In-text citation (no page number in citation)
Sarah Conly uses John Stuart Mill’s “harm principle” to argue that citizens need their government to intervene to prevent them from taking harmful actions—such as driving too fast or buying unhealthy foods—out of ignorance of the harm they can do. But government intervention may overstep in the case of food choices.
In-text citation (page number in citation)
Sarah Conly uses John Stuart Mill’s “harm principle” to argue that citizens need their government to intervene to prevent them from taking harmful actions—such as driving too fast or buying unhealthy foods—out of ignorance of the harm they can do (A23). But government intervention may overstep in the case of food choices.
Explain
If the source is one page long, MLA allows (but does not require) you to omit the page number. Many instructors will want you to supply the page number because without it readers may not know where your citation ends or, worse, may not realize that you have provided a citation at all.
Works cited entry
Conly, Sarah. “Three Cheers for the Nanny State.” The New York Times, 25 Mar. 2013, p. A23.
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