The in-text citation goes immediately after the closing quotation mark and before the sentence’s final period. That single rule covers most cases in both APA and MLA. The details — what goes inside the parentheses, and the two exceptions where the period moves — are what this page walks through.
The Basic Rule
Close the quotation marks, add the citation in parentheses, then put the period. The period ends the whole sentence, including the citation, so it comes last.
MLA: The narrator admits he is “an unreliable witness to his own life” (Ellison 42).
APA: The narrator admits he is “an unreliable witness to his own life” (Ellison, 1952, p. 42).
Notice the period sits after the closing parenthesis in both, not after the quotation mark. A common mistake is closing the sentence inside the quote and then adding the citation as an afterthought.
What Goes Inside the Parentheses
This is the main difference between the two styles.
In MLA, the parentheses hold the author’s last name and the page number, with no comma between them: (Ellison 42). For the full format, see MLA quote citation.
In APA, the parentheses hold the author, the year, and the page number, separated by commas: (Ellison, 1952, p. 42). The page number uses “p.” for one page or “pp.” for a range. For the full format, see APA quote citation.
If you name the author in your own sentence, you don’t repeat it in the parentheses. In MLA you’d write: Ellison calls him “an unreliable witness to his own life” (42). In APA: Ellison (1952) calls him “an unreliable witness to his own life” (p. 42).
Exception 1: Question Marks and Exclamation Points
If the quote itself ends in a question mark or exclamation point, that punctuation stays inside the quotation marks. You then add the citation and end with a period anyway.
She asks, “How long must we wait?” (Baldwin 18).
The question mark belongs to the quote, so it stays put; the period after the citation still closes your sentence.
Exception 2: Block Quotes
For a long quotation set off as a block — no quotation marks, indented — the order flips. The period comes before the citation, not after.
In a block quote, you end the quoted text with a period and then place the parenthetical citation after it, with no additional period. This is the one case where the citation follows the final punctuation. For when a quote is long enough to require this format, see how to block quote.
Placing the Citation Mid-Sentence
If your sentence continues after the quote, the citation goes right after the quoted material, not at the end of the sentence.
The idea that he is “an unreliable witness” (Ellison 42) shapes the entire novel.
Putting the citation at the very end here would leave the reader unsure which part of the sentence came from the source. Place it against the borrowed words. The same principle applies when you paraphrase rather than quote, covered in how to cite a quote.
FAQ
Does the citation go before or after the period?
Before, in a normal sentence: close the quote, add the citation, then the period. The exception is block quotes, where the period comes before the citation.
Where does the citation go if the quote ends a sentence?
After the closing quotation mark and before the final period: “…text” (Author 42).
What if the quote ends with a question mark?
The question mark stays inside the quotation marks, then you add the citation and a period: “How long?” (Baldwin 18).
Do I include the author’s name if I already mentioned it?
No. If you name the author in your sentence, the parentheses hold only the page number (MLA) or the year and page (APA).
Is the citation placement the same in APA and MLA?
The placement is the same — after the quote, before the period. Only the contents differ: MLA uses author and page, APA uses author, year, and page.
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