How to Include a Page Number in a Citation
You include a page number in a citation whenever you quote directly, and often when you paraphrase a specific passage. In APA 7th edition it goes after the year with "p." or "pp." (Nguyen, 2021, p. 48). In MLA 9th edition it goes after the author's name with no abbreviation and no comma (Nguyen 48). In Chicago notes, it goes at the end of the footnote after a comma.
The details below cover single pages, ranges, sources without page numbers, and the small punctuation choices that trip people up.
When you need a page number
| Style | Direct quotation | Paraphrase |
|---|---|---|
| APA 7th | Required | Encouraged when it helps the reader find the passage, especially in long works |
| MLA 9th | Required if the source has pages | Required if the source has pages |
| Chicago (notes) | Required | Required when citing a specific passage |
The logic is the same everywhere: the page number tells your reader exactly where to look. A citation to a 400-page book without a page number makes them search the whole thing.
APA 7th edition
Single page and page range
Use "p." for one page and "pp." for more than one. Separate the range with an en dash in typeset work; in most student papers a hyphen is accepted, but check your instructor's preference.
Parenthetical, one page: (Okafor & Lim, 2020, p. 112)
Parenthetical, range: (Okafor & Lim, 2020, pp. 112–114)
Narrative: Okafor and Lim (2020) described the effect as "temporary but measurable" (p. 112).
Notice that in the narrative version, the year sits after the names and the page number goes at the end of the sentence, after the quotation and before the full stop.
Discontinuous pages
If the material appears on separate pages, list them with commas:
(Baptiste, 2019, pp. 7, 19)
No page numbers in APA
For webpages, many ebooks and other unpaginated sources, give another way to locate the passage:
- A paragraph number: (Herrera, 2022, para. 6)
- A section heading plus paragraph: (Herrera, 2022, Methods section, para. 2)
- A timestamp for audio or video: (Walsh, 2023, 14:32)
- A chapter, slide or line number if that is how the source is organised
If a heading is long, shorten it and put it in quotation marks.
MLA 9th edition
Single page and page range
MLA uses just the number. No "p.", no comma between author and page.
One page: (Delgado 87)
Range: (Delgado 87–89)
Narrative: Delgado notes that the archive "had never been catalogued" (87).
For ranges, MLA lets you shorten the second number when the hundreds are the same: 87–89, 112–19, 1004–08. Write numbers above 99 in full if the shortening would be unclear.
Sources with other locators
MLA wants you to use whatever numbering the source itself uses:
Paragraphs, if numbered: (Kaur, par. 4)
Chapters in an unpaginated ebook: (Kaur, ch. 3)
Time stamps for video: (Night Shift 00:23:15–00:24:01)
Lines of poetry: (lines 12–15) on first use, then just the numbers
Notice the comma before "par." and "ch." That comma appears when the locator is a label rather than a bare number.
Do not count paragraphs yourself on a webpage that does not number them. If there is nothing to cite, leave the location out.
Chicago style
Notes and bibliography
In a footnote, the page number comes at the end after a comma, with no "p.":
- Lena Fischer, Coastal Towns After Industry (Leeds: Northfield Press, 2018), 203.
Shortened notes for later references keep the page number:
- Fischer, Coastal Towns, 210–11.
The bibliography entry for a book has no page number. Journal articles list the full page range of the article in the bibliography, while the note gives the specific page you cited.
Author-date
Chicago author-date looks similar to APA but drops "p." and uses a comma after the year:
(Fischer 2018, 203)
Quotations that run across two pages
If a quotation starts on one page and ends on the next, cite both: (Delgado 87–88) in MLA, (Nguyen, 2021, pp. 48–49) in APA. Do not cite only the first page.
Block quotations
For long quotations set off as a block, the citation goes after the final punctuation, not before it. This is the opposite of a short quotation in running text.
Short quote: ...as Patel argues, "the data were never meant to be public" (34).
Block quote: ...the data were never meant to be public. (34)
Ebooks, PDFs and Kindle locations
A PDF of a printed book usually preserves the print page numbers. Use those, not the number in your PDF viewer's toolbar, which often counts the cover and front matter.
Reading-app location numbers vary with font size and device, so neither APA nor MLA treats them as page numbers. Use a chapter or section number instead, or find the print edition if you need exact pages.
Common page-number mistakes
- Writing "pg." or "page." Use "p./pp." in APA and nothing at all in MLA.
- Putting the full stop before the citation. In running text, the citation sits before the sentence's final full stop.
- Citing PDF viewer page counts. These rarely match the printed page.
- Leaving out the page for a direct quote. Every major style requires a location for a quotation.
A bibliography generator or Chicago citation generator can handle the reference list entry, but the page number in your in-text citation or note depends on the exact passage you used, so you will usually add it yourself.
FAQ
Do I use "p." in MLA citations?
No. MLA 9th edition uses the number alone, as in (Delgado 87). Labels are used only for other kinds of locators, such as "par." for numbered paragraphs or "ch." for chapters.
What if a webpage has no page numbers in APA?
Give a paragraph number, a section heading, or both, for example (Herrera, 2022, para. 6). If the page is short, a heading may be enough for a reader to find the passage.
Should I include a page number when paraphrasing?
MLA asks for it whenever the source has pages. APA encourages it when it helps the reader locate a specific idea, particularly in a long book. If you are summarising the overall argument of a whole work, a page number is not needed in APA.
How do I write a page range?
Use "pp." and a dash in APA, such as (Lee, 2020, pp. 14–16). In MLA, write (Lee 14–16) with no abbreviation. In Chicago notes, write the range at the end of the note, such as 14–16.