1. Select carefully. In general, do not select quotations that
only repeat points you have already made; a quotation should
elaborate on, reinforce, or support what you say.
2. Be sure to integrate all ideas from other sources into your
own discussion. Introduce direct quotations with your own words.
After quoting, explain the significance of your quotations.
3. Avoid quoting more than you need. Most of the time,
brief quotations suffice.
4. Use direct quotations only when the author's wording is
necessary or particularly effective. Only use a direct quotation if
you cannot paraphrase it to make it more effective. Some
disciplines discourage direct quotations; others encourage them. Consult
with your professor.
5. Acknowledge ideas that are paraphrased as well as ideas that
are quoted. As explained in Avoiding
Plagiarism, you must acknowledge not only words but also ideas taken from outside sources.
6. Place all direct quotations within quotation marks, and
indent block quotations. End citation alone is not sufficient for
direct quotation. Quotations less than three full lines necessitate
quotation marks, and those more than three lines should be indented
and single-spaced. Be sure to copy quotations exactly as they appear
in your sources. For more information on quoting sources, refer
to Documentation in Writing in this handbook.
7. Include all citation information in your first
draft to avoid any unintentional failure to cite sources.
8. If you are using material cited by an author and you do not
have the original source, introduce the quotation with a phrase such as
as quoted in…
