How to: Direct Quotations Why Use Sources in Writing? ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Provide support for claims or add credibility to your writing Refer to work that leads up to the work you are now doing Give examples of several points of view on a subject Call attention to a position that you wish to agree or disagree with Highlight a particularly striking phrase, sentence, or passage by quoting the original Distance yourself from the original by quoting it in order to cue readers that the words are not your own Expand the breadth or depth of your writing For more information, please watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wug_MN91Gog Using Sources in Writing In order to use sources well, you must do the following: ● ● ● ● Understand your source: where does this information come from? what is the genre of the source? Evaluate your source: what important information can you learn from this source? does this source present trustworthy information? Synthesize and analyze your source: what specific information from the source can you use in your essay as evidence/support? how does this information support your argument/opinion? Explain your source: why is this information important to know? what should your reader take away from your use of the source? Using Sources in Writing When integrating sources into your essay—that is, when inserting outside information into your own argument and flow—remember the following steps: ● ● ● Step 1: Introduce and frame your source ○ GIVE CONTEXT for the use of the source and use reporting verbs or phrases Step 2: Give information/evidence from your source ○ Use summaries, quotations, and/or paraphrases Step 3: Analyze/interpret the information/evidence given ○ Relate it back to your essay’s own thesis/argument When to Directly Quote ● To capture another writer’s particularly memorable language ● To capture another writer’s clear and concise language ● To give authority (the right/power) and credibility (trustworthiness) to your own writing ● When you want to use a specific idea to support your essay, but you can’t paraphrase the idea well ● When your instructor tells you to do so! When to Directly Quote Directly quote only the part of a sentence or paragraph that you need. Use no more of the writer’s language than necessary to make or reinforce your point. This means that you do not always need to cite an entire sentence, especially if it is a long sentence. Incorporate the quotation into the flow of your own sentence. The quotation must fit, both grammatically and stylistically, into your surrounding language. Avoid freestanding quotations. A quoted sentence should never stand by itself. Use a quote sandwich🡪 introduce your quote with a signal phrase, give your direct quote, and then EXPLAIN your quote. How to Directly Quote 1. INTRODUCE your quote a. Use a full or partial TAG and a present tense signal verb 2. GIVE and CITE your quote a. Use quotation marks “” , make the quote fit the grammar and style of your own writing, and cite your quote 3. ANALYZE your quote a. Explain the important of this direct quote as it relates to your paragraph and thesis statement b. DO NOT PARAPHRASE THE QUOTE or say what the quote means again Adapted from Deanza Community College Writing Center Tutorials. Adapted from Deanza Community College Writing Center Tutorials. Adapted from Deanza Community College Writing Center Tutorials. Adapted from Deanza Community College Writing Center Tutorials. How to Directly Quote 1. 2. 3. 4. Find a short, specific idea from a text that you want to use as support in your essay. Make sure this is an idea that you cannot use your own words to paraphrase effectively! Use double quotation marks “” around the sentence [or part of it] Do not change anything about the author’s language unless you are making it fit into the flow of your own paper a. Use an ellipses ... to delete information b. Use parenthesis () to add/clarify information c. Use brackets [] to change pronouns or tenses Cite your direct quote in MLA format! How to Directly Quote Do not use a reporting/marker verbs together with signal phrases. One of the most common errors that students make concern statements like the one below: INCORRECT: According to Joe Smith, he writes… CORRECT: Joe Smith writes…. CORRECT: According to Joe Smith... REMEMBER: This also applies when you explicitly reference the name of the article. INCORRECT: In the article X by Joe Smith, he claims that… CORRECT: In the article X by Joe Smith, it is claimed that… CORRECT: In the article X, Joe Smith claims that… How to Directly Quote: Example [Original Source] Having a bicultural identity is one of the special aspects about being bilingual or multilingual. It would be hard to define bilingual without speaking also to bicultural. When someone takes on another language, and spends any amount of time in that language on a regular basis, they inevitably develop and mold themselves as a person. A person starts to take on characteristics of the new language and culture which in turn combine with the old and create a new hybrid identity…To define bilingual through bicultural identity is perhaps a good place to start. It is said that to truly understand a language you have to understand the culture. I always thought this was kind of silly until I lived it. You can understand a language with your head, but in order to put it deep in the depths of your understanding you need to eat, drink, breath, and feel it. You need to understand it without understanding it. Believe it or not, this is what we all do in our native language; just not intentionally. Therefore, it isn't as special. –Jeffrey Nelson, “Bicultural Identity: What Does That Mean? ”, page 1 How to Directly Quote: Example [Acceptable Quote] Jeffrey Nelson, in his article “Bicultural Identity: What Does That Mean?”, suggests that “a person starts to take on characteristics of the new language and culture which in turn combine with the old and create a new hybrid identity” (1). This means that the bicultural identity is a product of having two languages because to know a language is to know its culture. **NOTICE that this is done in QUOTE SANDWICH FORMAT [introduce, give and cite, explain]. Also note that ANALYSIS IS DIRECTLY AFTER THE QUOTE! This is a requirement. How to Directly Quote: Citation (book or article) Option 1: full TAG + page number Jeffrey Nelson, in his article “Bicultural Identity: What Does That Mean?”, suggests that “a person starts to take on characteristics of the new language and culture which in turn combine with the old and create a new hybrid identity” (1). Here we see a TAG [title, author, genre] of the source as well as the page number where the direct quote comes from. Notice that if the author’s name is in the sentence, then the citation only needs a page number. A TAG is only necessary the first time you cite the source. Every other time you use the same source, you can just use the author’s name and page number or a partial TAG. How to Directly Quote: Citation (book or article) Option 2: partial TAG + page number The article “Bicultural Identity: What Does That Mean?”, suggests that “a person starts to take on characteristics of the new language and culture which in turn combine with the old and create a new hybrid identity” (Nelson 1). Here we see a partial TAG [title, genre] of the source as well as the author and page number where the direct quote comes from in the citation. Notice that if the author’s name is NOT in the sentence, then the citation needs BOTH the author last name AND a page number. How to Directly Quote: Citation (book or article) Option 3: Author + page number It states that “a person starts to take on characteristics of the new language and culture which in turn combine with the old and create a new hybrid identity” (Nelson 1). Here we see only the author and the page number where the direct quote comes from in the citation. Notice that if the author’s name is NOT in the sentence, then the citation needs BOTH the author last name AND a page number. How to Paraphrase: Extra Information Please watch the following videos for more information: ● ● ● ● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajDmRxJSge0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0a3X7wY_kI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUkTuhJq5cc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl2oDtVY69U
