Quoting Sources in an Academic Paper: Part 1

Quotes, used correctly, add drama and authority to your paper. They give the reader a glimpse of the scholarly or disciplinary literature that bears on your topic. Your ability to select and skillfully use quotes makes you a more credible witness to the scholarly conversation on the topic of your paper, even if you are not yet an authority on the topic.

When to use a quote

Paraphrase an author in your own words when you want to convey and summarize a complex point, show a consensus among several sources, or give necessary background before you lead the reader to your conclusions. Use a quote only when the author’s words are so concise or appropriate to your argument that you cannot improve on them or because the author’s credentials add special import to his/her statement. Excessive quoting weakens your argument. Remember, readers expect to hear from you in your paper, not just a string of quotes by other writers.

How to use a quote

There are two aspects of quoting a source that need attention.

First, the function of a quote must be carefully considered. A quote is but one method of achieving your goal for the paper and is not a substitute for the idea development, argumentation, and language you must create as the writer of your paper. The function of a quote is to provide background for your argument, support your argument, or initiate a debate that relates to your argument. Using a quote shows that not only have you read the sources but that you understand them and have integrated their ideas into your thinking about the topic. Avoid thinking that quotations state the right answers and that you only have to choose between agreeing or disagreeing with them.

The other key aspect to quoting sources is the form quotes should take. Professional style guidelines (e.g. APA, MLA, CMS) will vary slightly in this area, but the following practices are common in all styles:

Frame your quote 

Clearly identify who you are quoting, preferably in the same sentence as the quote. Follow the quote with a sentence or two that reveals the significance of the quote, in a specific context. This example in APA style shows proper framing (the frame is highlighted in blue):

In “Are Multi-hospital Systems More Efficient?” economists Dranz and Thanley (1987) write that although “the conventional wisdom is that horizontal mergers will generate efficiencies in the production of services, surprisingly little systematic evidence exists to support this view” (p. 13). The three researchers show that horizontal integration improves efficiency in marketing systems more than it improves production services. This finding has consequences for hospitals whose primary concern is to improve production services. 

Size your quote

Quotes should not exceed several lines or 40+ words in your text. Longer quotes should be offset in single-spaced, indented paragraphs known as block quotes. They still require framing, as above, but are typically punctuated differently from in-text quotes. See your style manual for specifics about block quotations.

Punctuate your quote

As you add a quote to your paper, check with the style guide you are using for all of the punctuation rules—quotation marks, commas, periods, dashes, capitalization, italics, brackets, etc.—around and within each quote. Letters and punctuation within the quote should be identical to the original unless you must omit or change them for fluency. The punctuation of quotes in indented, block quotes will differ from that used with quotes in the running text.

Next week…why misusing your sources is a form of plagiarism.

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