et al.

(Latin for “and others”), either in the text
or in the parenthetical citation.
You can also name all of the authors:

Either:
If farm buildings which house hens have extra amenities such as piped music and
temperature control then the hens show both an increased egg-laying capacity
and greater longevity (Pullet et al. 40).
OR
Pullet et al. found that if farm buildings which house hens have extra
amenities such as piped music and temperature control then the hens show
both an increased egg-laying capacity and greater longevity (40).
When there are two entries with the same author (or no
author) and title
If you have two entries with the same author (or no author)
and title, find a publication fact that distinguishes the works
and add it to their parenthetical references.

--For a nonperiodical print source, use the date of publication if

possible.
--For an article in a periodical, use the title of the periodical.
--For a Web page, use the title of the overall Web site)

Experts believe that the chicken came before the egg (Smith,
2006).
Experts believe that the chicken came before the egg ("Egg,"
Student Resource Center).
When a source has a corporate author (an organisation,
government body, etc.)
include the author's name and the page(s).
If the corporate author's name is long, it should be
included in the signal phrase rather than the
parentheses:

This is supported by The Association of British Poultry

Breeders who recommend sight culling of such hens to
remove underdeveloped, weak, crippled, or distressed
birds which have very little chance of survival (3).
What if there is no author?

Give the title instead!

 When a source does not include an author's name…

give the title instead!

or an abbreviated title (first few words) in the text or
parenthetical citation.
(Underline the title if the source is a book; if the source is
an article, use quotation marks)

However, this particular survey was also mentioned in “Poultry

Penthouses”. Interestingly, here the apparent good health of the animals
was also linked to recent renovations made in farm buildings rather than
just the diet (2).

Interestingly in this particular survey the apparent good health of the

animals was also linked to recent renovations made in farm buildings
rather than just the diet (“Poultry Penthouses” 2).
When someone is quoted within the text of
another author (a secondary source)
• Show this by putting the phrase;
‘qtd.in’ + author of source + page
number(s)

“These are forward looking farmers who

know how to treat their stock…” says Dr
Pellet (qtd. in Greenaway 72).
When the source has an editor (because it is a
collection of chapters or sections by different authors or
contrbutors) …
• Do the same as you would do for a source with an author:
• Introduce the name of the editor in the signal phrase
• Or put the editor’s last name in parentheses at the end of the quotation or
paraphrase with the page numbers (just like you do for an author

Either:
Contrary to this, in Chicken Chatting, edited by James Peck, Brian Bull
claims that “…any diet which ends up giving us good food just has to be
good for them [chickens] too” (4).

Or:
Contrary to this, Brian Bull claims that “. . .any diet which ends up giving
us good food just has to be good for them [chickens] too” (Peck 4)

(In the second example the source of the quote will be clear from your
citation in the Works Cited.)
When you are citing a web page. . .
• Follow the style of printed sources.
• Personal or corporate author and
page numbers should be given if they
exist on the website.

Moult also agrees that this level of blood

pressure is a direct result of being reared on
LCFs (9).
 When there is no pagination within an
electronic document,

…count the paragraphs within the document.

Here is an example from www.poop.cn/chicken rearing/egg

production which has no author or page number.

Moreover, these claims are backed up by the People’s Organisation for the
Ownership of Poultry, a Chinese farmers group, who are concerned that
low cholesterol feed may mean that egg laying hens become thinner and
weaker and so unable to expel the eggs. These would build up inside the
hen causing terrible discomfort and eventual death (par. 39).
 Still not sure?
Here is the logic behind it…
• Your in-text citation should match the
beginning of its entry in your Works Cited…
(this means that the reader can easily find
more information about the source in your
Works Cited)
 If you have a problem citation:

Look at noodletools – next to each entry you

prepare it will show you how to cite it in
parentheses … click on
Parenthetical Reference
 Example from noodletools.com
• Reference Source

“Kangaroo." World Book Online Reference Center. NewEdit Copy Delete

World Book. 6 Mar. 2006 Parenthetical Reference
<http://www.worldbookonline.com/>. Have a Question?

• Web Site
NewEdit Copy Delete
Obama, Barack. "A Day with Obama." Interview with Sili Parenthetical Reference
Kut. Online Have a Question?

• Interview

Ed. James Dean. 15 Oct. 2008. 10 Nov. 2008 NewEdit Copy Delete
<http://onlineinterviews.net/ Parenthetical Reference
home>. MagazineToupin, Laurie. "Zoos Unite to Have a Question?
Keep Animals in the Wild." CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
MONITOR 2 Mar. 2004. Sirs Researcher. Naomi
Foster Library and Media
Center. 6 Mar. 2006.
Remember…if in
doubt cite it!
THE END