Quotes

In additional to incorporating quotes with the quote sandwich, and introducing them with signal phrases and reporting verbs, there are a few punctuation rules to keep in mind.

The first time you reference an article (or other text) you need to give the name(s) of the author(s), the title of the article, and the name of the magazine or book (if you know it).

The first time you use a quote from an article, you need to use the author’s first and last name. The next time you use a quote from that author, only use the last name.

Put the names of articles, essays, poems, and chapters in quotation marks:

“Talking Like a Lady”

“Dialect”

“Mother Tongue”

“Black Hair”

Italicize the titles of books, movies, magazines, newspapers, periodicals, and websites:

Our America

San Francisco Chronicle

The Great Gatsby

The Godfather

Put the quotation marks “ “ around the quote and use the author’s exact words. After the quote, put the page number in parentheses, and the period after the parentheses.

The third part of the quote sandwich is explaining what the quote means. Introduce the quote, state the quote, and then explain the quote. Use several sentences to explain how the quote applies to the main point of the paragraph and to the topic of the paper. See the example below.

For Example: (The explanation for the quote is italicized)

The Writing Center recommends using “quotations, paraphrases, and summaries to help strengthen a paper” (76). Quotations, paraphrases, and summaries can help present a thorough discussion of the topic. When sources are used to help strengthen ideas, the writing increases in credibility. To properly paraphrase or summarize, keep the original ideas from the source, but write those ideas in your own words.

Key pieces to keep in mind when it comes to using quotes:

1. You should quote sparingly, so make sure the quotes you include are impactful and approach the subject in a way that you might not. Part of quoting is “capturing” someone else’s voice and unique expression of an idea. If you feel like the expert says it best, then quote the expert.
2. It is important to be accurate when you are quoting – the whole point of quoting is to exactly represent another person’s words. Be careful to copy the quote exactly as you find it.
3. Quoting sources should not be a tactic to fill space on the page. Not only should your paper be written in your own words, but the amount of space given to others’ words should be brief. As a general rule of thumb, no more than 15% of your entire paper should be quoted material. Achieve this general goal by using only a few quotes, and keeping those few quotes as brief as 1–2 sentences.
4. Quotes should be introduced and explained. A quotation should never suddenly appear out of nowhere. Some kind of information about the quotation is needed. Name the author, give his or her credentials, name the source, give a summary. You won't do all of these each time, but you should usually name the author. Do not quote someone and then leave the words hanging as if they were self explanatory. What does the quotation mean and how does it help establish the point you are making? What is your interpretation or opinion of it?