Introduction to Using Sources

by Joe Essid

For academic writing, plagiarism usually involves the use of outside material without properly citing sources. To avoid unintentionally plagiarizing a source, be sure to check your paper's documentation with your professor and/or a Writing Consultant at the Writing Center.

Three + Systems For Citation: Being Consistent

You should also check with your professor about the "style" of documentation you'll need to use. Each academic field uses its own system for citing sources. In English, the standard is The Modern Language Association (MLA) Handbook. In History, many professors require Kate Turabian's A Manual For Writers, which excerpts the rather hefty Chicago Manual of Style. I have used that one, with footnotes, for a Leadership article.

Psychologists and many other social scientists employ The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA). There are other specific systems for the sciences as well as "house styles" for academic journals. I mention the three above as those are the ones I've used for my professional work. Again, check with your professor, as inconsistency in citation can be a serious error.

One sadly common major error: students will copy/paste citation formatting from a bibliography maker without checking the work. The problem here involves inconsistency: I have found that several of these citation-makers, when told to produce an MLA or APA citation, will capitalize words incorrectly or include journal numbers wrong. I dock writers points. Why? A journal editor would likely question the author's ideas if the piece submitted included inconsistent citation. And readers wanting to know more about a topic might not be able to find the sources cited.

It's best, if using these systems, to verify, at the very least, that similar types of sources have similar formats.

What is a Direct Quotation?

Whenever you directly quote the words of an author, you must note that you've copied this and indicate that the quotation is taken verbatim from a source. Although the conventions vary between each system of documentation, generally you place direct quotations in quotation marks (") unless the quotation runs more than four lines. In those cases the quotation is set apart from the rest of your text by indenting it ("block quotation").

In either case, you follow the quotation with a note of some kind that indicates the source; this either takes the form of a footnote/endnote number or a parenthetical reference. For example, if you were quoting from John Doe's book on grammar (using MLA format), your paper might read as follows:

The direct quotation can add emphasis to your work. As the author of Grammar for Everyone puts it, "the direct quotation serves to support your ideas, to emphasize a point, or to add a memorable quotation to your work" (Doe 25).

This brief guide to documentation cannot cover all of the rules and exceptions about direct quotations. The topics that follow in Writer's Web give some details, but you should also consult a handbook, with your professor or a tutor, when you have specific questions.

Why Quote Directly?

I call my reasons "Essid's Three Es" for Eloquence, Evidence, and Emphasis. While paraphrases can accomplish the second and third "E" here, words of others, dutifully cited and not taken out of context, can borrow the original author's eloquence. The authors won't mind if they are alive. Even if they are not, you do them a favor, since "If you have knowledge, lets others light their candles with it" (Churchill 116).

I could also draw upon that example to emphasize my own claims about how knowledge should be shared, not hoarded. I bring in Mister Churchill to emphasize that others have thought the same thing.

Remember, however, that quoting involves more than hunting for the right quotation. Citing accurately does not suffice, either. Using the work of others, as scholar of writing Keith Hjortshoj puts it eloquently in The Transition to College Writing, involves clarity but, just as important, includes "honesty and courtesy" for the hard work others did before us (144).

What is a Paraphrase?

Paraphrases restate another person's ideas using your own words and your own sentence structures. Avoid filling your paper with direct quotations, because it makes the paper little more than a summary of what others have said.

Paraphrases, however, give you another method for incorporating source material. Like direct quotations, paraphrases must be credited to their sources; to fail to do so constitutes plagiarism. Remember, just restating another's original idea by using different words does not make it your own!

When you paraphrase material, put it in your own words and use your own sentence structure. Don't allow the wording to resemble the original, even if you cite the source. Otherwise, you're plagiarizing the author's words without letting the reader know that the words aren't your own.

Consider our direct quotation:

"the direct quotation serves to support your ideas, to emphasize a point, or to add a memorable quotation to your work" (Doe 25).

Here's a possible paraphrase:

John Doe gives three reasons for using direct quotations in one's work; he notes that quotations can support one's ideas, provide emphasis, or add eloquence in the form of a memorable quotation (25).

Creative Use of Sources 

by Heather Logan, Writing Consultant

When writing papers that require the use of outside source material, it is often tempting to cite only direct quotations from your sources. If, however, this is the only method of citation you choose, your paper will become nothing more than a series of quotations linked together by a few connecting words. Your paper will seem to be a collection of others' thoughts and will contain little thinking on your part.

To avoid falling into this trap, follow a few simple pointers:

• Avoid using long quotations merely as space-fillers. While this is an attractive option when faced with a ten-page paper, the overuse of long quotations gives the reader the impression you cannot think for yourself.

• Don't use only direct quotations. Try using paraphrases in addition to your direct quotations. To the reader, the effective use of paraphrases indicates that you took the time to think about the meaning behind the quote's words. (For further assistance see our materials on "Using Paraphrases.")

• When introducing direct quotations, try to use a variety of verbs in your signal phrases. Don't always rely on stock verbs such as "states" or "says." Think for a little while about the purpose of your quotation and then choose a context-appropriate verb.

Also, when using direct quotations try qualifying them in a novel or interesting manner. Depending on the system of documentation you're using, the signal phrases don't always have to introduce the quotation.

For example, instead of saying:

"None of them knew the color of the sky" is the opening line of Stephen Crane's short story, "The Open Boat." This implies the idea that "all sense of certainty" in the lives of these men is gone (Wolford 18).

Try saying:

"None of them knew the color of the sky," the opening line of Stephen Crane's, "The Open Boat," implies that "all sense of certainty" in the lives of these men is gone (Crane; Wolford 18).

The combination of these two sentences into one is something different. It shows thought on the writer's part in how to combine direct quotations in an interesting manner.

Works Cited:

Crane, Stephen. "The Open Boat." The Open Boat and Other Stories. Project Gutenberg. 

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/45524/45524-h/45524-h.htm#The-Open-Boat. Accessed 25 August, 2023.

Churchill, Winston. Quotable Churchill. West Sussex: Summersdale, 2014.

Hjortshoj, Keith. The Transition to College Writing. 2nd Ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martins, 2009.

Wolford, Chester. The Anger of Stephen Crane: Fiction and the Epic Tradition: Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1983.