As you prepare to write your research paper, you need to become familiar with MLA format for citing sources in your paper. Remember, ALL INFORMATION that you borrow from another author and use in your paper as evidence--whether it is a quotation, a statistic, an example, etc.--will need to be cited in your paper. MLA authorizes two formats for citing sources: footnotes/endnotes (rarely used in college research papers these days) and parenthetical references (the preferred format for this class and most other college classes using MLA documentation style).

A parenthetical reference looks like this:

(Jones 47)

"Jones" refers to an author whose last name is Jones. The name "Jones" corresponds with an author named Jones whose name would appear on your Works Cited page, alphabetized under the letter "J." The number "47" refers to the page number from Jones on which the borrowed information appears--whether it's from a book, a periodical article, or another print source. (The page number is omitted when the borrowed information comes from a non-print source, such as a Web site.)

Here's how the parenthetical reference would look with the complete sentence in which the borrowed information appears:

Interviews with amateur mountain climbers who climbed Mt. Everest reveal that many felt their lives were in danger (Jones 47).