Quote it
Citing textual evidence
CCSS
Reading Informational Text 1
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.1
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.1
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.1
Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.1
Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
~ General Rules for Incorporating Quotations in your Essay ~
Introduce your quotations
A quotation should never suddenly appear out of nowhere. You might...
Example: name the publication
An article in The New Yorker disparages the qualities of a good American housewife that were so esteemed in the 1950s. Every woman was expected to be “the epitome of housekeeper, cook, and child care provider” (Burl).
Vary the way you incorporate quotations in your sentences.
SIGNAL PHRASE Intro the source; use a quotation verb (said, claims, wonders) and comma before the quotation | Nobel Peace Prize winner Albert Schweitzer urged, “Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace.” |
HALF AND HALF Paraphrase part of the quotation and blend it with the most significant part quoted exactly | Schweitzer contends that humans will never find true peace until they offer “compassion to all living things.”
|
COLON Use your own assertion and a colon before the quotation | Albert Schweitzer sets a lofty goal for humans in his famous thought about compassion: “Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace.”
|
Pick the quotation verb which seems in each case to fit your purpose most exactly.
Note that the particular verb you choose helps orient your reader toward your opinion of the statement.
"Jones says," is neutral
"Jones states," is positive
"Jones alleges" is somewhat negative
Some common quotation verbs:
Discuss your quotations
Add your commentary
For example:
An article in The New Yorker disparages the qualities of a good American housewife that were so esteemed in the 1950s. Every woman was expected to be “the epitome of housekeeper, cook, and child care provider” (Burl). Women who did not possess any domestic leanings were, essentially, up a creek.
Remember: quotations support or illustrate your own points. They are not substitutes for your ideas, and they do not stand by themselves.
In-text citations v. parenthetical citations
There are 2 ways to cite your sources in your paper: Their names explain what they do!
IN-TEXT CITATION~ a citation in which the author’s name appears in the sentence itself, rather than within parentheses. The author’s name is part of the sentence.
Example: Nadeau claims that dogs make unique eye contact with humans.
In his article “It’s a Dog’s World”, Nadeau contends that dogs make
unique eye contact with humans.
wHICH METHOD FITS BEST WITH YOUR SENTENCE?
PARENTHETICAL CITATION (or PARENTHETICAL REFERENCE)
~ a citation that contains the required source information within parentheses at the end of your sentence.
~ use the author’s last name if available; if not available, use the text title.
Example: Dogs make unique eye contact with humans (Nadeau).
The old saying about never looking a dog in the eye simply is
not good advice (“It’s a Dog’s World”).