Mla in Text Citations No Page Number

Mla in Text Citations No Page Numberの概要と注目ポイントを徹底的にカバーしました。

Great question, hypothetical reader who is asking exactly what I asked my professor. For direct quotes, you still don’t need a page number if there isn’t one. The citation still looks the same: (Author’s Last Name). Your reader trusts that the quote is there. However, if the source does have numbered paragraphs or sections, you can use those. Write (Smith, par. 4) or (Smith, sec. 2). Notice I said can, not must. MLA is more flexible than a yoga instructor today.

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The Weird Exceptions (Because Life Loves Loopholes)

Here’s where it gets a little sticky. If you’re using a classic text, like Shakespeare or the Bible, page numbers are often ignored in favor of act, scene, and line numbers. But for your average modern web article? Nope. Just the author’s name. Also, if you’re citing a PDF that is a scan of a printed book with visible page numbers, you should use those. Check the bottom of the page. If the numbers are there, use them. If they’re missing, let them go. It’s like finding a sock in the dryer without a mate—you just accept it and move on.

One more thing: never make up a page number. I know someone—okay, it was me, freshman year—who guessed a page number for a Kindle book. My professor caught it because the page numbers on a Kindle are basically coordinates in a void. I got a lovely red note that said “Nice try, time traveler.” Don’t be me.