USING SOURCES IN YOUR RESEARCH PAPER

There are 2 ways to use source material in a paper:  Direct Quotes  Paraphrases Direct Quotes--use when:  The quote is relevant and purposeful  Paraphrasing would lose, diminish, or confuse the original meaning or intent  Something is stated in a particularly interesting or effective way When using a direct quote:  Introduce the quote  Provide the quote  Explain the quote

Introducing the quote:  Signal to the reader that a direct quote will be used  Identify the author or context  Provide a smooth and appropriate transition to the quote  Often referred to as a “lead-in” Examples:  According to Smith, “...  As stated by Hemingway himself, “...  Twain remarked in his memoirs, “...  In regards to this, The New York Times Book Review says, “...

Providing the quote:  Reproduce the original passage exactly  Include unusual spelling, grammar, and punctuation  Indicate changes made for the sake of clarity with brackets [ ]  Indicate omissions of original text with an ellipsis (three spaced dots) Examples:  E. E. Cummings writes, “and eddieandbill come/running from marbles and/piracies and it's/spring”  “[Tom] said he did it just for the adventure of it, and ain’t it just like women...”

Explaining the quote:  Show how the quote relates to or supports your thesis  Do not assume that your point is obvious to your reader  Be clear and explicit—the quote is the icing, but your explanation is the cake A caution:  Do not rely too heavily on direct quotes  The bulk of your paper should be your words, even when you’re discussing someone else’s ideas  Assume your reader has read your primary source; reproducing too much of it is tedious and unnecessary

Longer quotes:  If your quote needs to be longer than a few lines, use a block quote format  Offset the entire quote an inch (two tabs)  Continue to double space  The parenthetical citation comes after the end punctuation in a block quote. Example: In this regard, Johnson writes: A man who attempts to overcome adversity but fails is no greater than the man who never tries. However, it is by continually trying that a man can finally overcome this adversity, find success, and achieve greatness. (Johnson 201) According to this belief, despite Yossarian’s...

Paraphrasing:  Paraphrasing is using someone else’s idea, but putting it in your own words  Be sure to keep the author’s original meaning and intent  Be sure to explain the relevance or meaning of the paraphrased material REMEMBER:  Always give credit to the original author of the material, whether you use a direct quote or a paraphrase