Here’s your go-to rule: Parenthetical citation = (Last Name and Last Name page number). Narrative citation = Last Name and Last Name argue that… (page number). That’s it. You’re now 90% of the way to MLA mastery. The other 10% is remembering to put a period after the parentheses, not before. So close, yet so satisfying.
PPT - MLA Style PowerPoint Presentation, free download - ID:5747366
Example time! Imagine you’re writing about the psychology of laughter. You have a book by Dr. Giggles and Dr. Chuckle (not their real names, but it should be). Your sentence: “Laughter, according to recent studies, boosts morale by 300 percent (Giggles and Chuckle 12).” Or, “Giggles and Chuckle confirm that laughter ‘is the cheapest therapy’ (12).” You did it!
What if the authors have long, complicated names? No problem—just use both last names. Hyphenate? Keep the hyphen. Example: (Rivera-Hernandez and O’Brien 88). The rule doesn’t care about fancy letters; it cares about accuracy. Your professor will high-five you in spirit.
The “But What If I Mess Up?” Section
First off, you won’t mess up. But if you do—like writing “(Smith & Jones 42)”—the MLA police won’t break down your door. They’ll just sigh quietly. More importantly, the Works Cited page is where you list the full details (names, title, publisher, year). In-text citations are just a teaser—a little breadcrumb leading to the full meal. So if you forget an “and” or put a comma wrong, fix it and move on.
Pro tip: if you’re citing two authors but the source has a third? That’s a whole different story (hint: use “et al.” for three or more). But for two? You’re golden. Keep it simple, sweetheart.
PPT - MLA Citation Guide PowerPoint Presentation, free download - ID
