For writing that argues a point or puts forward an opinion, incorporating quotes from authoritative and valid sources is often a necessity. After all, there’s no way you can convince the reader of anything you put forward, unless you can back it up.
When incorporating quotations into your writing, there are various ways you can do it. Some will work better than others, depending on the type of paper you are writing and the information you are quoting. We generally recommend that writers try a couple of variations out, in order to discern which works best.
Do note, that if you’re directly quoting a chunk of text from a source, make sure to run it through a grammar software and mark off found mistakes. Add a notation to let the reader know you recognized the error, but chose to keep it for the purposes of preserving the essence of the quote.
Combining a quote and a paraphrase. With this technique, you directly quote a portion of the statement, while paraphrasing another part. This is a good idea with quotations that can be expressed in simpler terms – directly quote the impactful portions and paraphrase the rest.
Introduce the quotation by citing the source. This is as straightforward as quotations get. You simply mention the name of the authority and lead off into what was said. If you want to give context, you can even describe the source of the information.
Use handpicked keywords only. In this technique, you basically rewrite the statement, but handpick key words and phrases, so that they may be directly attributed to the original source.
Tags: adding quotes, incorporating quotes, quotations, quotes
