How to do proper in-text citations

First off, what exactly is an "in-text citation?" Well basically in a college level course you are required to write research papers in which you have to create what is called a "Work Cited" page. In an MLA style paper it is called Work Cited but in APA style it's called a reference page. For English papers MLA style is used but for scientific, biology or psychology papers APA (American Psychological Association) style is used. In your research paper it is required that you use different sources of information and you have to make sure you put all your sources in your woks cited page at the end of your paper that generally looks like this....

Works cited

Dove, Rita. The Norton Anthology of Literature by Women: The Traditions in English. By Sandra M. Gilbert and Susan Gubar. 3rd ed. Vol. 2. New York: W. W Norton, 2007. 1385. Print.

Cole, Joshua, and Judith G. Coffin. "The New Science of the Seventeenth Century." Western Civilizations: Their History & Their Culture. 3rd ed. Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. 383-401. Print.

Henry, John. "Scientific Revolution." Europe, 1450 to 1789: Encyclopedia of the Early Modern World. Ed. Jonathan Dewald. Vol. 5. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2004. 343-352. World History in Context. Web. 19 Mar. 2015.

Always make sure that your sources are listed in alphabetical order, whether its APA or MLA style.

Now an "in-text citation" is something that you put within your essay after you use a quote or information you received from a specific source. For example, I wrote an essay on why video games could have an impact on the behavior of children and I used specific sources to give examples on WHY they could influence behavior. At the end of a quote or the direct information you used, you are supposed to write (in parenthesis) the author's last name (if quoting a person from a book) as well as the page number the information was found. If you are using sources from a website you add the website or articles name. APA style is not done this way so do not follow this for writing a scientific paper. In text citations will look like this....

The scientific revolution marks a decisive break between the Middle Ages and the modern world, but it was rooted in earlier developments. Intellectuals had been observing the natural world since at least the twelfth century so the link between observation and experimentation was not new to the sixteen and seventeen centuries (Cole, Coffin 384.) One event that sparked the scientific revolution was The Renaissance. It encouraged partnership between those interested in the arts and the intellectuals. 

As you can see I added the authors name and page number to the citation. Here is another example of an in-text citation: 

The Norton Anthology of Literature by Women claimed that, “Throughout her life, Stowe continued to support her family with writings that contributed to the formation of  national American Literature” (Gilbert and Gubar 601). 

So I hope everyone learned a little something and if you have any further questions, this site is fantastic at providing really good information on everything you need to know for a research paper!