Select the in-text citation that correctly uses MLA style 9th edition for the paraphrase shown.

The student is providing an in-text citation for the following online source, which includes no page numbers:

Acocella, Joan. "How the Rosetta Stone Yielded its Secrets." New Yorker, 22 Nov. 2021, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/11/29/how-the-rosetta-stone-yielded-up-its-secrets-edward-dolnick-the-writing-of-the-gods

Question

Select the in-text citation that correctly uses MLA style 9th edition for the paraphrase shown.

The student is providing an in-text citation for the following online source, which includes no page numbers:

Acocella, Joan. "How the Rosetta Stone Yielded its Secrets." New Yorker, 22 Nov. 2021, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/11/29/how-the-rosetta-stone-yielded-up-its-secrets-edward-dolnick-the-writing-of-the-gods

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Here is the analysis of the provided item, keeping in mind MLA (9th ed.) in-text citation rules for paraphrase from an online source with no page numbers.

First, we restate what’s being asked: identify the in-text citation that correctly uses MLA style 9th edition for the given paraphrase from an online source that lacks page numbers.

Option (the only option provided):
- 'According to one author, the text of the Rosetta Stone is boring but its decipherment provided the key to more than three thousand years of ancient Egyptian writing (Acocella).'

Analysis of the option for correctness:
- The paraphrase includes a parenthetical citation at the end with the author’s last name, Acocella, matching MLA’s basic in-text citation pattern for a source with a single author when no page numbers are available. In MLA 9th edition, for paraphrased material from an online source without page numbers, you typically use (Author) in the citation, and you do not include a paragraph marker or section title in the citation itself.
- The signal phrase here—'According to one author'—is acceptable as a lead-in, since the citation in MLA can be used with or without a signal phrase. The critical piece is the parenthetical (Acocella) which correctly points to the single author of the source.
- What about the rest of the bibliographic details? In MLA in-text citations, you do not include the article title, platform, publication date, or URLs within the parenthetical citation. Those details belong in the Works Cited entry, not in-text.

Potential pitfalls or common misconceptions:
- Some learners might think you need to include the article title in the parenthetical citation or a shortened form of it; in MLA 9th edition, that’s not required for a paraphrase unless you’re citing multiple works by the same author, in which case you would add a short form of the title to distinguish them (e.g., (Acocella, 'Rosetta Stone')). Since there’s only one work cited, (Acocella) is sufficient.
- If the reader used a direct quotation rather than a paraphrase, MLA would still use (Acocella) when no page numbers are present, but quotation marks would be used around the quoted material itself. Here the sentence is paraphrased, so quotation marks are not used.
- A potential confusion point is whether you should include the date or title in the citation for online sources. In MLA 9th edition, you omit those from the in-text citation unless required for clarity because you’re listing the full details in Works Cited. The given option correctly avoids those extra elements in the parenthetical reference.

Why this option aligns with MLA 9th edition conventions:
- It provides a single-author citation in parentheses without page numbers: (Acocella).
- It places that citation after a paraphrase, as MLA prescribes for paraphrased material.
- It does not attempt to force page numbers or extraneous bibliographic details into the text citation, which would be incorrect for an online source lacking page numbers.

Summary note on missing alternatives:
- Since the answer_options list is empty, we cannot compare this option against other possible MLA-styled citations. If other options existed, we would evaluate them for adherence to MLA rules described above, such as whether they inappropriately include page numbers, misplace punctuation, or over-include title or date within the in-text citation.

Library Skills Workshops (SP 2025) Citation Champion (MLA)

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