Question

Contrary to the popular impression, the Spartans as two kings, not one. Spartan kings were hereditary monarchs and played a relatively small role in spartan government. The main body of spartan government was the Gerousia, a council of elders.
Which is an example of proper MLA citation of a paraphrase from this passage?

1.) Sparta's kings had little power in Spartan government (Phin 429).

2.) Sparta's kings were weak compared to the council, 429.

3.) The council of elders was more powerful than Sparta's kings. (429 Phin)

4.) The council of elders and two kings ruled Sparta together... 429 Phin

Answer 1

1.) Sparta's kings had little power in Spartan government (Phin 429).

In-text MLA parenthetical citation from a print source requires the author's last name (when available) and the page number from which the information originated. The author's last name is first in the parenthetical citation followed by the page number. There is NO punctuation within the parentheses or other indicators such as a p for page. The citation should come after the paraphrase and before the period that ends the paraphrase. The must be placed after the parentheses so that it is clear that the citation belongs with the text before it.