Examples of Quotation Transitions

As one author notes,

Gene Hopkins says that

For more information on writing quotation transitions, see "What Are Quotation Transitions and How Do I Write Them?"

Signal the end of any borrowing with a parenthetical note at the end of the sentence that concludes the borrowed material.  The note is included inside parenthesis in the text--(Hopkins 12)--to explain to the reader in abbreviated format where the borrowed material came from.  This note refers the reader to the complete bibliographic information at the end of the text in a list of the works cited.

The basic parenthetical citation consists of three parts:

1.  A set of parentheses.
2.  The last name of the author from whom you borrowed the material, with the first letter of the last name capitalized.
3.  The page numbers from which the borrowed material came.

Example: One author says that "the country would be better off without the present tax code" (Hopkins 12).

 Generally, the parenthetical in-text note is as brief and concise as possible.

When the author's name is used as part of the quotation transition to introduce a direct quotation, a paraphrase, or a summary, include only the page number in parentheses at the end of the sentence that concludes the borrowed material.

Example: Hopkins says that "the country would be better off without the present tax code" (12).

The in-text documentation note will change depending on how many authors there are or if there is no author.

Listed below are several in-text documentation notes for different types of sources.  If your source type is not illustrated in these common in-text parenthetical notes, you should refer to the MLA Handbook, chapter six, for answers about the particular type of source that you have.

One Author In-text Citation
(Hopkins 12)

Two Author In-text Citation
(Smith and Cousins 98)

Three Author In-text Citation
(Johnson, Delaney, and O'Conner 213)

More Than Three Authors In-text Citation
With more than three authors, you can either name the first and add et al., which is a Latin abbreviation for "and others," or you can name all the authors.

(Trainor et al. 2455-56)

Anonymous Author In-text Citation
When an article or other work has no author, give a brief abbreviation of the title.  After the articles "the" or "a,"   give the first word of the title.  Put the first word of the title in quotation marks if it is a periodical article and underline the first word if it is a book.

("First" 42)
(Destroy 513)

Citing an Indirect Source (Somebody Quotes Somebody Else)
You can document your borrowing of someone quoting someone else by doing the following:

1.  Citing the original source.

Example:  (Hillam 52)

2.  Signaling to the reader that someone is quoting someone else in a quotation transition and then providing an in-text parenthetical documentation note of the source you took the quotation from.

Example:  One author cites the results of a study conducted by John Hillam: " actual quotation" (Kahn 214).

3.  Adding the abbreviation "qtd." to your in-text parenthetical documentation note when the author you are quoting from quotes someone else.

 Example:  (qtd. in Kahn 214)

Two or More Works by the Same Author
When there are two or more works by the same author, after the author's last name include the first word of the title after "the" or "a" placed in quotation marks if it is a periodical article or underline the work if it is a book.

(Humphrey, "First" 42)
(James, Destroy 513)