Last Updated: Mar 15, 2023     Views: 112

Although there is no such thing as "over-citing," citing can make your writing choppy. 

Remember, you must provide credit to all information that is not common knowledge, generally accepted as fact, or your thoughts/opinions.

A good rule of thumb is to alternate between in-text and narrative citations.

A narrative citation (or citation in prose for MLA) is when the author's name is used in the written text, attributing the idea to the author with a year (APA) or page number (MLA direct quote) citation.

Example:

MLA

A. A. Milne introduces his main character Edward Bear, only to change the name shortly afterward to Winnie-the-Pooh

APA

King & Straub (2021) advocate for more intervention when working with young adults in the public school system.

A parenthetical or in-text citation can appear within or at the end of a sentence.

Example:

MLA

The main character Edward Bear's name changes to Winnie-the-Pooh (Milne).

APA

 It is best to advocate for more intervention when working with young adults in the public school system (King & Straub (King & Straub, 2021).

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