Incorporating Sources: Quoting, Paraphrasing, and, Citing 20120917
Incorporating Sources Quoting Paraphrasing
DIRECT QUOTATIONS
Quoting Repeating EXACTLY what another author or speaker writes or says
When Should You Quote? The style of the original is impressive enough to support your opinion or unique point (i.e. topic) The author has credibility that will substantiate your opinion or unique point To separate yourself from the author s unique language, diction, or syntax
Signal Phrases Signal Phrase: a phrase, clause, or even sentence which leads into a quotation or statistic. These generally include the speaker/ author s name and some justification for using him or her as an expert in this context; it may also help establish the context for the quotation.
Signal Phrases A signal phrase lets your reader know when you are about to use someone else s ideas A signal phrase ensures correct sentence grammar and mechanics Sample signal phrases: According to Author Name, Author Name, economist, writes: As Author Name argues, There are no stand alone quotations in this class. Every cited example must be preceded by a signal phrase.
Do NOT write He said, She stated over and over!! Verbs in Signal Phrases: Acknowledges Adds Admits Addresses Argues Asserts Believes Claims Comments Endorses Compares Grants Confirms Illustrates Contends Implies Declares Insists Denies Notes Disputes Observes Emphasizes Points out Reasons Refutes Rejects Reports Responds Suggests Thinks Writes
Avoid Plagiarism All use of sources must be CITED in either style Both styles of cited examples use parenthetical citation (not footnotes or endnotes)
Quotation and Citation: MLA In MLA, whether you quote or paraphrase, the citation goes in parentheses at the end of the sentence. Put the (last) NAME of the author, if it is available, a space, and the page number, if it is available, in the parenthesis with NO other punctuation. Put the final period outside the last quotation mark (Brown 14).
MLA Author-page number style (Harris 321) Parenthetical citations include author last name and page number (Williams 64) when available. The ending punctuation is ALWAYS a period that follows the parenthetical citation. The only punctuation that may be enclosed within the quotations preceding the parenthetical citation is the! or? Jones exclaims, I cannot stand the politics of this country! (Jones 324).
Punctuating Quotation The punctuation of a quotation usually follows the parenthetical citation - after the last parenthesis. The exception to this rule would be the QUOTED exclamation mark or the question mark, which would fall within the quotation - a period still follows the parenthetical citation. Yes, that's right two ending punctuation marks would be in those type of quoted sentences.
Quotation Examples Alicia Keys asserts that "the secret of my success has always been by fans" (Keys 213). Stephen refutes the common misconception of being Barbaric by stating, "I have always enjoyed the flavor of a cat's head. In some countries this is a delicacy" (Walton 34). Ferguson insists his ninja skills are a "set of unique abilities that have been handed down from generation to generation" (ButtWhoopin.com).
More Quotation Examples Mr. Joseph often wonders, "will there be a riot today in the cafeteria?" (Steiner 55). This sentence is only describing a question being asked by another person - it is still a declarative (statement) sentence. Dalton often declares, "Get your junk off my desk!" (Miller 556). This sentence is only describing a command given by another person - it is still a imperative (statement) sentence.
Setting-off Quotations Whenever a quotation takes-up four or more of YOUR typed lines, you MUST set-off the quotation. Though this may seem appealing due to the space occupied by this cited example, this is tricky due to punctuation and format most people get it wrong. If you choose to incorporate this type of cited example you must: Precede the quote with a signal phrase Set the quote of by at least a half an inch (no quotation marks) Provide the ending punctuation, THEN the parenthetical citation NO punctuation follows
Example... Notice the ½ inch indentation Don t forget the relevance & concluding sentences Setting-off Quotations Signal phrase ends with a colon Though Chuck Norris is considered to be a prolific expert in the martial arts and virtually unstoppable, one must first consider: Norris was defeated in his first two tournaments, dropping decisions to Joe Lewis and Allen Steen and three matches at the International Karate Championships to Tony Tulleners. By 1967 Norris had improved enough that he scored victories over the likes of Lewis, Skipper Mullins, Arnold Urquidez, Victor Moore, Ron Marchini, and Steve Sanders. In early 1968, Norris suffered the tenth and last loss of his career, losing an upset decision to Louis Delgado. (Foster 587) Such humbling defeats only build Norris into the fighter he is today. Norris leadership is credited to his struggles in his early Notice the placement of the ending career. punctuation
PARAPHRASING
Paraphrasing Paraphrases should be employed when using : Numbers Statistical data Percentages EXAMPLES: Paraphrasing - to express the meaning of the writer, speaker, something written, or spoken using different words, especially to achieve greater clarity. Hunter argues in his journal that he only uses gum no more than 30% of the day (Jones 14). Bill Shirey is born October the 5th of 1993 (ShireyFamilyTree.com).
Paraphrasing Step By Step Select a passage to paraphrase. Read the passage until you feel like you understand it completely. Set aside the book, try to put the passage into your own organization and words. It may help to imagine an audience of a young child or elderly relative, because they will require a different vocabulary from most sources. You may include words for which there is no good synonym. Check your paraphrase against the original; it should be ACCURATE and IN YOUR OWN WORDS.
Things to Remember Whether you quote or paraphrase, you should cite the ideas you get from your resources in your papers. MLA style users should always use signal phrases to introduce quotation. Of the two cited examples, direct quotations provide the strongest method of support.