Quoting Sources

Why Quote?

Writers quote and paraphrase from research to support their points and to persuade their readers.  A quote or a paraphrase from evidence supporting a point answers the reader’s question, “says who?”

This is especially true in academic writing since scholarly readers are most persuaded by effective research and evidence.  For example, readers of an article about a new cancer medication published in a medical journal will be most interested in the scholar’s research and statistics that demonstrate the effectiveness of the treatment.  Conversely, they will not be as persuaded by emotional stories from individual patients about how a new cancer medication improved the quality of their lives.  While this appeal to emotion can be effective and is common in popular sources, these individual anecdotes do not carry the same sort of “scholarly” or scientific value as well-reasoned research and evidence.

What Is a Quote?

A “quote” is a direct restatement of the exact words from the original source.  The general rule of thumb is that any time you use three or more words as they appeared in the original source, you should treat them as a quote.  A “paraphrase” is a restatement of the information or point of the original source in your own words.

While quotes and paraphrases are different and should be used in different ways in your research writing (as the examples in this section suggest), they do have a number of things in common.  Both quotes and paraphrases should:

• Be “introduced” to the reader, particularly the first time you mention a source;
• Include an explanation of the evidence which explains to the reader why you think the evidence is important, especially if it is not apparent from the context of the quote or paraphrase; and
• Include a proper citation of the source.

When to Quote, When to Paraphrase

The real “art” of research writing is using quotes and paraphrases from evidence effectively to support your point.  There are certain “rules,” dictated by the rules of style you are following, such as the ones presented by the MLA or the ones presented by the APA.

But when all is said and done, the question of when to quote and when to paraphrase depends a great deal on the specific context of the writing and the effect you are trying to achieve.  Learning the best times to quote and paraphrase takes practice and experience.

In general, it is best to use a quote when:

• The exact words of your source are important for the point you are trying to make.  This is especially true if you quote technical language, terms, or very specific word choices.
• You want to highlight your agreement with the author’s words.  If you agree with the point the author of the evidence makes and you like their exact words, use them as a quote.
• You want to highlight your disagreement with the author’s words.  In other words, you may sometimes want to use a direct quote to indicate exactly what you disagree about.  This might be particularly true when considering the antithetical positions in your research writing projects.

In general, it is best to paraphrase when:

• There is no good reason to use a quote to refer to your evidence.  If the author’s exact words are not especially important to the point you are trying to make, you are usually better off paraphrasing the evidence.
• You are trying to explain a particular piece of evidence or interpret it in more detail.  This might be particularly true in writing projects like critiques.
• You need to balance a direct quote in your writing.  You must be careful about directly quoting your research too much because it can sometimes make for awkward and difficult-to-read prose. One of the reasons to use a paraphrase instead of a quote is to create balance within your writing.

Introducing Quotes and Paraphrases

When you quote or paraphrase another writer, you should introduce their words to your reader using a lead-in or signal phrase.

A signal phrase is a short introductory phrase that indicates that a quote or paraphrase is coming. By introducing a quotation or paraphrase with a signal phrase, you provide an effective transition between your own ideas and the evidence used to explore your ideas. One of the best ways to let readers know more about your source is to use a signal phrase. Signal phrases help readers “move from your own words to the words of a source without feeling a jolt” (Hacker 406). A writer uses signal phrases to avoid dropped quotations, smoothly leading the reader into the source’s ideas.

Add context if necessary

The lead-in or signal phrase may need additional information about the source, particularly the first time you mention the source. For instance, add the title of the work you are quoting or paraphrasing. You may also want to add some information about the author.

Here are some examples:

• In the words of noted psychologist Carl Jung, “…”
• As cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead noted, “…”
• Kendrick Lamar, Grammy award-winning songwriter and rapper, says, “…”
• “…,” claims reality-TV star Hulk Hogan.
• Authors Amy Tan and Tobias Wolfe offer two unique perspectives on growing up: “…” (Hacker 408)

You will have to determine what context your reader is most likely to need as you craft your signal phrase. If your reader is an expert in a field and you are quoting another expert, they may not need any contextual information. The best way to determine this is to get some feedback from a test reader.

Avoid hit-and-run quotes

Did you know that some bread batters should be hand mixed? “This light mixing technique produces quick breads with a lovely open crumb” (Greenspan 2).

Notice here how there is a jolt between the first sentence and the second. The author has not included a signal phrase to help integrate the quotation into their work. This is a “hit and run” or “dropped” quote because the author simply slips a quote into their writing without adding any context.

Here’s the reworded passage with a signal phrase:

Did you know that some bread batters should be hand mixed? According to Dorrie Greenspan, author of Baking: From My Home to Yours, “This light mixing technique produces quick breads with a lovely open crumb” (2).

Choose the right verb

Choose an appropriate verb to create your own signal phrase that will make your source’s position clear (Hacker 408). The following list provides examples of appropriate verbs for signal phrases.

• Acknowledges
• Adds
• Admits
• Agrees
• Argues
• Asserts
• Believes
• Claims
• Comments
• Compares
• Confirms
• Contends
• Declares
• Denies
• Disputes
• Emphasizes
• Endorses
• Grants
• Illustrates
• Implies
• Insists
• Notes
• Observes
• Points out
• Reasons
• Refutes
• Rejects
• Reports
• Responds
• Suggests
• Thinks
• Writes

Additional Resources

The University of Manchester maintains an Academic Phrasebank that contains common sentence patterns in academic writing. You can use this resource to help you integrate sources into your own writing.

References

Greenspan, D. (2006). Baking: From My Home to Yours. Houghton Mifflin.

Hacker, D. (2004). Rules for writers (5th ed., Instructor’s ed.). Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Attributions

“Quoting Sources” by Nancy Bray, Introduction to Academic Writing, University of Alberta, is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.

• Adapted from:
  • “Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Avoiding Plagiarism” by Steven D. Krause, The Process of Research Writing, Eastern Michigan University is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
  • “Signal phrases to introduce source material” by College Writing Centre, Skills for English Composition, St. Louis Community College is licensed under CC BY 4.0