Using Quotations, Part II
Note: This post has been updated per APA 7.
Good news! Quotes are not required in a study! But they can sometimes be potent statements in an argument. If you use them, however, use them sparingly. It's recommended that no more than 10% of the words in a study should be quoted. (And even that rate might raise eyebrows.) We recommend following this guideline for course papers as well. Generally, paraphrasing or summarizing is preferred to using a quote. Quotations are very common—sometimes they are just the ticket, or, as Nik wrote last week, the icing on the cake—but proper application and style are a must.
Good news! Quotes are not required in a study! But they can sometimes be potent statements in an argument. If you use them, however, use them sparingly. It's recommended that no more than 10% of the words in a study should be quoted. (And even that rate might raise eyebrows.) We recommend following this guideline for course papers as well. Generally, paraphrasing or summarizing is preferred to using a quote. Quotations are very common—sometimes they are just the ticket, or, as Nik wrote last week, the icing on the cake—but proper application and style are a must.
Here’s a series of 10 tips, suggestions, and reminders about how best to use quotes.
1. All quotations
need quotation marks (" "). Readers need to know where your words end and where those of
the quote begin and end.
2. All quotes need a
citation that includes the source (author), year of publication, and page number, paragraph number, or heading title to direct readers to where cited text appears. Sometimes a quote will span two
pages; if so, include both pages.
3. Many students
forget that readers need quotations to be introduced. (See No. 4 and 5 below.) Readers
need to know that a quote is coming. In fact, the introduction typically constitutes
the essence of the quote—that is, the claim you want to make—which you then support
with the well-phrased quote.
4. In this way,
quotes support claims rather than
make them. (As implied below, part of the problem with using a quote to make a
claim is that, without an introduction and explanation, the quote can be
misunderstood.)
5. It’s not fair to
readers to just drop a full-sentence quote into the middle of a paragraph to
make a point. Even if it’s authoritative and brilliant, it’s jarring; it takes
the reader out of the flow of your paragraph—in part because the quote is not
in your own voice—and that can diminish your reader’s comprehension.
6. Rather than using
full sentences, use only as much of a quotation as necessary to make your point
and then carefully integrate the quote into your text (for example, making sure
it fits the syntax of your own sentence). Put another way, a quote should fit
seamlessly into your sentence.
7. As noted in No.
4, instead of using quotes to make a claim or point, quotes should be used to back
up a point. Here are two other good uses: when you want to emphasize the exact phrasing from the source, when the quote is too complex to accurately paraphrase, or when the quote is exceptionally well
written!
8. After the quote
has been introduced and after it has been carefully positioned in your
sentence, it must then be explained, right
away, including its significance in the context of the paragraph. If you
don’t explain it, you are leaving it up to the readers to make their own
interpretation—and they could be wrong. You must tell your readers what the
quote means and why it is important.
9. Obviously, then, a
quote cannot start or end a paragraph. Paragraphs must start with topic
sentences and end with transition sentences.
10. In sum, when you are
considering using a quotation, first see if you can paraphrase or summarize it.
If, however, a quote seems appropriate, then quote only what’s needed and take
care to both introduce and explain it.
For examples of using quotations effectively, see our Using Evidence resource and APA 7, Section 8.25.
Other posts you might like:
Using Quotations, Part 1
Context, Context, Context!
WriteCast Episode 3: Creating a Successful Paragraph
Dissertation Editor Tim McIndoo, who joined Walden University in 2007, has more than 30 years of editorial experience in the fields of education, medicine, science and technology, and fiction. When it comes to APA style, he says, "I don't write the rules; I just help users follow them."
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