Parenthetical Citation: Full Guide

Parenthetical citation is a method used in academic writing to give credit to the sources used in an essay or research paper. It is also known as in-text citation because the citation is placed within the text of the paper. The purpose of parenthetical citation is to help readers identify the source of the information and to avoid plagiarism. In this article, we will provide a full guide on parenthetical citation.

When to Use Parenthetical Citation

Parenthetical citation is used when quoting, paraphrasing, or summarizing information from a source. Whenever you use someone else’s ideas, words, or images, you must give them credit by citing the source. Failure to do so can result in accusations of plagiarism.

Basic Format of Parenthetical Citation

The basic format of parenthetical citation includes the author’s last name and the page numbers where the information can be found. For example: (Smith 23). If the author’s name is not available, you can use the title of the work instead, followed by the page numbers. For example: (“Global Warming” 5). If the source has multiple authors, you can list all of their last names separated by commas. For example: (Jones, Smith, and Lee 89).

If you are citing a source with no page numbers, such as a website or an online article, you can use a paragraph number instead. For example: (Johnson, para. 4). If there are no page numbers or paragraph numbers, you can use a section heading or a chapter title. For example: (Garcia, “Chapter 3”).

If you are citing a source that has multiple works by the same author, you should include the title of the work in your citation to distinguish it from the other works. For example: (Smith, The Great Gatsby 63).

How to Incorporate Parenthetical Citation into Your Writing

There are different ways to incorporate parenthetical citation into your writing depending on the type of information you are citing.

Quotations: When you are quoting directly from a source, you should use quotation marks to indicate the exact words used by the author. You should also include the author’s last name and the page numbers in parentheses after the quotation. For example: “The sea was angry that day, my friends” (Seinfeld 34).

Paraphrasing: When you are paraphrasing information from a source, you should rephrase the information in your own words. You should still include the author’s last name and the page numbers in parentheses after the paraphrased information. For example: According to Seinfeld, the ocean was in a bad mood that day (34).

Summarizing: When you are summarizing information from a source, you should condense the information into a shorter form. You should still include the author’s last name and the page numbers in parentheses after the summary. For example: Seinfeld describes the turbulent sea conditions on the day in question (34).

Multiple Sources: When you are citing multiple sources within the same sentence, you can list them in alphabetical order by the author’s last name, separated by semicolons. For example: (Jones 12; Smith 45; Williams 78).

Special Cases

There are some special cases when parenthetical citation may be different or more complex.

Block Quotations: If you are using a long quotation that is more than four lines of text, you should format it as a block quotation. In this case, you should not use quotation marks, but instead indent the entire quotation one inch from the left margin. You should also double-space the quotation and include the author’s last name and the page numbers in parentheses after the quotation.