Guidelines for using quotations:
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Make your point first and then use a quote to support it; the reverse is rarely effective. Also, quotes should generally not be used to begin paragraphs since they will probably not contain a transition to the thought in the previous paragraph. |
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It is rarely acceptable to use a quote that is not connected to some comment or explanation of your own. |
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Do not place quotes back to back without an intervening comment of your own. |
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Quotes used to support your points should far outnumber those used to present a memorable phrase. |
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The number of short quotes used should far outnumber long quotes. No quotations should be any longer than necessary. See section on the use of ellipsis points. |
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Quoted material must fit into the grammar and syntax of your sentence. Be careful of pronoun agreement and tense shifts. If you need to alter a quote, see the section on using brackets. |
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Long quotes are generally preceded by a colon that is placed after the last word of your comment. If your comment is not a complete thought, then some other mark of punctuation or none at all may be appropriate. You may also use a colon to precede a short quote appearing within your text. |
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Information of a purely factual nature is better presented as a paraphrase than as a quotation. |
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Direct quotes should occupy no more than twenty percent of the total length of your paper. |
While you are reading articles by professional critics, observe how they use quoted material. Also, examine the student-produced research paper at the end of this booklet for samples of quotation techniques:
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short quote with a signal phrase or running acknowledgement |
(Student Sample Pg. 6 bottom in .PDF)
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short quote following a colon |
(Student Sample Pg. 2 bottom in .PDF)
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ragmentary quote incorporated within sentence |
(Student Sample Pg. 5 top in .PDF)
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long quote |