Integrating Quotes

When should I quote? To strengthen or substantiate an important point, either with statistics or with an expert’s opinion To prove you’ve done your homework and know your subject matter Quote directly if the original wording is better or more exact than a paraphrase would be.

When you quote, make sure you: Use quotes only if they fit logically into your text. Fit long and short quotes into your text. Short quotes should read as part of your own sentence. Give credit for all quotes and paraphrases—use MLA parenthetical notation. Quote accurately.

DON’T: Quote out of context. Changing the author’s opinions to suit your own is unfair. Quote references for proverbs, common quotations (We shall overcome!), or familiar knowledge. Quote when a paraphrase will do.

When you quote, don’t: Let quotations change the tense, tone, or grammatical structure of your writing. When using quoted material there should not be any grammatical or thought breaks in the text. Allow the quote to speak for itself. Be sure to introduce and explain it. String quotes together.

Don’t go crazy with quotes in your summaries. The majority of the summary should be in your own words: your paraphrase of the author’s ideas. You don’t need more than two or three quotes, and only quote the phrases that seem really important or well-stated.

HOW TO INTEGRATE A QUOTE Providing a smooth transition into and out of quoted material is sometimes a problem. It is often necessary to introduce a quote before you use it and to explain, reiterate or emphasize it later. The quotes should flow seamlessly with your own writing. Use signal phrases with both quotes and paraphrases (See Hacker 365).

SHORT QUOTE INTRODUCTIONS Try to always fit a short quote into your sentence grammatically. Pay special attention to the verb tenses and pronouns.

Original: In light of our knowledge of the harm caused by pesticides, we need to rethink our agricultural dependence upon these chemicals, which is at best thoughtless and at worst deadly. Joseph Sailer, head of the EPA’s Committee on Agricultural Practices, suggests that our continued use of pesticides in spite of how dangerous they are is “at best thoughtless and at worst deadly” (132).

Original: In light of our knowledge of the harm caused by pesticides, we need to rethink our agricultural dependence upon these chemicals, which is at best thoughtless and at worst deadly. Our continued use of pesticides, in spite of how dangerous they are, is “at best thoughtless and at worst deadly” (Sailer 132).

Do I need to cite information? As Ronald Miller, author of Why Waste Water states, “Americans use more water in one day than most of the world uses in a week.” (241). Most Americans consume much more water than people in other countries, particularly poorer and less-developed nations.

Americans consume much more food than their bodies need. Americans consume over 200 million calories a day in excess of dietary requirements (Mindfully.org).

China is rapidly approaching the US in terms of its gasoline consumption. According to Michael Cullingford, there are approximately as many cars now in China as there were in the United States in 1980 (233). There are approximately as many cars in China today as there were in the US in 1980 (Cullingford 233).

What if the quote I want to use needs something added or taken out? Use brackets to add info; use ellipses to indicate where you’ve taken material out. However, if a word added in brackets merely replaces another word, then you don’t need to use ellipses. You should also add explanatory and clarifying words, dates, and expressions in brackets.

Original quote: If I had a dollar for every time a student asked me when an assignment was due, I’d be a rich woman. Your use of the quote: Dr. K told us in class that “If [she] had a dollar for every time a student asked [her] when an assignment was due, [she’d] be a rich woman.”

Original quote: Many farmers I spoke with hesitated to try organic practices because they were afraid they would not be able to grow crops efficiently enough to feed the country’s needs without pesticides like Bromacil and boric acid. (no page numbers) Your use of the quote: As Jessica Sarnae points out in her article “Green Thumb: Agriculture and the Environment,” many farmers fear “they [will] not be able to grow crops efficiently… without pesticides like Bromacil and boric acid.”

Many farmers I spoke with hesitated to try organic practices because they were afraid they would not be able to grow crops efficiently enough to feed the country’s needs without pesticides like Bromacil and boric acid. (no page numbers) Some farmers fear that organic farming methods won’t produce enough food for our country (Sarnae).

The real reason I want to take Sam to church is so that he can find what I have found in the world: a path and a little light to see by. Anne Lamott claims, “The real reason [she] want[s] to take [her son] Sam to church is so that he can find… a path and a little light to see by” (464).

What if the quote I want to use has a quote in it? Use this form: “Material you quote ‘material the author quotes’ material you quote.”

Original quote: Jeff Brooks, a farmer in southeastern Kansas, said that after his “father was diagnosed with cancer from his exposure to pesticides, the family farm went organic.” Your quote: According to Jessica Sarnae, a Kansas farmer named Jeff Brooks “said that after his ‘father was diagnosed with cancer from his exposure to pesticides, the family farm went organic.’” (no page # needed if citing from internet source with no page numbers given)

Original quote: Jeff Brooks, a farmer in southeastern Kansas, said that after his “father was diagnosed with cancer from his exposure to pesticides, the family farm went organic.” One farmer explained that his farm began to use organic practices when his “father was diagnosed with cancer from his exposure to pesticides” (Brooks qtd. in Sarnae). Jeff Brooks explained that his farm began to use organic practices when his “father was diagnosed with cancer from his exposure to pesticides” (qtd. in Sarnae).