Academic Guide For Students

As for other types of academic writing, there are exceptions. Further in this article, we discuss each of these methods and give a few examples of quote introduction. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 2,547,521 times.

A short quote is anything that is shorter than 4 typed lines. When you use a short quote, include it directly in your paragraph, along with your own words. To help the reader understand the quote and why you’re using it, write a full sentence that includes the quote, rather than just lifting a sentence from another work and putting it into your paper.

Additional information

So, avoid using clichéd quotes or frequently used quotations in your essay. You should never have a quotation standing alone as a complete sentence, or, worse, as an incomplete sentence, in your writing. The quotation will seem disconnected from your own thoughts and from the flow of your sentences.

• Set up a block quotation with your own words followed by a colon.
• Make sure you’re writing an argument, not simply a plot summary.
• Incorporating direct quotes into your writing is an excellent way to expand upon and back up your ideas with solid, fact based evidence.
• Chinese-American scholar Iris Chang argues that “the Rape of Nanking represents one of the worst instances of mass extermination” ever .

Ways to integrate quotations properly into your own sentences, with correct use of punctuation, are explained below. If multiple sources are cited for the same statement, the author and publication year should be distinguished from other texts with a colon. Cited texts should be arranged by author name or by date; arrangement should be consistent throughout the paper.

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You can shorten quotes by removing words from the middle of the quote and adding ellipses to indicate that you have removed some words. Shortening quotes helps the reader focus on the key information.

The MLA style of writing is often used by those studying humanities. This includes discussions related to art, philosophy, music, religion, linguistics, and more. When you’re thinking about using quotations in your essay, the first thing you want to identify is why.

Can you reword a quote and cite it?

Instead, use a paraphrase or a summary to support your ideas. Put brackets around words you need to add to a quote for clarification. Sometimes you need to add a word or words to a quote in order for your reader to understand it. This can help you explain pronouns used in the direct quote or further explain what a quote is referencing. Brackets allow you to add or replace words, as long as you don’t change the meaning of the text.

• Page numbers should be included for each quotation organized by placement in the paragraph.
• For whatever reason, this is the way we do it in America.
• Note that the format of the title on the Works Cited sheet should be mirrored in the in-text citation.
• According to MLA guidelines, if you change the case of a letter from the original, you must indicate this with brackets.
• Most importantly, explain how the quote supports your argument or opinion about a certain essay topic.

Like I said previously, different citation styles have their own way of referencing a quote. Now let us transform the previous examples from APA to MLA. And notably, the name and page number are not separated by a comma. Having an in-text citation in your paper prevents you from being accused of plagiarism by your instructor. The next section will tackle how you can properly quote a quote. Before you begin incorporating a quote in your essay, I ought to teach you writing an in-text citation first. For example, if you were quoting someone’s nickname, you might want to let your reader know the full name of that person in brackets.

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Listed below are some possible ways through which you can introduce a quotation in your essay, as per the MLA format. Notice that the writer has not only “borrowed” Chase’s material with no acknowledgment, but has also largely maintained the author’s method of expression and sentence structure.

• Having an in-text citation in your paper prevents you from being accused of plagiarism by your instructor.
• Twenty times, in the course of my late reading, have I been on the point of breaking out, ‘this would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it!!!!
• The note and the bibliographic entry include almost identical information but in a different format.
• When you include a quote in your essay, according to your citation style, remember to include the last name of the author, page number, and date.

That is necessary if you need some previous context to understand the meaning of the quote or if you want to make sure that pronouns agree with their antecedents. Apart from the standard words like “believes” or “notes,” you can use dozens of synonyms as quote starters. But, be careful different ways to quote in an essay as each of those conveys its own connotation, so you might find it tricky to pick the right word. The word examples below are generally placed after the phrase “the author” or the author’s last name. If you’re not paraphrasing , you must put quotation marks around the quote.

Sample Quotes

For more information related to MLA in-text citations, see the MLA Handbook, 8th ed. This title is on reserve at the circulation desk at the front of the library on the 3rd floor near the main entrance. The Writing Center has handouts explaining how to use many of the standard documentation systems. You may look at our general Web page on Documentation Systems, or you may check out any of the following specific Web pages. Often both the signal and the assertion appear in a single introductory statement, as in the example below. Notice how a transitional phrase also serves to connect the quotation smoothly to the introductory statement. If all these phrases were in red, the paraphrase would look much like the “patchwork” example.

Do you have a quotation that is too long and mostly meaningless? You can use an ellipsis—three consecutive periods, with one space around each ( . . . )—to leave out extra or unnecessary words. The ellipsis represents information that you are omitting from a quotation. When a speaker’s words in dialogue extend to more than one paragraph, use an opening quotation mark at the beginning of each paragraph. Use a closing quotation mark, however, only at the end of the person’s speech, not at the end of every paragraph. Introduce the quotation with a complete sentence and a colon.

How do you split a quote in MLA?

You might be wondering why you should consider using inspirational quotes in your essays. To put it lightly, incorporating the right quotes into your work will not only bolster your argument, but it will also better convince the reader to adopt your point of view. Under the MLA citation guidelines, you will add the page number after the name of the author. You need to be careful when using quotes because your tutor wants to see how you understand the topic, not those ten field experts you have cited. Cite the author’s last name and page number in parentheses to cite in MLA. Write out the author’s last name, then list the numerical page number. You don’t need to separate them with a comma, and you don’t need to put “p.” or “page” before the page number.

Each style guide has its own requirements for listing your reference sources, so make sure you follow the style guide you’re using to format your paper. For MLA formatting, you’ll prepare a Works Cited page, APA formatting requires a References page, and Chicago Style formatting will have either a References page or a Bibliography. On this page, list all of your sources in alphabetical order, along with the publishing information. This allows your reader to find the sources you used in your paper. To introduce a quote in an essay, don’t forget to include author’s last name and page number or author, date, and page number in your citation. Furthermore, avoid using quotes simply for the purpose of making your text longer. Try to have solid and meaningful intentions behind your quotations.

Giving added emphasis to a particularly authoritative source on your topic

Your block quote will use the same spacing as the rest of your paper, which will likely be double-spacing. When you use a paraphrase, you still need to provide commentary that links the paraphrased material back to your thesis and ideas. There are 11 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. Use a full sentence followed by a colon to introduce a quotation. Another way to introduce a critic’s words is to use a descriptive verb, followed by a comma. Avoid using says unless the words were originally spoken aloud, for instance, during an interview. If these don’t work for you, there are other citation and organization styles available that you can check out.

When quoting in APA, you are required to include the author’s name and the year of publication. It is vital for every essay to have an interesting introduction that can entice the reader and make him/her want to continue reading the essay.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Starting Essays with a Quote

If you use other signal phrases other than the ones listed here, then you are free to incorporate those ways to introduce quotes phrases in your paper. I would give you more words to introduce a quote in the next section.