Science 7: Genetic Modification Project (Webb): Creating Your Parenthetical Citations

Notecard Examples

When you use a specific detail from one of your sources, you need to cite the source. In MLA style, this is done with parenthetical citations, also called in-text citations.

To create a parenthetical citation:

• For a source that lists an author: use the author's last name.

• For a source that does not list an author, use the title of the article or webpage instead.

• For a source that gives page numbers (most likely a book): add the page number where you found that specific detail.

• For a source that does not give page numbers (most sources you find online): do not add a page number.

Put the citation at the end of the sentence in which you used that specific detail.

Parenthetical Citation Examples

Scientists took a gene from the orb-weaver spider that tells the spider's body to make silk, and inserted that gene into the DNA of goat embryos (Heos 15).

There are over 2800 species of orb-weaver spiders worldwide ("Orb weaver").