In-Text Citations

All writing is influenced by the media and text the writer has read, listened to, watched, or experienced in some way.

When writers are using outside sources to provide their readers with information, they must decide if they are going to quote, paraphrase, or summarize. No matter what decision a writer makes, an in-text citation is necessary.

Direct Quotes

Quoting

When to quote:

wording so memorable or powerful that the writer cannot change it without weakening its meaning
authors' opinions that writer wants to emphasize
authors who opinions challenge or greatly vary from others in the field.

Paraphrase

Paraphrasing

When to paraphrase:

passages that the writer doesn't want to quote, but wants to include the details provided to prove the argument or analysis.

Summary

Summarizing

When to summarize:

longer passages or sections that support the main idea or theme, but details which are provided do not.

Information concerning quoting, summarizing, and paraphrasing comes from The Everyday Writer: 7th Edition by Angela A. Lunsford (2020). This includes the "Quick Help" images found on the above documents. (154-159)

How To Write In-Text Citations (Videos)

In-Text Citation Direct Quotation.mov

Writing an In-Text Citation with a Direct Quotation

This video shows you how to write a standard in-text citation with an author, page number, and direct quotation. Running Time: 3:38.

In-Text Citation w/o an Author.mov

Writing an In-Text Citation without an Author

This video shows a writer how to write an in-text citation when they don't have a named author and are using a time-based media source (video or audio file). Running Time: 3:13

EffectiveCIting&Referencing.pdf

IB Guidance: Effective Citing and Referencing

This document (published by IB in August 2014) outlines their guidelines around effective citing and referencing.

It allows the IB student to know:

when to cite
what to cite
how to cite

and includes some helpful graphics and checklists to provide guidance about citations.