How to Quote in a Research Paper

Thứ bảy - 27/04/2024 01:08
A research paper can be made stronger through the use of quotations. You may use quotes when you need to cite a key piece of primary source material, strengthen your argument through another writer's work, or highlight a term of art. It is...
Table of contents

A research paper can be made stronger through the use of quotations. You may use quotes when you need to cite a key piece of primary source material, strengthen your argument through another writer's work, or highlight a term of art. It is important to both use quotations effectively and cite them properly to write an effective paper and avoid plagiarizing.

Quote Help

Sample Short Quotes
Sample Modified Quotes
Sample Block Quotes
Method 1
Method 1 of 4:

Using Different Types of Quotes

  1. Step 3 Understand how to use block quotes.
    Block quotes are multiple sentences quoted directly from a source which take up more than 4 lines in your paper, or no more than 3 if you are quoting verse.[3] Because these take up a lot of physical space, they should be used sparingly with a maximum of 1-2 for a complete paper. Incorporate a block quote by adding a complete line space between your own content and the quote, and offsetting it by indenting the entire quote to the right a single time.
    • Introduce your block quote with a colon. Ex: According to Wallace: (add a line break here, and then indent the entire quote).
    • Block quotes do not use quotation marks. You have already stated who the author is/what is being referred to in the introduction sentence. Add the in-text parenthetical citation after the period at the end of the quote, though.
    • If your block quote is inside a paragraph, you don’t have to start a new paragraph at the end of it. Simply add another line break and begin writing along the left margin (with no indent).[4] However, you will need to indent the second paragraph by an extra 0.25 in (0.64 cm) if you are citing more than 1 paragraph.[5]
  2. Step 4 Understand how to use indirect quotes.
    Indirect quoting, or paraphrasing, is when you use a sentence from a source but change the wording slightly into your own words. This is useful when you cannot meet rubric requirements by quoting, or if you’ve quoted too much. Be careful to avoid plagiarism though by changing at least 50% of the sentence.[6]
    • Change the structure of the sentence by moving clauses around. Aim to change at least half of the sentence into a new structure, but also make sure that the grammar is correct and the meaning of the sentence is still clear. You can use a thesaurus to exchange words with synonyms.
    • Paraphrasing should only be done if you are certain that you understand the content you are copying. If you are unclear as to the meaning of the quote, you won’t be able to put it adequately into your own words.
    • When you write your paraphrase, don’t look at the quote. Keep the meaning in your head and create a new sentence to match.[7]
  3. Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 4:

Formatting Your Quotes

  1. Step 3 Use ellipses correctly.
    When you use the majority of, but not all of a quote, or if you begin in the middle of a quote, it is necessary to insert ellipses. These show that some of the sentence is not included in your quote. Use ‘...’ to show that a part of the quote before or after your selection has been excluded.[10]
    • Ellipses can be used in the center of a quote to leave out words that you feel add unnecessary length to the statement without adding value. For example: As the man stated, “reading the book was...enlightening and life-changing.” This is done rather than: As the man stated, “reading the book over the last few weeks was not only incredibly enjoyable, but also enlightening and life-changing.”
    • Ellipses should be used only before or after a quote, not both. If you are only use a part of a quote from the center of a selection, it is just a partial or dropped quote. However, keep in mind that ellipses rarely come at the beginning of a quotation.[11]
  2. Advertisement
Method 3
Method 3 of 4:

Quoting in Different Styles

  1. Advertisement
Method 4
Method 4 of 4:

Quoting Successfully

  1. Advertisement

Warnings

  • Don't let a research paper become a sea of he-said, she-said. While you want to set up the arguments that have been made on both sides in the past, you also want to make a compelling argument for yourself. Rephrasing, re-organizing an argument, and synthesizing different arguments in your own words makes it clear that you understand what you've researched and makes the paper interesting to read. The reader is searching for a new way to understand the research or a new idea. Too many quotes tend to bury the lead.
    Thanks
    Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
  • Don't rely too heavily on one source. It's easy to fall in love with a single book when doing research, particularly if there aren't a lot of books on the subject and one author particularly agrees with you. Try to limit how much you quote that author, particularly if a lot of your argument is relying on his or her groundwork already. Look for quotations that complement or challenge that person, and provide your own analysis.
    Thanks
    Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
  • Don't be a sloppy note-taker. Unfortunately, accidental plagiarism is all too common, and it has serious consequences. You may not have meant to plagiarize, but if you write someone else's words down without indicating that you are using a direct quotation, you are plagiarizing whether it was intentional or not (after all, merely relying on lecture notes and not on your own research is lazy and not acknowledging direct quotes as you take notes from texts reflects poor organization). Always indicate quotations in your notes. It's also better to write down a lot of quotations and then paraphrase them later than to write down a paraphrased version. The danger here, particularly if you don't alter the quote much, is that you'll unwittingly change it back to the quotation later, in revision. It's better to have the original right in front of you. If you find yourself unable to choose better language, just quote it properly.
    Thanks
    Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Advertisement

Total notes of this article: 0 in 0 rating

Click on stars to rate this article