- The typical format for an in‐text citation is the first element of the source’s entry in the works‐cited page and the page number.
- The in‐text citation is placed in a parenthesis.
- When following a direct quote, the in‐ text citation is placed after the closing quotation mark.
Example:
Wells College was founded as a "seminary for the education of the female sex" (Smith 32).
- When the author’s name is provided in the text, only the page number is needed in the in‐text citation.
Example:
Henry Wells has stated this intention in his treatise on women's education (10).
- If your quotation is more than four lines of your text, it should be indented half an inch from the left margin. The in‐text citation is placed after the last punctuation mark of the blocked quote.
- If the works‐cited reference begins with the title of the work, either because the author is unknown or is an organization, the in‐text citation begins with an abbreviated form of the title.
Example:
There were two students in the first graduating class (Commencement Report).
- If providing the author’s last name does not provide sufficient information to pinpoint the source in the works‐cited (ex. multiple authors with the same last name or multiple works by the same author), provide enough information to identify the individual source, such as the first letter of the author’s last name or a shortened version of the title.
Examples:
The early students at Wells studied subjects that would enable them to have intelligent conversations with the friends and colleagues of their husbands (H. Smith 127).
- If the work has more than one but less than three authors, list both authors’ last names in the in‐text citation.
- If the work has more than three or more authors, list only the first author’s last name and then indicate “et al.”
Examples:
Glen Park was built facing the future site of Wells College, rather than the attractive Cayuga Lake (Wells and Smith 88).
Early trustees of the college were prominent men from Aurora and local cities (Wells et al. 165).
- For sources that do not have page numbers, such as websites, the page number should be omitted in the in‐text citation
Example:
After the loss of the college's only residence hall in the late 1800's, students were housed with families in Aurora (Smith).
- For multi‐volume works, the in‐text citation should contain the volume number, followed by a colon and the page number.
Example:
(Wells 2:15)
