Introducing quotations

When you use quotations you should use quotation marks and note the author, year and page number. Depending on your programme some use italics and some programmes do not use it. This example does not use italics.

McIntosh (2001, p.23) noted that '...students' academic work was enhanced by citing sources correctly'.

Try and avoid using quotations, as the lecturer wants to hear 'your voice' . If you do use quotations over 50 words, use single line spacing with no quotation marks and add the author's name and date at the end. Long quotations, however, should rarely be used.

Modern education concentrates on teaching subjects, leaving the method of thinking, arguing and expressing one's conclusions to be picked up by the [scholars as they go along....Teachers] are doing for their pupils the work which pupils themselves ought to do. For the sole true end of education is simply this: to teach [people] how to learn for themseleves; and whatever instruction fails to do this is effort spent in vain. ( Sayers 1948, cited in Barrass, 2005, p3)

When you use diagrams, graphs or illustrations, reference your sources in the same way as for quotations (author's name, date of publication).

Some rules for using quotations

• Quotes must be exact, including any grammatical or spelling errors. You can include the word 'sic' in square brackets [sic] after the quoted material if there is an error in the words you are quoting. This tells the reader that the error is the writer's and not yours.
• Quotes should be used sparingly to make significant points and should fit well with the rest of your text.
• If you leave words out of a direct quotation use three dots to mark the omitted words: e.g. You do not 'have to use complete quotations... any unnecessary words can be omitted'.
• You can add words [which help in] making the meaning clearer. When you do this put your own words in square brackets, as above. You can use this device to ensure that your writing stays grammatically correct when using quotations.
• When quoting from a secondary source the authour, year and page number should come from the text you have read e.g. Smith (1966, cited in Fletcher, 2005 p. 57) reported that '... there is no difference between multiplayer high compression...'

Next: Citing references in the text

Updated: 9 March, 2010 | Effective Learning Service | Legal