Effectively Incorporating Quotations
General Principles
When integrating direct quotations into a paper it is important to move smoothly from the source
information to your own thoughts. If quotations are simply dropped into a paper without
significant warning, a reader may become confused as to the appropriateness and relevance of
that particular quotation. Therefore it is necessary to introduce the quotation, usually with its
author's name or the source from which it came, to give the reader adequate notice of the
relevance and importance of the quotation.
Achieving Variety when Introducing Quotations
While it is necessary to introduce direct quotations in order to qualify them in relation to the rest
of a paper, it is also necessary to introduce these quotations using a varied wording. It becomes
monotonous if all the quotations in a paper are introduced with stock phrases: "this critic states"
or "another critic says." A paper is much more interesting and cohesive if the introductory
phrases, or "signal phrases," are varied.
Here are some possible signal phrases:
In the words of author and activist Rick Bass, “My heart was wild and did not belong among
people."
As Flora Davis has noted, “The turbulent, affluent, optimistic 1960s provided an unusually
hospitable climate for feminism.”
The Gardners, experts in archaeology, point out that “Colorado was the cradle of the Anasazi
culture.”
“This action is in fact a call for a lawless world,” claims linguist Noam Chomsky.
Psychologist Sidney McMaynerberry offers an argument for his theory: “It’s all in your mind.”
Brady answers her critics by asserting, “I did not know that it was made of people.”
Use active verbs in signal phrases to indicate the author’s tone and stance. Is your source arguing
a point, making an observation, reporting a fact, drawing a conclusion, refuting an argument, or
stating a belief? Choose an appropriate verb, such as the one from the following list, to make the
author’s stance more clear. Be sure to look up any verbs you don’t know as the verbs differ in
meaning.
acknowledges
adds
admits
affirms
agrees
argues
asserts
believes
claims
comments
compares
concedes
confirms
contends
declares
denies
describes
disputes
emphasizes
endorses
grants
illustrates
implies
insists
notes
observes
points out
reasons
refutes
rejects
reports
responds
shows
states
suggests
summarizes
thinks
underlines
writes
Intext/Parenthetical References-MLA Style
Below are several examples of how sources are documented in the text of the research paper. It is important
to document in the text, sources of quotations, ideas or the paraphrasing of parts of an author’s work. This
documentation is usually known as “intext or parenthetical references.” In the MLA format the intext
references are keyed to the Works Cited at the end of the paper where they appear in complete
bibliographical form.
Functions of parenthetical references within a paper:
1. They signal places in your paper where you have paraphrased, summarized, or quoted material from
another source.
2. They say exactly where the material is located in the source.
3. They give information enabling a reader to find the sources in the list of references that appears at the
end of your paper. (This is called Works Cited in MLA documentation style).
Some examples

A typical example of an intext reference consists of the author’s last name and page number. Note
that the parenthetical references appear before terminal punctuation marks.
The colony’s religious and political freedom appealed to many idealists in Europe (Ripley 132).

If the author’s name or the title of the work is stated in the text, it is not necessary to include it in
the parenthetical reference.
Ripley states that the colony’s religious and political freedom appealed to many idealists
in Europe (132).

Quotations run in with the text. Parenthetical references appear after the quotation but before
terminal punctuation.
As Ross says, “Penn followed his conscience in all matters” (127).

Question marks or other punctuation which are not a part of the quotation go after the
parenthetical reference.
We must now ask, as Ross does, “Did Penn follow Quaker dictates in his dealings with
Native Americans” (128)?

However, if the question mark or other punctuation is part of the quote, it remains inside the
quotation marks.
“What a wonderful almanac you are Celia!” Dorothea Brooke responds to her sister (7).

If no author is provided, use an abbreviated title for the parenthetical documentation.
The use of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems has grown substantially
over the past five years as companies attempt to adapt to customer needs and to improve
their profitability ("Making CRM Work" 95).