Language Center Program, Writing Tips
Volunteer State Community College | Division of Humanities
The general rule for citing all sources is to include in the parenthetical citation the information that is farthest left in the relevant entry on the Works Cited page and to follow this information with the page number(s) where the quote/paraphrase is found. If you introduce the quote/paraphrase with the information that is farthest to the left in the Works Cited entry (an author's last name or title), then you DO NOT include this information in the parenthetical citation. If the source is more than a single page, the page number for the quote/paraphrase must be included in the citation (page numbers are not required for single page sources). If you use two or more sources by the same author, you must also include a keyword(s) from the title (in order to identify the source) in the citation.
Note: Unless otherwise directed by your instructor, when citing poetry, use line numbers rather than page numbers. And when citing plays, use act, scene, and line numbers rather than page numbers.
