Many papers, especially literature papers, draw on secondary sources: articles or books of literary criticism, biographies of the author, the author’s own essays or autobiography, histories of the era in which the work was written, and so on. When you use secondary sources, you must document them using in-text citations and a list of works cited at the end of your paper.

Keep in mind that even when you use secondary sources, your main goal should be to develop your own understanding and interpretation of the literary work.

MLA IN-TEXT CITATION

Arguing that fate has little to do with the tragedy that befalls Oedipus, Bernard Knox writes that “the catastrophe of Oedipus is that he discovers his own identity; and for his discovery he is first and last responsible” (6).

The signal phrase names the author of the secondary source; the number in parentheses is the page on which the quoted words appear.

The in-text citation is used in combination with a list of works cited at the end of the paper. Anyone interested in knowing additional information about the secondary source can consult the list of works cited. Here, for example, is the works cited entry for the work referred to in the sample in-text citation.

ENTRY IN THE LIST OF WORKS CITED

Knox, Bernard. Oedipus at Thebes: Sophocles’ Tragic Hero and His Time. Norton, 1971.