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An MLA paraphrase citation is the same in-text citation you would use for a quotation, minus the quotation marks: the author’s last name and the page number, in parentheses. Restating a source’s idea in your own words does not remove the need to credit it. This guide shows the pattern, worked examples for a manuscript or thesis, and the mistakes to avoid. It follows MLA 9th edition (2021).
The format
MLA’s own in-text citation page says that when a specific part of a work is quoted or paraphrased and the work has a page number, line number or time stamp, that location marker must be included in parentheses. Purdue OWL puts it the same way: whenever a sentence uses a quotation or paraphrase, the author’s last name and the page number or numbers the material comes from must appear in the text, and the page numbers should always sit inside the parentheses, not in the sentence itself.
That gives two equivalent patterns, and you choose one per sentence:
- Author in the parentheses: a sentence that paraphrases the idea, followed by (Author page).
- Author in your sentence: name the author in your own words, then put only (page) in the parentheses.
MLA’s guidance is not to repeat the author in both places. Its own pair of examples, using a quotation from Naomi Baron, shows the correct forms — “According to Naomi Baron, reading is ‘just half of literacy. The other half is writing’ (194),” and “Reading is ‘just half of literacy. The other half is writing’ (Baron 194)” — and marks as incorrect the version that names Baron in the sentence and again in the parentheses, “(Baron 194).” The rule applies identically when the material is paraphrased.
Examples
The sources and authors below are invented for illustration. They are not real publications or people.
Author named in the parentheses
Peer review panels weighed methodological rigour more heavily than novelty in the sample studied (Alder 112).
Author named in the sentence
Alder found that peer review panels weighed methodological rigour more heavily than novelty (112).
Two authors
Graduate supervisors tend to introduce reporting conventions during the second year (Okafor and Lindqvist 58). Two authors are joined with “and”.
A work with no page numbers
Where the work has no page, line or time-stamp marker, MLA’s guidance is to give the author or a short title only: Lab notebooks were digitised across the department within a single term (Reyes).
More than one location in a single paraphrase
Purdue OWL shows a pattern for a paraphrase that draws on a chapter as well as a page: Marx and Engels described human history as marked by class struggles (79; ch. 1). The semicolon separates the two locators inside one set of parentheses.
In-text citation version
The in-text citation is the short pointer; it exists to lead the reader to a full entry. MLA describes the in-text citation as the shortest information that leads to the matching works-cited entry, usually the author or the title. Every paraphrase marker in your text therefore needs a matching entry in your Works Cited list. For the entry itself, see MLA Works Cited format, and for a source with no named author see MLA citation with no author. For several authors, see how to MLA-cite multiple authors.
In a manuscript, thesis or dissertation chapter, paraphrase carries more of the argument than direct quotation, so the markers are frequent. Keep them consistent: each sentence that rests on a source ends with its parenthetical, and the matching entries appear in one list at the end. If you also quote directly, the quotation rules are in MLA quotation format. The wider question of how closely a paraphrase may follow its source is a writing-technique question covered in paraphrasing in academic writing.
Common errors
- Naming the author twice. “According to Alder, … (Alder 112)” repeats the author. Use “According to Alder, … (112)” or drop the name from the sentence.
- Leaving the paraphrase uncited. Purdue OWL states that a paraphrase, like a quotation, needs the author’s last name and page number. Changing the wording does not change that.
- Putting the page number in the sentence. Purdue OWL says the page number should always appear in the parentheses, not in the running text.
- Adding “p.” before the number. MLA’s own examples, such as (Baron 194), and Purdue’s examples give the number alone.
- Adding a page marker for a work that has none. Use the author or short title only.
Style-guide edition
This guide follows MLA 9th edition (2021), the current edition. The in-text rules were checked against MLA’s own site (style.mla.org) and Purdue OWL on 29 October 2026. MLA’s site directs readers to sections 4.5 to 4.8 of the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook for further paraphrasing guidance.
FAQ
Do I need a page number when I paraphrase in MLA?
Yes, if the work has page numbers. Purdue OWL requires the page numbers for paraphrase as well as quotation, and MLA says a location marker must be given when a specific part of a work is paraphrased and the work includes one. If it has none, give the author or short title only.
Do I use quotation marks for a paraphrase?
No. Quotation marks are for words taken directly from the source. A paraphrase is in your own words, but it still carries the parenthetical citation.
Can I put the author in my sentence instead of the parentheses?
Yes. Name the author in the sentence and put only the page number in the parentheses, as in the Baron pair above. Do not name the author in both places.
Where does the citation go in the sentence?
In the examples published by MLA and Purdue OWL, the parenthetical follows the material it supports. For longer discussion of quoted text and punctuation, see quoting and citing sources correctly, and for the general idea of the term see parenthetical citation.
Sources
- MLA Style Center, “In-text citations: an overview,” https://style.mla.org/in-text-citations-overview/, checked 29 October 2026.
- Purdue Online Writing Lab, “MLA In-Text Citations: The Basics,” https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_in_text_citations_the_basics.html, checked 29 October 2026.
