FIVE WAYS TO INCORPORATE SOURCE MATERIAL
1.
Paraphrase – When you paraphrase, you are using the author’s idea, but you
are putting it into your own words. Because you are using another’s argument
or presenting another’s line of thinking, you need to cite the source even if you
put it in your own words.
Example: Historian Charles Beard argues that the founding fathers designed the
Constitution to protect their own interests rather than for the betterment of society as
a whole (Morgan 131).
**There is no need to cite what is considered common knowledge. Basic
biographical facts, dates of historical events, and information that can be found in
more than three sources does not need to be cited.
2.
Use a colon to introduce a quotation that is independent from the structure of
the main sentence.
Example: Morgan challenges Beard’s thesis: “Contrary to the impression given by
Beard, it is all but impossible to differentiate private selfishness from public spirit”
(132).
3.
Integrate the quotation into your own sentence. A quotation that is integral to
the sentence structure is generally preceded by no punctuation:
Example: The views of the founding fathers “represent a much broader conception
of society and government and a much greater confidence in the people than might
be inferred from a single remark” (Morgan 133).
Example: Although he dislikes the beatings, Huck finds life with Pap “lazy and jolly
laying off comfortable all day, smoking and fishing and no books nor study” (27).
You may put a quotation at the beginning, middle, or end of your sentence or,
for the sake of variety or better style, divide it by your own words:
Example: On a raft, Huck can exchange the “cramped and smothery” life of the land
for the “free and easy and comfortable” life of the river (128).
4.
Introduce a quotation with a “saying” verb such as “writes,” “says,”
“observes,” etc. A comma precedes these quotations.
Example: Morgan observes, “it is all but impossible to differentiate private
selfishness from public spirit” (132).
5.
If you are quoting more than four full lines of text, use a block quotation.
Usually, a colon introduces block quotes. The quotation should begin on a new
line, double-indented (ten spaces) and should not have quotation marks. The
parenthetical citation should go after the final period. Don’t allow a block
quotation to dominate a paragraph.
Example:
Historian Edmund Morgan details arguments that question the motives of the
founding fathers:
The conclusion was obvious that the makers of the Constitution,
consciously or unconsciously, were seeking to protect their own economic
interests, a characteristic that historians of the present age have frequently
discovered in the actions of people both past and present. (131)
Such arguments call into question the tendency to deify the founding fathers.
Notes:
 If the author of the quoted material is identified in the text, his or her name does
not need to appear in the parenthetical citation.

To avoid interrupting the flow of your writing, put parenthetical references at the
end of the sentence.

Always introduce your quotations. Provide the context and the author or speaker.
Follow up quotations with analysis. Avoid using phrases such as “this quotation
reveals” or “in the following quotation.”
Example: When Jim tells Huck about his two children, Huck realizes that he
“cared just as much for his people as white folks does for their’n” (170). Slowly,
Huck learns to recognize and acknowledge Jim’s humanity.

Avoid having a quotation stand alone as its own sentence.

Do not end a paragraph with a quotation.

Do not quote basic plot information. Quotations should reveal insight that
furthers your thesis.

Consult pp. 92-104 in the MLA Handbook for further information.