Tips on how to integrate and cite a quotation -Set up your quote with a sentence before it. --Follow the quote with a sentence after it. --Use the three dots (known as the ellipses) to effectively cut part of a quote that you don’t need. --use brackets if you have to insert one word into someone else’s quote for clarity. --never start a paragraph with a quote Never end a paragraph with a quote

Purdue University Online Writing lab, (2010), says this about quotation: “they serve many purposes. One of the most important is to add support to your claim” without support your ideas are just a hollow opinion; they add nothing to intelligent discussion. I gave my opinion, and I backed it up with what the experts say  to give it authority and depth

Introduce your quote by integrating it with a signal sentence and a citation According to researcher Jane Doe As Jane Doe,, biologist from Stanford explains As one critic points out John Doe, a leading authority from the University of Harvard believes that

Quote Plops! The first and last sentence of a paragraph should not be a quote. Your follow up sentence must explain why your quote matters. The point of using quotes is to back up what you are saying so the first few sentences need to lead into your evidence, and the last few need to back up your topic in relation to your thesis. What’s the point or significance of the quotes.

When should a block quotation be used? A block quotation is an extract consisting of more than 40 words from another author’s work. Block quotations should be used in moderation, typically when using another writer’s words is a more effective way of illustrating an idea. Avoid using block quotations excessively as this practice gives the reader the impression that you are inexperienced in the subject or are simply filling pages to meet a word count requirement.

How should a block quotation be formatted? A block quotation is an independent paragraph that is indented five spaces from the left margin. Must be double-spaced like the rest of the paper, but do not enclose in quotation marks. The in-text citation should follow directly after the end punctuation of the final sentence.

An example One researcher outlines the viewpoints of both parties: Freedom of research is undoubtedly a cherished ideal in our society. In that respect research has an interest in being free, independent and unrestricted. Such interests weigh against regulations. On the other hand, research should also be valid, verifiable, and unbiased, to attain the overarching goal of gaining obtaining [sic] generalizable knowledge. (Simonsen,2012,p. 46) Note that although the block quotation is formatted as a separate block of text, it is preceded by an introductory phrase or sentence(s) followed by a colon.

Another Example Simonsen (2012) outlines the two opposing viewpoints: Freedom of research is undoubtedly a cherished ideal in our society. In that respect research has an interest in being free, independent and unrestricted. Such interests weigh against regulations. On the other hand, research should also be valid, verifiable, and unbiased, to attain the overarching goal of gaining obtaining [sic] generalisable knowledge. (p. 46) If the author’s name and the year of publication appear in the introductory sentence, the parenthetical in-text citation at the end of the paragraph should simply include the page number(s) of the original text, as shown in this example:

Ellipses In APA, the ellipsis is generally used only to indicate omitted material from within a sentence. Make sure the omission of the material does not changes the meaning of the material.

To form an ellipsis in APA style, use three periods with a space before each period and a space after the last period. Original: The hurricane no longer posed much of a threat to the Houston home of Mission Control, but managers did not want to take any chance and proceeded toward a Tuesday landing. Parts Omitted: “The hurricane no longer posed much of a threat . . . but managers did not want to take any chance and proceeded toward a Tuesday landing” (Peterson, para. 2, 2007).

Four periods are used to indicate omitted material between sentences: one to indicate the end of the sentence and three to indicate the omission. Original: Primary sources are original works. They can be first hand accounts, created by participants or observers (eyewitnesses) to events, or original works of art (written and visual). They may have been created at the time of the event or at a later date. Parts Omitted: “Primary sources are original works. . . . They may have been created at the time of the event or at a later date” (Leibensperger, para. 2, 2005). Ellipses are usually not included at the beginning or ending of a quoted passage in APA unless the ellipses are needed to prevent misreading.

brackets are used to add words to a direct quotation When additional words written by an someone other than the original author are inserted into a quotation, the added words must be surrounded by brackets. The inserted material must still flow and present an accurate representation of the author’s message in the original text.

Example--Using an excerpt from Marc Kutner’s book, Astronomy: A Physical Perspective, the bracketed words in the quoted sentence were inserted into the quotation to clarify the meaning of the word they: Original direct quotation: “Since they carry the continents with them as they move, we refer to this motion as continental drift” (Kutner, 2003, p. 451). Quoted sentence with added words: “Since they [tectonic plates] carry the continents with them as they move, we refer to this motion as continental drift” (Kutner, 2003, p. 451).

Brackets can also be used to indicate an original error in a direct quotation To indicate that an incorrect spelling or a grammar error appears in the original work and that you are accurately reproducing the original material, insert the word sic in italics and enclose it in brackets directly after the error [sic].

Brackets are used for any errors, be it misspellings, grammatical or redundancy. In response to the question, “How many hours of sleep per night, on average, do you receive?” one participant reported, “Twevle [sic] hours of sleep.” (Simonsen, p. 46, 2012) As Simonsen (2012) argues, “research should also be valid, verifiable, and unbiased, to attain the overarching goal of gaining obtaining [sic] generalisable knowledge” (p. 46). [2]