Resources

Quotations

Quoting directly from the sources you have read can be very effective in an essay. For example, direct quotations from other authors can lend their authority to your support of a particular claim. Such quotations can also enhance the clarity and appeal of your paper. Nevertheless, most instructors encourage their students to use direct quotations sparingly.

Indirect quotation is an alternative strategy for bringing source material into an essay by means of summarizing and paraphrasing. Effectively summarizing an author’s ideas in your own words shows your instructor that you understand the author’s meaning. Summarizing in your own words how an author connects several ideas shows that you understand those connections.

spark Click the sections below to learn more about using direct and indirect quotations. Also refer to Using Direct Quotations located in Resources.

Direct Quotations

In general, direct quotation should be reserved for passages in the source material that add something to your essay that cannot be accomplished in other ways. The quoted passage may, for example, explain a concept in a particularly succinct and effective manner. One exception to the general rule of using quotations sparingly involves situations in which you wish to make the author’s language choices a point of discussion in your essay – passages from a novel, for example.

When quoting directly, provide your reader with sufficient context from the source material to make the quotation understandable. And be sure that in removing the passage from its context in the source material you haven’t changed its meaning.

Direct quotations must be indicated by the use of quotation marks, and the source of the quotation must be noted. There are a variety of ways for noting the source of a quotation; which method you use depends on the citation style you select for your paper.

Indirect Quotations

Summaries and paraphrases of another author’s ideas can be introduced with phrases such as:

Griffin argues that …
Grewal claims that …
the author questions that …
the author complains that …, etc.

Summaries and paraphrases should not be constructed by simply substituting synonyms for, or changing the order of, the words that are used in your source. You should seek to identify the important aspects of the author’s ideas and put them in your own words. One of the best ways to move away from the author’s wording is to close the source while writing, perhaps taking a break before writing the paraphrase, so that you are working with the ideas or concepts rather than with the exact original words.

Indirect quotations do not require quotation marks, but their origin must be acknowledged with appropriate citations. Citation is important in order to avoid giving the mistaken impression that the ideas discussed are wholly your own.