Primary Sources: Intro and Quoting
Primary Sources
• Primary Source: source that is also your subject of
study; the original words or ideas of a writer or
researcher; “first-hand” information
• Examples: works of literature, speeches, letters, original
research (experiments, surveys, interviews, etc.)
Preview of Secondary Sources
• Secondary Source: source written by someone else
about primary materials or some other topic; “secondhand” information
• Examples: scholarly books and essays, periodical articles
(newspapers, magazines, journals), reputable websites
Quotations
• Borrowed ideas presented in the exact language of the source.
• Must be enclosed in quotation marks
• Use the source’s words, punctuation, spacing, etc. exactly as they appear in
the source (unless indicated with ellipsis points or brackets)
Essay 3 Requirements
• About six quoted lines per page total (25% of essay),
including both primary and secondary sources.
• Use at least two quotations from the story or stories in
each analysis paragraph to illustrate your observations or
provide needed detail.
• Be selective: Save quotations from the primary sources
(the stories) for important material and paraphrase the
rest (put into your own words).
• Recognize that quotations don’t have to be lengthy.
Short quotations, even phrases, can work well.
Integrating Quotations Correctly from Your
Primary Sources
• Introduce the quotation
– Use a short phrase with a comma
– Use a full sentence with a colon
– Combine with your own sentence with no additional punctuation
• Include the author’s name.
• Include the page number (if there is one) in parentheses at the end of the
quotation.
• Place the final period after the parentheses.
Short Phrase with Comma
• As Desiree herself claims, “It is a lie; it is not true, I am
white!” (Chopin).
• NOTES:
• You also may need to indicate which character is speaking.
• If there is punctuation other than a period to end the quotation,
include it inside the quotation marks and still place a period
after the parentheses.
• Not all stories have page numbers. If there is no page number,
simply omit it.
Full Sentence with Colon
• The narrator summarizes Louise’s transformation near
the end of the story: “There was a feverish triumph in
her eyes, and she carried herself unwittingly like a
goddess of Victory” (Chopin).
• NOTES:
• The full sentence introduction often summarizes or previews
the quotation for the reader.
• Only a colon may be used to join the full sentence
introduction to the quotation.
• NOT: The narrator summarizes Louise’s
transformation near the end of the story. “There was
a feverish triumph in her eyes, and she carried herself
unwittingly like a goddess of Victory” (Chopin).
• NOT: The narrator summarizes Louise’s
transformation near the end of the story, “There was
a feverish triumph in her eyes, and she carried herself
unwittingly like a goddess of Victory” (Chopin).
Your Sentence, No Punctuation
• Miss Brill senses “something light and sad” at the park
(Mansfield 183).
• NOTES:
• If there is a page number, include it after the author’s name.
Include a space but no punctuation between them).
It has to make sense!
• Integration: Fit the quotation into your sentence so that
it is logically, grammatically, and stylistically effective.
• NOT: After Armand finds out the baby’s race, he talks to
Desiree “it was with averted eyes, from which the old
love-light seemed to have gone out” (Chopin).
• INSTEAD: After Armand finds out the baby’s race, he
talks to Desiree “with averted eyes, from which the old
love-light seemed to have gone out” (Chopin).
• NOT: One piece of evidence in the story is, “But to-day she passed the
baker's by, climbed the stairs, went into the little dark room–her room
like a cupboard–and sat down on the red eiderdown” (Mansfield 189).
• INSTEAD: After the devastating conversation of the couple at the park,
“she passed the baker's by, climbed the stairs, went into the little dark
room–her room like a cupboard–and sat down on the red eiderdown”
(Mansfield 189).
Ellipsis Points for Omitted Material
 After the devastating conversation of the couple
at the park, “she passed the baker's by, climbed
the stairs, went into the little dark room–her
room like a cupboard–and sat down on the red
eiderdown” (Mansfield 189).
 After the devastating conversation of the couple
at the park, “she passed the baker's by, climbed
the stairs, went into . . . her room like a
cupboard–and sat down on the red eiderdown”
(Mansfield 189).
 After the devastating conversation of the couple at the park,
“she passed the baker's by, climbed the stairs, went into the
little dark room–her room like a cupboard–and sat down on
the red eiderdown” (Mansfield 189).
 After the devastating conversation of the couple at the park,
“she passed the baker's by, climbed the stairs, went into the
little dark room–her room like a cupboard . . .” (Mansfield
189).
• NOTE: You do not need to use ellipsis points if you omit
something from the beginning of a quotation or if you keep
only a short phrase.
Brackets for Added Material
• After the devastating conversation of the couple at the
park, “she passed the baker's by, climbed the stairs,
went into the little dark room–her room like a
cupboard–and sat down on the red eiderdown”
(Mansfield 189).
 After the devastating conversation of the couple at the
park, “she [Miss Brill] passed the baker's by, climbed
the stairs, [and] went into the little dark room–her
room like a cupboard . . .” (Mansfield 189).
Block Quotations
• More than 4 lines in your essay
• Full-sentence introduction, generally followed by colon
• Indent one inch (or two tabs)
• Omit quotation marks around entire quotation
Miss Brill comes to believe that she is an important part of life at the park:
Oh, how fascinating it was! How she enjoyed it! How she loved sitting
here, watching it all! It was like a play. It was exactly like a play. Who
could believe the sky at the back wasn't painted? But it wasn't till a
little brown dog trotted on solemn and then slowly trotted off, like a
little "theatre" dog, a little dog that had been drugged, that Miss Brill
discovered what it was that made it so exciting. They were all on stage.
They weren't only the audience, not only looking on; they were acting.
Even she had a part and came every Sunday. No doubt somebody
would have noticed if she hadn't been there; she was part of the
performance after all. (Mansfield 186-87)
The remainder of paragraph continues here, from the regular left margin.
Internal Quotations
• If the passage you are quoting contains quotation marks within it,
change them to single quotation marks.
• NOT: The other soldiers accept the narrator after his cruel actions:
““The lad’s all right,” one of them said, winking and scooping up the
cabbage soup with his spoon” (Babel).
• INSTEAD: The other soldiers accept the narrator after his cruel
actions: “‘The lad’s all right,’ one of them said, winking and scooping
up the cabbage soup with his spoon” (Babel).
Quoting Dialogue
• If you quote dialogue (conversation) that continues over
more than one paragraph, use the block quotation format,
regardless of the length of the quotation.
• Duplicate the line breaks, indentations, and use of
quotation marks.
Quoting Dialogue Example
The final exchange between Desiree and Armand illustrates, finally,
Desiree's utter dependence on Armand:
He said nothing. “Shall I go, Armand?” she asked in tones
sharp with agonized suspense.
“Yes, go.”
“Do you want me to go?”
“Yes, I want you to go.” (Chopin)
Tragically, this exchange and the dependence it illustrates lead
directly to Desiree’s death, both emotionally and physically.