9.5 In-text citations

Wherever you use a bit of information from another author or outside source, you need to place a parenthetical reference or a footnote/endnote number at the end of that information. You should do this for summaries and paraphrases as well as for direct quotations. You also need to do this for non-print sources such as videos, interviews and internet materials.

Whether you use parenthetical references, footnotes, or endnotes depends on the course and instructor. Most subject disciplines use a particular reference style for work in that discipline. Psychology, for example, uses the APA style (established by the American Psychological Association), and English uses MLA (Modern Language Association). The rules and standards for a style allow for the briefest possible description of the source.

If you need some assistance with the basics, look over the samples from the Sountern Mississippi website (MLA / APA), for more on generating citations properly, check out the Purdue OWL guides (MLA / APA) or try using the citation machine. To check your citations, or for more in-depth citations, ask for the MLA or APA manuals at the Circulation Desk. Please know that the reference librarians will be happy to help with many of your questions.

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