1. Quoting
Remember that any information which you directly take from a source (word for word) that you are obligated to cite (give credit) to the source within the body of your essay and also on your Works Cited page.
A parenthetical citation is the structure you use when citing (giving credit) to your sources in your essay’s body.
When giving credit to your source in the parenthetical citation, you will be using either the author’s last name, the organization’s name, the title of the article in quotation marks, or the name of the website in italics and the page number of the quotation, if available.

2. Structures for Quotations: MLA Format
You will be using two structures for your quotations:
1. Inserted Quotation: when you quote four lines
or less of the source within your essay’s body.
2. Block Quotation: when you quote five lines or
more of the source within your essay’s body.

3. Inserted Quotations (four lines or less of a quote)
Two Basic Structures of an Inserted Quotation:
1. Inserted Quotation with a lead-in:
Smith notes, “Quotation” (2).
2. Inserted Quotation without a lead-in:
“Quotation” (Smith 2).
A lead-in introduces a quotation and usually contains the author’s last name (if available) with a verb of attribution (states, argues, etc.); however, you may also introduce a quotation by crediting an organization, “article title,” or website. When you use a lead-in, you will be obligated to cite the source’s page number, if available, in the parenthetical citation after the quotation.
If you do not use a lead-in before your quotation, you will be required to cite your source in the parenthetical citation at the end of the quotation (Smith 2).
With inserted quotations, the period goes after the parenthetical citation.
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NOTE: Depending on your source, the structure of your parenthetical citation might vary, such as in the case if your source has no author. Please reference the MLA Packet, and look on pages 4-5 for different scenarios that you might encounter, such as multiple authors, organizational authors, or no credited author.

4. Example of an Inserted Quotation
Lock argues, “Arts-related study, no matter the art, is critical to building a child’s self-esteem—whether in a studio, classroom, or playground.”
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(NOTE: Because this was an online article, you will notice that no page number is credited; however, if a page number exists, always credit it.)

5. Block Quotations (five lines or more of a quote)
Two Basic Structures of a Block Quotation:
1. Block Quotation with a lead-in:
Smith notes:
Quotation. (2)
2. Block Quotation without a lead-in:
Quotation. (Smith 2)
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Note: As you are typing in your quotation into your essay, if
the quote’s length is five or more lines, you must space down
and indent the entire quote, so it is blocked off from the rest of
your paragraph. You will not punctuate the quoted language with
quotation marks unless the original language is in quotation marks
inside the source, such as someone being quoted. Also, note
that the period should go before the parenthetical citation.

6. Example of a Block Quotation
The narrator of Pride and Prejudice influences the reader’s thinking:
Mary had neither genius nor taste; and though vanity had given her application, it had given her likewise a pedantic air and conceited manner, which would have injured a higher degree of excellence than she had reached. Elizabeth, easy and unaffected, had been listening to with much more pleasure, though not playing half so well. (Austen 23)
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NOTE: Make sure to use a complete sentence (independent clause) when introducing a block quote. Also, avoid ending a paragraph with a block quotation, and instead, provide some commentary on its content in your own language; you will resume your original margin to conclude the paragraph.

7. Misconceptions about Paraphrasing
Most students understand that when you take language from a source and place it in your writing that you must place its language in quotation marks and credit its origin (author/source). However, many students do not realize that you also must credit ideas, such as statistics.
If you change the source’s language into your own wording yet you still mention an idea from it, you are still obligated to cite (give credit) to the source within the body of your essay and also on your Works Cited page.
Even though you will not be using quotation marks around your paraphrase, you must still cite the source’s ideas in a parenthetical citation. You credit paraphrases in a similar structure to inserted quotations.

8. Example Paragraph with a Paraphrase (underlined):
Some argue that gaining a college education is vital in the United States’ current economy, but they suggest that it be limited to community or career colleges. In his article, “The Value of a College Education,” Billitteri argues that many young people cannot handle the pressures, responsibilities, and demands placed on them by universities. He projects that it could take years for some to recoup from the steep investment required by four years of college. Further more, about fifty percent of jobs in America are considered middle-skilled and require only an associate degree or a certification from a technical school (Billitteri). He also cites Tony Zeiss, president of Central Piedmont Community College, who states that “seventy-five percent of …jobs consistently require training beyond high school but below baccalaureate.”

9. Tips to Paraphrase Correctly
Do not just change every other word of the original quote!
Significantly change the structure of the quotation; for example, if the quotation is in the structure of a compound sentence, change the paraphrased sentence that you write into a complex sentence.
Get out your thesaurus for synonyms to help you reword the quote into language that you are comfortable in using.
Remember that the rule is that if you keep four words of the source’s original language that you have to place the language in quotation marks.
Keep your paraphrased sentences fairly short/condense; paraphrase a sentence or a whole paragraph from a source, but avoid anything longer from the source.

10. Read the following quotation; on the next page, two paraphrased versions of it are provided.
To be sure, a bachelor's degree is a laudable goal for many young adults, one that can pay big dividends in personal satisfaction, career opportunities and earnings. [According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in] 2007 people with a bachelor's degree earned an average $57,181, or 63 percent more than those with some college or an associate's degree and 83 percent more than those with only a high-school diploma. (qtd. in Billitteri)

11. Paraphrases of the Previous Quotation
The College Board reports that graduates from two-year colleges owe little to no debt in contrast to those graduating from four-year colleges (Billitteri).
Billitteri notes that a staggering debt difference exists between college graduates with thirty-eight percent of two-year college graduates owing no debts and sixty-two percent of four-year college graduates owing no debts.
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NOTE: These two versions show different scenarios that you can take when paraphrasing. The first paraphrase is an overview of the author’s idea with a general discussion of its content; on the other hand, the second paraphrase more specifically stating the author’s statistical findings.