In APA 7th edition, the page number goes at the end of the parenthetical citation after the author and year, with p. for a single page or pp. for a range: (Okafor, 2020, p. 112). In MLA 9th edition, the page number follows the author's name with no comma and no abbreviation: (Okafor 112). If a source has no page numbers, use another locator such as a paragraph number, section heading, chapter or timestamp.
The examples below use fictional sources.
When you need a page number
| Situation | APA 7th | MLA 9th |
|---|---|---|
| Direct quotation | Required | Required (if the source has pages) |
| Paraphrase of a specific passage | Encouraged | Expected (if the source has pages) |
| Summary of a whole work | Not needed | Not needed |
| Source with no pages | Use another locator for quotes | Omit, or use another locator |
The logic is the same in both styles: a page number helps the reader find the exact spot you used. The more specific your reference to the source, the more useful the locator.
APA 7th edition: page number formats
Parenthetical citations
- One page: (Okafor, 2020, p. 112)
- A range: (Okafor, 2020, pp. 112–114)
- Non-continuous pages: (Okafor, 2020, pp. 112, 118)
Use an en dash between page numbers in a range if you can type one; many instructors accept a hyphen.
Narrative citations
When the author's name is part of your sentence, the year follows the name and the page goes after the quotation:
Okafor (2020) described the river as "a highway that never closed" (p. 112).
Block quotations
For quotes of 40 words or more, APA uses an indented block with no quotation marks. The citation comes after the final punctuation:
...and the town grew along its banks for the next century. (Okafor, 2020, p. 113)
MLA 9th edition: page number formats
Parenthetical citations
- One page: (Okafor 112)
- A range: (Okafor 112-14)
- Non-continuous pages: (Okafor 112, 118)
MLA allows you to shorten the second number in a range when the first digits repeat, so 112-14 rather than 112-114. Both are understood; just be consistent.
Narrative citations
Okafor calls the river "a highway that never closed" (112).
If the author is already named in the sentence, only the page goes in parentheses.
Placement and punctuation
The parenthetical goes after the closing quotation mark and before the period:
The river was "a highway that never closed" (Okafor 112).
For block quotations (more than four lines of prose in MLA), the citation goes after the final period.
When the source has no page numbers
Websites, e-books, videos and many PDFs from the web don't have stable pages. Use the most precise alternative available.
APA alternatives
- Paragraph number: (Lindqvist, 2023, para. 4)
- Heading plus paragraph: (Lindqvist, 2023, Methods section, para. 2)
- Chapter: (Lindqvist, 2023, Chapter 3)
- Timestamp for audio or video: (Lindqvist, 2023, 14:32)
If a page has many paragraphs and no headings, counting paragraphs is acceptable. If counting would be impractical, a heading is usually more helpful to the reader.
MLA alternatives
- Numbered paragraphs, only if the source numbers them: (Lindqvist, par. 4)
- Chapter: (Lindqvist, ch. 3)
- Timestamp: (Lindqvist 00:14:32)
Note the comma before a label like par. or ch. in MLA, which is different from a plain page number. If the source has no numbering at all, MLA lets you leave the locator out: (Lindqvist).
Print book: (Haddad, 2019, p. 56)
Web article with headings: (Haddad, 2019, Background section, para. 3)
Recorded lecture: (Haddad, 2019, 22:05)
Special cases
Page numbers with letters or Roman numerals. Copy them as they appear in the source, for example (Haddad, 2019, p. xiv) for a preface or p. A6 for a newspaper.
Multiple volumes. MLA puts the volume before the page with a colon: (Haddad 2: 56). APA generally treats separate volumes as separate entries or includes the volume in the reference.
PDFs. If the PDF reproduces a printed document, use the printed page numbers shown on the page, not the PDF viewer's page count. If it was born digital with no visible numbers, use a section or paragraph instead.
Citing the same page more than once
If you cite the same source several times in a paragraph, you don't always need to repeat the full citation.
In MLA, once the source is clear from context, later citations can give just the page number, as long as no other source has been cited in between: "...the river had become a border (114)." If another source intervenes, repeat the author's name.
In APA, narrative citations in the same paragraph can drop the year after the first mention, but a direct quotation still needs its page: Okafor also noted that the floods "redrew every map" (p. 120). The page number is what lets readers check the quote, so keep it even when the rest of the citation shrinks.
A quick proofreading routine
Before you submit, search your document for every opening parenthesis and check each citation against three questions:
- Is this a quote? Then it needs a page or other locator.
- Does the format match my style (p. and commas for APA, bare number for MLA)?
- Does the page actually contain what I'm citing? Spot-check a few against your notes.
Key takeaways
- APA: author, year, then p. or pp. and the number, separated by commas.
- MLA: author and number with no comma and no p.
- Quotes always need a locator if one exists; paraphrases benefit from one.
- No pages? Use paragraph, section, chapter or timestamp, whichever is most precise.
- Never cite e-reader location numbers as page numbers.
Working from a source with no author? See how to do an in-text citation with no author. Quoting a source someone else quoted? See how to quote a quote.