MTU: First Year

Quoting

Definition of quoting:

Quoting is when you use the exact words from a source. You will need to put

quotation marks around the words that are not your own and cite where they come from. We

incorporate quotations from other writers to support our own assertions. The borrowed

material does not necessarily need to agree with what we have to say, but we use it as a form

of an evidence or proof of our arguments.

It is important to mention that the first time you refer to a source in your paper, introduce the

author and text that the

quote is from. As a basic principle, you have to indicate clearly where to find any references

used in a paper, such as arguments, explanations, comments, points of view, illustrations,

data, or other facts. There aren't any general rules as to how much and what has to be quoted

within an academic paper. It all depends on the field of study. However, it is safe to say that

too many word-for-word quotations will not improve a text. In this case, quotations have to be

interpreted; they are not self-explanatory and serve as content to be integrated into your own

argumentation. To put it differently, as a researcher, you have to add your own touch by

explaining and commenting on the quotation.

Here are Three ways to introduce a quote:

1. Introduce the quote with a signal phrase the author argues: “……….” ( Year of pub,

Page number)

Verbs that you can use to introduce the quotation:

to observe, to suggest, to claim, to offer, to analyze, to defend, to explain, to state, to

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argue, to relate, to assert, to investigate, to dispute, to say, to wonder, to comment, to

persuade, to contend and to review. After you have introduced the quote and inserted it, you

must explain its significance.

Why is it relevant? How does it strengthen your point? What you have to say? Do not assume

that the significance is so obvious that you do not have to discuss it. Choose passages that

seem especially well phrased or are unique to the author or subject matter.

As a researcher, here are some tips that you need to follow:

 Be selective in your quotations. Avoid over-quoting.

 You do not have to quote an entire passage. Use ellipses (. . .) to indicate omitted

words.

 It is okay (and sometimes advisable) to introduce the author’s name before the

quotation.

 Before or after quoting a passage, include an explanation, in which you interpret the

significance of the quote for the reader.

 If you are having trouble paraphrasing (putting something into your own words), that

may be a sign that you should quote it.

 Shorter quotes are generally incorporated into the flow of a sentence while longer

quotes may be set off in “blocks.”

 SHORT QUOTATION:

A SHORT QUOTE CONSISTS ONLY OF THREE LINES MAXIMUM.

EXAMPLE:

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Direct quotations repeat another author's words exactly. These words are followed by an

interpretation,

In The Body in Pain: The Making and Unmaking of the World (1985), Elaine Scarry argues

for what the process of torture does is to split the human being into two […leaving] only

latent distinction between the self and the body, between me and my body’’ (48-49).

Long Quotation:

Maria Huttova points out that,

Margaret Atwood is an author whose main concern has always been

with the feminine, female and feminist issues. However, in her novels

she has not created a secluded women’s world but has set her stories

against a wider cultural, social, political backdrop. She uses her female

characters to point to the problems of humankind as such through the

paradigms of relations […] her private female and individual experience

transcends into the universal and the global. (Huttova, 2012, 72)

CITING INDIRECT SOURCES

Sometimes you may have to use an indirect source. An indirect source is a source cited within

another source. For such indirect quotations, use "qtd. in" to indicate the source you actually

consulted. For example,

Ravitch argues that high schools are pressured to act as "social service centers, and they don't

do that well" (qtd. in Weisman, 259) or (cited in, Weisman, 259).

Note that, in most cases, a responsible researcher will attempt to find the original source,

rather than citing an indirect source.

WHEN A CITATION IS NOT NEEDED

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It is worth noting that Common sense and ethics should determine your need for

documenting sources. You do not need to give sources for familiar proverbs, well-known

quotations, or common knowledge (For example, it is expected that U.S. citizens know that

George Washington was the first President.). Remember that citing sources is a rhetorical

task, and, as such, can vary based on your audience. If you’re writing for an expert audience

of a scholarly journal, for example, you may need to deal with expectations of what

constitutes “common knowledge” that differ from common norms.

BASIC RULES:

IT IS WORTH NOTING THAT THE QUOTES YOU MENTION WITHIN YOUR

RESEARCH SHOULD BE MENTIONED AT THE END OF YOUR RESEARSH AND

WEE CALL IT LIST OF REFERENCES OR WORKS CITED.

HERE ARE CERATIN DUIDELINES FOR WRITING THE LIST OF REFERENCES.

 Begin your Works Cited page on a separate page at the end of your research paper. It

should have the same one-inch margins and last name, page number header as the rest

of your paper.

 Label the page Works Cited (do not italicize the words Works Cited or put them in

quotation marks) and center the words Works Cited at the top of the page.

o Only the title should be centered. The citation entries themselves should be

aligned with the left margin.

 Double space all citations, but do not skip spaces between entries.

 Indent the second and subsequent lines of citations by 0.5 inches to create a hanging

indent.

 List page numbers of sources efficiently, when needed. If you refer to a journal article

that appeared on pages 225 through 250, list the page numbers on your Works Cited

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 page as pp. 225-50 (Note: MLA style dictates that you should omit the first sets of

repeated digits. In our example, the digit in the hundreds place is repeated

between 225 and 250, so you omit the 2 from 250 in the citation: pp. 225-50). If the

excerpt spans multiple pages, use “pp.” Note that MLA style uses a hyphen in a span

of pages.

 If only one page of a print source is used, mark it with the abbreviation “p.” before the

page number (e.g., p.157). If a span of pages is used, mark it with the abbreviation

“pp.” before the page number (e.g., pp.157-68).

 If you're citing an article or a publication that was originally issued in print form but

that you retrieved from an online database, you should type the online database name

in italics. You do not need to provide subscription information in addition to the

database name.

 For online sources, you should include a location to show readers where you found the

source. Many scholarly databases use a DOI (digital object identifier). Use a DOI in

your citation if you can; otherwise use a URL. Delete “http://” from URLs. The DOI

or URL is usually the last element in a citation and should be followed by a period.

 All works cited entries end with a period.