Practically speaking, when you want to cite a quote, the exact way of introducing a quote or citing a quote is subject to vary as per the given reference style. To explain, there are variations in citing in apa format, MLA citing style, Harvard citation style, and other forms of citation styles.
So, if you are a student working on an assignment, you need to be double sure about the citation guidelines given by your professor or instructor. In case you get your citations wrong, it may impact your grades and you would surely want to avoid that, right?
Continuing from above, given the variation in citation styles, let us try to understand the difference through some real examples. Given below are examples of how to cite a quote as per the MLA citation style followed by the citing in apa of the same quote.
Quote:
In the context of corporate social responsibility, it is stated, “learning from the best practices in developed economies such as the rule of law and governance systems, government and business enterprises in emerging economies have adapted to such environments, thereby achieving sustainable economic growth and fulfilling social welfare goals.”
Now, let us see how we can cite this quoted vision statement in the MLA style
How to cite a quote in MLA
While citing a quote in the MLA reference style, you need to ensure that you are following the correct format of MLA citing style. In MLA citation, the in-text citation includes the last name of the author (s) followed by the page number from which information has been extracted.
While the quoted information is added between double quotation marks, the in-text citation is added after the double quotation marks. Now, these cases may vary subject to the number of authors linked to a previously published work that you are referring to.
The formats in the case of the different number of authors when citing from a journal or article are exhibited below:
| The number of authors | In-text referencing format |
| Single author | (Last name of the author Page Number) |
| Two authors | (Author 1 last name and Author 2 last name Page Number) |
| Three or more authors | (Author 1’s last name et al. Page Number) |
Note: If a DOI is available, it is a must to include the DOI in the bibliography,
Things will be far more clearer in the example below
MLA Style Citation Example:
In the context of corporate social responsibility, it is stated, “learning from the best practices in developed economies such as the rule of law and governance systems, government and business enterprises in emerging economies have adapted to such environments, thereby achieving sustainable economic growth and fulfilling social welfare goals.” (Balon, Kottala and Reddy 100023)
Bibliography: Balon, Virendra, Sri Yogi Kottala, and K.S. Reddy. “Mandatory Corporate Social Responsibility And Firm Performance In Emerging Economies: An Institution-Based View.” Sustainable Technology and Entrepreneurship 1.3 (2022): 100023. Web. 1 Aug. 2022.
Moving ahead, let us see how the same quote can be cited in the APA referencing style. Before we look at the example, let us comprehend how APA citation is done.
How to cite a quote in APA
The quote that you are introducing is added between double quotations and subsequent to the quotation marks, the in-text citation is included. In the case of APA referencing, unlike the MLA citing, the year is also included in the in-text citations, and in case you are citing from an article or journal, the exact page number from which you are sourcing the information is also included.
Besides, along similar lines as in the case of MLA citations, different citation formats exist subject to the number of authors while citing from an article or journal. The formats are given below
| Single Author | (Author’s last name, year, page number) |
| 2 Authors | (Author 1 last name & Author 2 last name, year) |
| 3 to 20 Authors | Author 1 last name et al.., year) |
Note: If a DOI is available, it is a must to include the DOI in the bibliography
You can understand it better with the help of the example included below.
APA Citing Example:
In the context of corporate social responsibility, it is stated, “learning from the best practices in developed economies such as the rule of law and governance systems, government and business enterprises in emerging economies have adapted to such environments, thereby achieving sustainable economic growth and fulfilling social welfare goals.” (Balon et al., 2022)
Bibliography: Balon, V., Kottala, S., & Reddy, K. (2022). Mandatory corporate social responsibility and firm performance in emerging economies: An institution-based view. Sustainable Technology And Entrepreneurship, 1(3), 100023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stae.2022.100023
Both APA style citations and MLA style citations can be either narrative or parenthetical. Do you understand the difference between the two? Let us explain the difference to you in brief. When we talk about the narrative citations, the name of the author along with the year of publication is added after the quoted sentence. On the other hand, in the case of a parenthetical citation, the information is placed in the parenthesis subsequent to the quote.
What you need to know is that if you are not citing sources correctly, it could amount to plagiarism which is both academic misconduct and punishable by law. Not sure what qualifies as plagiarism? You can read our extensive guide on plagiarism for a crystal clear understanding.
