Integrating Sources by Worth Weller

TOC Why use sources? What makes a good quote? How long should a quote be? How to “integrate” quotes How to avoid “dropped” quotes How to shorten quotes Using “block quotes” A few notes on paragraphs A few words on grammar, punctuation and citing

Why use sources? Your papers should be written in your own words. In fact, 66 to 75 percent of your paper needs to be your own views and thoughts. Quotes from sources are simply used to back up, prove, and illustrate your own thinking The reason you use sources is to show the reader that your opinions are informed by: What you read And what others have said about your subject.

What makes a good quote? When you are reading, you are looking for “arguments” that will support (or oppose) your own arguments You are looking for strong, powerful wording of articulately presented ideas. Stay away from dates and amounts Quote only exciting language, language that is controversial, or language that would lose its impact or clarity as a paraphrase.

Examples No: Mr. Weller said, “I was born May 1, 1946. I was conceived the day the Atom Bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. I am one of the very first post-war babies.” Yes: Mr. Weller said that he was “conceived the day the Atom Bomb was dropped on Hiroshima,” making him “one of the very first post-war babies.”

How long should a quote be? Short! Readers don’t like long quotes - they don’t know why you are using them Quote just one sentence at a time Often half a quote is better than a full quote!

Example: Long (boring) version: Tania Modleski suggests that "if television is considered by some to be a vast wasteland, soap operas are thought to be the least nourishing spot in the desert" (123). Shorter version: In her critique of soap operas, Tania Modleski argues that some view television as "a vast wasteland" and soap operas as "the least nourishing spot in the desert" (123).

How to “integrate” quotes Direct quotations should always have three parts: Quote: Material taken directly from the author Tag: Material that explains the following or preceding is a quote Source: Material that documents the source, such as page numbers

Examples In Duin's and Graves' study of vocabulary instruction, it is noted that "traditional vocabulary instruction is not effective" (328). "Traditional vocabulary instruction is not effective," notes a recent study (Duin and Graves 328). "Traditional vocabulary instruction," notes a recent study, "is not effective" (Duin and Graves 328).

More examples To avoid monotony, vary your tag phrases. As Flora Davis has noted, "..." Toni Morrison, recipient of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature, has stated, "..." "...," claims linguist Noam Chomsky. Psychologist H. S. Terrace offers an odd argument for this view: "..." Terrace answers these objections with the following analysis: "..."

How to avoid “dropped” quotes All quotes should have some form of “tag” information in the form of a subject and verb that comes before or after the quote In other words, quotes need to be “integrated” into a larger sentence of your own.

Example Dropped Quote Integrated Quote Although the bald eagle is still listed as an endangered species, its ever-increasing population is very encouraging. "The bald eagle seems to have stabilized its populations, at the very least, almost everywhere" (Sheppard 96). Integrated Quote Although the bald eagle is still listed as an endangered species, its ever-increasing population is very encouraging. According to ornithologist Jay Sheppard, "The bald eagle seems to have stabilized its populations, at the very least, almost everywhere" (96).

How to shorten quotes Ellipses (space dot space dot space dot space) indicate that some unnecessary words have been left out of a quotation. When using ellipses, remember that: when you quote just a WORD or SHORT PHRASE, no ellipsis is necessary; you do not use an ellipsis to indicate that you have left something out of the BEGINNING of a sentence; missing words from the END or somewhere in the MIDDLE of a sentence need to be indicated with an ellipsis

Examples "The Writing Center is located on the UNC campus and serves the entire UNC community." Shorter "The Writing Center . . . serves the entire UNC community." "The boys ran to school. Even though they were out of breath, they made it on time." "The boys ran to school. . . . they made it on time." "The red car came to a screeching halt that was heard by nearby pedestrians, but no one was hurt." "The red car came to a screeching halt . . . , but no one was hurt."

Using block quotes Quotes more than four lines long need to be set up as “block quotes.” Use them very sparingly: Readers don’t like them Profs think you are “padding” your paper They rob you of page length

Example Block quotes are usually introduced by a sentence of your own that ends with a colon. They are double spaced and indented 1”. Although Dickens never shied away from the political controversies of his time, he never, in Orwell's view, identified himself with any political program: The truth is that Dickens' criticism of society is almost exclusively moral. Hence his lack of any constructive suggestion anywhere in his work. He attacks the law, parliamentary government, the educational system and so forth, without ever clearly suggesting what he would put in their places. (416)

A few notes on paragraphs Never begin a paragraph with a quote - paragraphs begin with transitions and topic sentences. Never end a paragraph with a quote – your introductory paragraph ends with your thesis, your body paragraphs end with concluding sentences, and your conclusion ends with commentary. Use the quote in the middle of your paragraph to illustrate and support your topic sentence Then reflect on how that quote proves your point, explain what the quote means or make some other comment (commentary).

Example Hemingway uses the image of a momentary darkness to suggest the woman's growing disillusionment.  After her quarrel with the man, ”the shadow of a cloud moved across the field of grain . . . ," writes Hemingway (21).  A similar shadow gradually develops over their relationship. This eventually leads to her abandonment of the traditional patriarchal confines of society.

Some words on Grammar, Punctuation, and Citing Sometimes you have to change a word in a quote to make it fit the grammar of our whole sentence - show this with brackets. Commas always go inside the quote marks; semi-colons, exclamation points and question marks are outside unless they are the author’s Except where citing, periods go inside the quote marks. Use single quote marks to indicate quotes within quotes Parenthetical citations come at the very end.

Examples Gertrude asks her son Hamlet to "cast [his] nighted colour off" (1.2.68). Bewildered, Lear asks the fool, "Who is it that can tell me who I am?" (1.4.227). Why is Lear so rash as to let his "two daughters' dowers digest the third" (1.1.127)? When Elizabeth reveals that her younger sister has eloped, Darcy drops his customary reserve: "'I am grieved, indeed,' cried Darcy, 'grieved—shocked'" (Austen 295).

Sample Paragraph with Quotation

Summary Quote sparingly - do your own writing Quote only the good stuff Use tag material to integrate the quote into a larger sentence Never begin a paragraph with a quote Never end a paragraph with a quote.