Ever stayed up at 3 AM staring at your screen wondering if you got those MLA citations right? Yeah, me too. Back in college, I lost 15% on a paper because I messed up my quote formatting. The professor wrote in angry red ink: "WHERE IS YOUR PAGE NUMBER?!" That's when I realized figuring out how to cite a quote in MLA isn't just about rules – it's about keeping your sanity.
Why Bother with MLA Quote Citations?
Look, I get it. Citations feel like busywork. But here's the thing: when you're writing that killer research paper, proper MLA formatting does two crucial things. First, it keeps you out of plagiarism trouble (nobody wants an academic misconduct hearing). Second, it shows your readers exactly where you found that perfect quote to back up your argument. I've graded enough undergrad papers to spot lazy citation habits – they undermine your credibility instantly.
What students usually mess up:
- Forgetting page numbers like I did
- Using commas instead of periods
- Making Works Cited entries inconsistent with in-text citations
The Nuts and Bolts of MLA In-Text Citations
Let's cut through the academic jargon. Every MLA in-text citation needs just two things:
- The author's last name
- The page number where you found the quote
Like this:
"MLA citations aren't rocket science" (Smith 42).
Notice the period goes AFTER the parentheses? That detail trips up so many people.
When Things Get Complicated
Real life isn't textbook perfect. What if there's no author? No page number? Two authors? Been there. Last semester, my student Claire had a meltdown over a website citation with zero author info. Here's how we fixed it:
| Scenario | Format | Real Example |
|---|---|---|
| No author | (Shortened Title Page#) | ("Citing Basics" 17) |
| Two authors | (First Author and Second Author Page#) | (Morrison and Garcia 88) |
| Website without pages | (Author Last Name) | (Jenkins) |
| Quote within a source | (qtd. in Original Author Page#) | (qtd. in Rodriguez 203) |
Had a nightmare with Shakespeare citations last year. For plays, you need act/scene/line numbers instead of pages: (Shakespeare 3.2.15-17). Took me three tries to get it right.
Step-by-Step: Citing Any Quote Correctly
Let's walk through a real example. Imagine you're quoting page 56 of Laura Miller's book The Magician's Book:
- Introduce the quote: Don't just dump it. Use a signal phrase:
As Miller observes, "Children's literature often hides complex metaphors" (56). - Add parentheses: Page number alone since you named the author:
(...complex metaphors" (56).) - Format punctuation: Period AFTER parentheses. Always.
What if the quote runs longer than four lines? That's when you use a block quote. Indent the entire quote 0.5 inches from left margin, don't use quotes, and put the citation after the FINAL punctuation:
Miller's analysis reveals the hidden depth of children's literature:
The seeming simplicity of these stories acts as camouflage for sophisticated philosophical inquiries. Young readers intuitively grasp complex moral dilemmas through allegorical characters and situations, often without realizing they're engaging with profound questions about human existence. (56)
Works Cited Page: Where Citations Go to Party
Your in-text citations are useless without the Works Cited page. I see students mess this up constantly. Every source you quote must appear here with perfect formatting. Here's the basic formula:
| Source Type | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Print book | Last Name, First Name. Book Title. Publisher, Year. | Miller, Laura. The Magician's Book. Little, Brown, 2008. |
| Journal article | Author. "Article Title." Journal Name, vol. #, no. #, Year, pages. | Chang, Kenneth. "The Art of Scientific Citation." Academic Studies Journal, vol. 12, no. 3, 2020, pp. 45-67. |
| Website | Author. "Page Title." Website Name, Publisher, Date, URL. | Lee, Michelle. "Modern Citation Practices." Research Today, Academic Press, 15 Mar. 2022, www.researchtoday.com/modern-citation. |
Pro tip: Alphabetize by author's last name. And please – double check those italics periods. I once spent two hours debugging a Works Cited page because of misplaced commas.
Warning: Don't trust citation generators blindly. A student of mine failed because EasyBib formatted a publisher as "Penguin Random House LLC" when MLA requires just "Penguin." Always verify!
Special Situations That'll Make Your Head Spin
Sometimes MLA feels like it's designed to torture students. Here are solutions to hair-pulling scenarios:
Quoting Social Media
Tweet citations are weird but necessary. For Twitter:
@Username. "Full text of tweet." Twitter, Day Month Year, URL.
Example:
@GrammarGirl. "Just realized MLA 9th edition changed how we cite Instagram posts. Sigh." Twitter, 15 June 2023, twitter.com/grammargirl/status/123456789.
Multiple Works by Same Author
This one's tricky. Add a shortened title in your in-text citation:
(Foster, How to Read 127) versus (Foster, Memory 89)
FAQ: Your Burning Questions Answered
How do I cite a quote in MLA if there's no page number?
If it's an ebook or website without page numbers, just use the author's name: (Smith). For PDFs with stable paragraph numbers, use (Smith, par. 4).
Can I put multiple citations in one parentheses?
Yeah, but tread carefully. Separate sources with semicolons: (Smith 42; Johnson 178). Only do this when making the same point with multiple sources.
How to cite a quote in MLA from an interview I conducted?
Personal interviews are cited only in-text, not Works Cited. Do: (Last Name, personal interview). Example: (Rodriguez, personal interview).
Are MLA citations different for PowerPoint slides?
Absolutely. Treat it like a lecture: (Author Last Name, slide #). Works Cited entry: Last Name, First Name. "Presentation Title." Course Name, Institution, Date. Presentation.
Mistakes That Scream "I Didn't Proofread"
After grading 500+ papers, here's what makes professors cringe:
- The floating quote: Quotes dumped without introduction
- Page number amnesia: (Smith) when page numbers exist
- Works Cited roulette: Sources in text but not on Works Cited page
- URL vomit: Full URLs in in-text citations (never do this!)
Trust me, nothing tanks your grade faster than lazy citations. My colleague fails papers immediately if citations are missing – calls it "intellectual theft."
Tools That Won't Embarrass You
Confession: I use these too when I'm tired:
- Zotero: Free and actually follows MLA 9 updates
- Purdue OWL MLA Guide: The bible for examples
- Microsoft Word References: Surprisingly decent for books
But always cross-check with an MLA handbook. I caught Zotero misformating anthology citations last month.
At the end of the day, mastering how to cite a quote in MLA comes down to sweating the small stuff. Does it take time? Absolutely. But when you nail that perfect Works Cited page? Chef's kiss. You'll walk into class feeling like you've cracked the academic code.
Still nervous? Shoot me an email. I answer student citation questions every Thursday. Better than watching my professor's red pen massacre your paper.
Comment