How to Select a Quotation and How to Cite Ms. Campbell

Why Should I Use Quotations?  Quotations add evidence to your writing.  Quotations support your thesis. Remember your ideas are the most important in your paper; you need to explain how the quotations support your thesis.  Without quotations, you have nothing to analyze in your paper.

When Should I Use Quotations?  Include quotations to analyze specific ideas in the text.  For example, if you were writing about the effects of the Dust Bowl, you would include quotations about migration, dust pneumonia, etc.  Include quotations that support your thesis.  For example, if your thesis is that Out of the Dust is historically accurate, you would NOT include quotations about historically inaccurate details.

How Should I Use Quotations?  Quote as few words as possible.  Use two quotations per paragraph (one from Out of the Dust and one from an article) that are related.  For example, if you have a quotation from the novel about Billie Jo’s family turning plates upside down, you would include a quotation from an article about the fact that families did this during the Dust Bowl.  The majority of the paper should be your own words.  This means that you must explain how the quotations are related and how Out of the Dust is historically accurate or inaccurate based on the quotations.

Some Rules for Quoting  Introduce the quotation.  Example: During the Dust Bowl “land misuse on the Great Plains—cattle grazing and row planting—had created the potential for an ecological disaster ” (DeAngelis 1).  After the quotation, cite the source in parentheses.  If you are quoting Out of the Dust, write (Hesse page #). For example, (Hesse 7) if the quotation comes from page 7.  If you are quoting an article, write the first part of the Works Cited entry, followed by the page number. For example, (DeAngelis 1) or, if there is no author, (“Dust Bowl” 2).

Some Rules for Quoting Cont’d.  If you omit any words, use an ellipsis (…).  For example, you can write, “Years of land misuse on the Great Plains... had created the potential for an ecological disaster ” (DeAngelis 1) instead of, “Years of land misuse on the Great Plains—cattle grazing and row planting—had created the potential for an ecological disaster ” (DeAngelis 1).  Place all punctuation marks outside of the parentheses.  There are other rules, so please ask me individually if you want to do something I didn’t mention (such as adding a word to the quotation).

A Note on Plagiarism  On a basic level, plagiarism is using someone else’s words without citing them.  Plagiarism is illegal because you are stealing someone’s intellectual property.  In high school, college, and beyond, there are serious consequences for plagiarizing.  If you remember to cite all of your sources, you have nothing to worry about!