Research: Quoting Sources INGL 3201 Fall 2008 Prof. W. Mercado

What if I want to quote somebody? (Chapter 24) You may want to use the words someone has spoken or written to: Advance a story Add vividness Lend insight into character Provide support for an idea

What if I want to quote somebody? (Chapter 24) You are obligated to get it right You MUST reproduce the words exactly as they were written or spoken You MUST follow the punctuation and capitalization rules

Where in the sentence the quotation occurs Quotation comes AFTER the statement of who spoke: Eli reminded us, “never play with matches.” Quotation comes BEFORE the statement of who spoke: “Never play with matches,” Eli reminded us.

Where in the sentence the quotation occurs Quotation comes before and after the statement of who spoke If the first part does NOT form a sentence: “Never,” Eli reminded us, “never play with matches.” If the first part forms a sentence: “Never play with matches,” Eli reminded us. “You might burn your hands.”

Determine whether the quotation or the entire sentence asks a question When the quotation asks a question: The reporter asked Senator Obama, “Do you think Americans are ready to have a black man for President?” “Do you think Americans are ready to have a black man for President?” the reporter asked Senator Obama.

Determine whether the quotation or the entire sentence asks a question When the entire sentence asks a question: Did the newspaper really say, “The president of Microsoft Corporation plans to resign”?

Reproduce a person’s thoughts as a quotation A person’s thoughts are treated like spoken words. Fortuño thought, “It’s time to change.”

Be sure you really have exact words Before using quotation marks, be sure you are reproducing someone’s exact words. Use quotation marks The police officer said, “You should keep appropriate distance always.” (exact words) The police officer said that you should keep appropriate distance always. (not exact words)

How do I find good sources-and why do I need them? (Chapter 28) As a writer you don’t have to “know it all”-you can get help from other writers by using sources. Follow these suggestions

Get to know your campus Make use of tours conducted by librarians, and workshops offered to students.

Consider your needs Make sure you know what you are looking for to help you keep focused statistics historical scientific literary

Use reference works These include general encyclopedias, special encyclopedias, almanacs, dictionaries, biographical dictionaries, and yearbooks. These are useful for specific info, such as facts, statistics, and date. e.g. Encyclopedia britannica, Encyclopedia of education, Encyclopedia of Feminism, Encyclopedia of Film and Television For more see p. 168 of your textbook

Use computerized catalog to locate books First floor of the Library, or access it remotely Biblioteca general www.uprm.edu

Use Indexes to locate magazine, journal and newspaper articles These usually have the most current info These are some examples Infotrac Proquest New York Times Index Academic Search Premier Lexis-Nexis A-Z List (Digital Databases RUM)

Search the internet Altavista Excite Google Metacrawler Yahoo Refdesk.com Infoplease.com Findarticles.com

Use High Quality Sources You should evaluate your sources Source should be recent Does the author have a bias, or political inclination Check authors credentials For websites, determine how professional these are e.g. .edu, .org, .gov versus .com, .net

What do I do with the sources I find? (chapter 29) MONDAY