Guidelines for Quotations
1. Always introduce quotes. A quote CANNOT be in a sentence by itself. You must include a signal phrase (which names the author of the source and often provides some context for the quote). A signal phrase indicates the boundaries between your words and the source’s words.
Examples: According to Virgil, “Fortune favors the bold.”
“Fortune,” Virgil writes, “favors the bold.”
“Fortune favors the bold,” Virgil asserts.
A quote without a signal phrase, is referred to as a dropped quotation.
Example: People believe in taking risks. “Fortune favors the bold.”
If it is unclear who the source is, give the person’s title so readers will understand why he or she is a good authority on the subject or who he or she is in the narrative.
Examples: Former Secretary of Defense Colin Powell notes . . .
Peter Jennings, ABC’s news anchor, reported . . .
Ivan, General Zaroff’s servant, is important for understanding . . .
2. Often you do not need to use the whole sentence. You can simply use a phrase or work a short quote (with the key idea) into your own sentence.
Example: A Pew survey revealed nearly 90 percent of teachers said that digital technologies
were creating “an easily distracted generation with short attention spans.”
3. To cut unneeded material from a quote, use ellipses (. . .) .
Original: “There was a medieval magnificence about it; it suggested a baronial hall of
feudal times with its oaken panels, its high ceiling, its vast refectory table.”
Example: There was a medieval magnificence about it . . . with its oaken panels, its high ceiling, its vast refectory table.”
4. Your explanation of the quote should ALWAYS be longer than the quotation itself.
Example: According to Virgil, “Fortune favors the bold.” His belief that boldness is a trait that makes individuals successful is still widely held today. Taking risks is still seen as necessary to get ahead in our world.
This means you will seldom end a paragraph with a quotation—since you should link the quote to your paper’s thesis (claim). You always need to explain how the quotation supports the reason given in that paragraph and hence your argument.
Courtesy of P. Barnett 2014
Examples: According to Virgil, “Fortune favors the bold.”
“Fortune,” Virgil writes, “favors the bold.”
“Fortune favors the bold,” Virgil asserts.
A quote without a signal phrase, is referred to as a dropped quotation.
Example: People believe in taking risks. “Fortune favors the bold.”
If it is unclear who the source is, give the person’s title so readers will understand why he or she is a good authority on the subject or who he or she is in the narrative.
Examples: Former Secretary of Defense Colin Powell notes . . .
Peter Jennings, ABC’s news anchor, reported . . .
Ivan, General Zaroff’s servant, is important for understanding . . .
2. Often you do not need to use the whole sentence. You can simply use a phrase or work a short quote (with the key idea) into your own sentence.
Example: A Pew survey revealed nearly 90 percent of teachers said that digital technologies
were creating “an easily distracted generation with short attention spans.”
3. To cut unneeded material from a quote, use ellipses (. . .) .
Original: “There was a medieval magnificence about it; it suggested a baronial hall of
feudal times with its oaken panels, its high ceiling, its vast refectory table.”
Example: There was a medieval magnificence about it . . . with its oaken panels, its high ceiling, its vast refectory table.”
4. Your explanation of the quote should ALWAYS be longer than the quotation itself.
Example: According to Virgil, “Fortune favors the bold.” His belief that boldness is a trait that makes individuals successful is still widely held today. Taking risks is still seen as necessary to get ahead in our world.
This means you will seldom end a paragraph with a quotation—since you should link the quote to your paper’s thesis (claim). You always need to explain how the quotation supports the reason given in that paragraph and hence your argument.
Courtesy of P. Barnett 2014