QUOTING SOURCES
INTRODUCTORY PHRASES
Introductory phrases are phrases that are used to introduce quotations or paraphrased information. It is
important to not overuse the same introductory phrases or verbs in describing research. The following
verbs are examples of verbs that can be used as part of introductory phrases to limit redundancy.
Useful Verbs
state
find
describe
show
argue
posit
assert
study
contend
report
note
propose
propose
write
claim
demonstrate
acknowledge
mention
contend
conclude
maintain
add
discover
volunteer
inferred
stress
grant
establish
suggest
reason
illustrate
observe
deduce
declare
emphasize
explain
Sample Phrases
The following introductory phrases provide examples of ways to introduce quotations or paraphrases in your
research and utilize some of the verbs above.
According to Jones, the inability to read was found to...
Hart wrote the ability to distinguish...
Smith reported that "men were unable to balance the ball" (237).
Researchers acknowledged that "the test was not valid due to a malfunction" (Kim 1).
The author mentioned that the release of pollutants was never...
The findings posited by Jones are clear evidence...
Rutledge concluded that "the sea was unsafe for the new motorcrafts" (6).
Piaget stressed the element of chance...
More sample phrases
In Amy Cruise's words,
Johnson's Field Guide to Exotic Animals reports that
Henry VIII suggested,
James Harner shows that
Clinton ventured to say,
As Elizabeth Montgomery puts it,
Lisa Stroud insisted that
Gauguin and Van Gogh agreed,
Michael Crichton believes that
Walt Whitman reminds us that
Nixon went on the record saying,
Linda Thornton remarked that
To quote Lyndon B. Johnson,
Kim's point is that
Isaac Asimov in Time argues,
Cicero goes on to explain that
William Hartford testified,
Poe observes that
Gillman leads the reader to the point that
According to Valerie Furmount,
Aristotle wrote,
Remember: It is important to use introductory phrases to introduce quotations and to place the quotations
in their appropriate places within the paper.