Start the quotation on a new line, with the entire quote indented 1/2 inch from the left margin while maintaining double-spacing. Your parenthetical citation should come after the closing punctuation mark. When quoting verse, maintain original line breaks. (You should maintain double-spacing throughout your essay.)

In-text citations include the last name of the author followed by a page number enclosed in parentheses. “Here’s a direct quote” (Smith 8). If the author’s name is not given, then use the first word or words of the title. Follow the same formatting that was used in the works cited list, such as quotation marks.

do NOT use quotation marks for the entire quotation — the graphic changes you have made already (changing the font, double indenting, etc.) are enough to indicate that the material is quoted. For quotations within that quotation, use normal quotation marks, not single ones.

Short quotes should use quotation marks (“ “), while long quotes should be italicized. None. Short and long quotes are formatted identically in essays.

There are no official limits to quotation length, though any quotations that are more than four lines should be formatted as a separate block quote. However, it is generally better to paraphrase the sources you cite rather than use direct quotations.

Long quotations Place direct quotations that are 40 words or longer in a free-standing block of typewritten lines and omit quotation marks. Start the quotation on a new line, indented 1/2 inch from the left margin, i.e., in the same place you would begin a new paragraph.

Block quotations start on their own line. The entire block quotation is indented 0.5 inches, the same as the indentation for a new paragraph, and is double spaced. Block quotations are not surrounded by any quotation marks. The text after the block quotation begins on its own line, with no indentation.

A long quotation contains more than four lines of quoted material. Place a colon after the introduction to the quotation, and indent the whole quotation one inch from the left side. These quotations can be either single or double-‐ spaced, and should not contain quotation marks unless they occur in the original text.

The words that precede and follow a quotation are just as important as the quotation itself. You can think of each quote as the filling in a sandwich: it may be tasty on its own, but it’s messy to eat without some bread on either side of it.

Floating quotations are quotations which seem to have been thrown into a. paragraph randomly, without any explanation.

There are four main ways to integrate quotations.

1. Introduce the quotation with a complete sentence and a colon.
2. Use an introductory or explanatory phrase, but not a complete sentence, separated from the quotation with a comma.

Blending Source Material with Your Own Work

1. Blend sources with your assertions. Organize your sources before and as you write so that they blend, even within paragraphs.
2. Write an original introduction and conclusion.
3. Open and close paragraphs with originality.
4. Use transparent rhetorical strategies.

The signal phrases used in the examples of this handout are written in bold print. There are three strategies you can use to embed quotations: set off quotations, build in quotations, or introduce quotations with a colon. Set-off quotations are set off from the sentence with a comma.

Quote = words from another text put directly into your own writing. AWE = author’s words exactly = quote.

Quotes in quotes: For quotes within quotes, use single quote marks, both opening and closing, for the internal quote. If both quotes end together, you would end with a single quote mark and double quotes marks. Example: He said, “The surgeon called it ‘just a simple technique.

colon

The in-text citation should appear in parentheses at the end of evidence and contain the author’s last name and the page number of where the quote can be found in the original source.

Supporting evidence

• Introduction paragraphs. (about 5% of essay word count). INTRODUCTION PARAGRAPHS have a special function.
• Body paragraphs. (about 90% of essay word count). BODY PARAGRAPHS carry your evidence (e.g. explanations, arguments, examples).
• Conclusion paragraphs. (about 5% of essay word count).

One way to do this is to embed the quote, which places the quote into the context of your own writing. For example: If the original text by John Doe reads: “As Sarah walked up the stairs, she came upon John, waiting at her door with her favorite flowers and a sorrowful expression on his face.”

State the idea you had about the text (if you are responding to a specific question, be sure your idea restates the question). Now give supporting evidence from the text. To cite explicitly, paraphrase or use quotes from the text. If you use direct quotes from a text, you must use quotation marks.

Here are some textual evidence examples you might use in an essay:

• Direct quotations from a book or other text source.
• Accurate summaries of what happened or was said in the text.
• Larger passages that relate directly to the thesis of your essay.
• Paraphrases of what the author says in the text.

Citing textual evidence

Evidence appears in essays in the form of quotations and paraphrasing. Both forms of evidence must be cited in your text. Citing evidence means distinguishing other writers’ information from your own ideas and giving credit to your sources.

Use a direct quotation only if the exact phrasing of the original material is crucial to your point. If you can paraphrase the idea in your own words, do so. Use quotation marks around the words you are borrowing directly from another source. For longer passages, use block quotations.

Introductory phrases to use and their contexts

1. [use relevant style guide’s in-text citation format]
2. As [Author] indicated/ stated/ discovered.
3. According to [Author],

How Do I Use Evidence?

1. Make sure your evidence is appropriate to the paper you are writing.
2. Make sure the evidence does, in fact, support your argument or your claims.
3. Tell your reader why this evidence supports your argument/claims.
4. Make sure you have an appropriate amount of evidence.

Evidence is defined as something that gives proof or leads to a conclusion. The suspect’s blood at the scene of a crime is an example of evidence. The footprints in the house are an example of evidence that someone came inside. The definition of evidence is to show proof.

To use evidence clearly and effectively within a paragraph, you can follow this simple three-step process: 1) introduce the evidence, 2) state the evidence, and 3) explain the main message you are emphasizing through the evidence.