Using Quotations

Select

Incorporate

Cite the Source

Before you use a quotation, ask yourself this important question:

Why am I quoting rather than paraphrasing this passage?

If your answer is one or more of the following, go ahead and use the quotation.

I am quoting this passage because…

the author’s words are so effective that to paraphrase them would lessen the impact.

the author’s words are so precise that to paraphrase them would change the meaning.

the author’s words are so concise that to paraphrase them would take twice as many words.

How can I incorporate quotations effectively? Introduce the quote so that readers know

whose words are being quoted or can understand why the quotation is important.

Comment on the quote after you have included it, so that readers understand its connection to other points made in the paper.

Insert ellipses (spaced periods . . . ) wherever you delete any words from the original quotation.

Use brackets [ ] to add words or to substitute words for those in the original quote.

How do I decide what to comment on?

It depends on your purpose and on your subject matter.

Remember: Your readers will not understand why a quote is included unless you tell them.

There are many ways to comment. Four examples follow.

Four ways to comment on a quotation:

Expand on the quotation: add details, facts, or ideas that reveal its point.

Explain the connection between the quote and what has already been said.

Refer to one important word or phrase in the quote and explain its significance.

Explain whether you agree or disagree with the point made in the quotation.

How do I cite the source of my quotation?

It depends on the type of paper you are writing. Different disciplines or professions use different styles of documentation.

Some examples are MLA (humanities), APA (social sciences), CSE/CBE (science & engineering), CMS (history & some other arts & sciences disciplines)

Use the style required by your teacher or employer!

Use the style that is required by the profession, agency, or publication for which you are writing.

Be consistent! For example, never mix elements of APA and MLA.

Refer to the style guide for examples of how to cite a particular type of source.

The in-text citations

direct readers to the appropriate source on your works cited list at the end of your paper.

have a one-to-one correspondence with the items listed on the works cited list.

contain information that varies according to the style of documentation (e.g., APA requires year of publication; MLA does not).

are required for both paraphrases and direct quotations.

An in-text citation, MLA style:

“What made me different from them was an attitude of mind, my imagination of myself” (Rodriguez 413).

Notice that the citation is placed inside the sentence and that there is no punctuation between the author’s last name and the page number.

The corresponding entry on the Works Cited list:

Rodriguez, Richard. “Workers.” The Macmillan Reader. Eds. Nadell, Langan, and McMenimen. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 1999. 408-14.

Notice that you use only the last two digits of the second number when the page numbers are in the same hundred.

When you use quotes from several selections in the same anthology…

Include the anthology in your works cited list.

Include entries for each of the selections from which you have taken quotations.

Cross reference the selections to the anthology.

Example: Include the anthology, alphabetized by first author’s last name, in your works cited list.

Nadell, Judith, John Langan, and Linda McMeniman, eds. The Macmillan Reader. Needham Heights, MA:

Allyn and Bacon, 1999.

Also include alphabetized entries for each of the selections you use from that anthology:

Nadell, Judith, John Langan, and Linda McMeniman, eds. The Macmillan Reader.

Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 1999.

Roberts, Paul. “How to Say Nothing in 500 Words.” Nadell, Langan, and

McMeniman, eds. 358-71.

Rodriguez, Richard. “Workers.” Nadell, Langan, and McMeniman, eds. 408-14.

Acknowledgements

In preparing this PowerPoint presentation, I have used material from Easy Access, by Keene and Adams; The Longman Handbook, by Anson and Schwegler; and an excellent ESL writing and reading text whose name I cannot recall.