To quote someone in an essay, put their exact words in quotation marks, introduce them with a signal phrase, and add an in-text citation that credits the source. The citation format depends on your style: MLA uses the author’s last name and a page number, APA uses the author’s last name and the year. The quote must match the original word for word.
Quoting has three parts that always go together: the introduction, the quote itself, and the citation. Drop any one and the quote either reads as abrupt or counts as plagiarism.
How do you introduce a quote?
Never drop a quote into your essay on its own line with no lead-in. Introduce it with a signal phrase that names who is speaking, so the reader knows whose words these are before they read them.
The most common lead-in names the author and a verb: As Wordsworth wrote, “…” The verb does work, so choose one that fits: “argues,” “observes,” “notes,” and “claims” each carry a slightly different tone. You can also blend the quote into your own sentence grammatically, which reads more smoothly than a full stop before it. For the full range of options, see how to introduce a quote and how to integrate quotes.
How do you cite a quote in MLA?
MLA uses the author-page method. You need the author’s last name and the page number, either in the sentence or in parentheses after the quote.
Narrative, with the name in your sentence: Wordsworth described poetry as a “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” (263).
Parenthetical, with the name in the citation: Poetry is “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” (Wordsworth 263).
Either way, the citation points to a full entry on your Works Cited page. For the citation specifics, see MLA quote citation and the broader how to quote in MLA.
How do you cite a quote in APA?
APA uses the author-date method and adds a page number for a direct quote. The citation carries the author’s last name, the year, and the page.
She noted that “students often had difficulty using APA style” (Jones, 1998, p. 199).
If you name the author in your sentence, put the year right after the name and the page after the quote. For the details, see APA quote citation.
How do you quote a long passage?
Long quotes use a block format with no quotation marks. In MLA, any quote longer than four lines of prose becomes a block: start it on a new line, indent the whole thing half an inch, and keep it double-spaced. In APA, the threshold is 40 words. The citation goes after the closing punctuation of the block, not before. See how to block quote for the exact formatting.
When should you quote versus paraphrase?
Quote only when the exact words matter, when the phrasing is distinctive, precise, or that the wording itself is the point. For everything else, paraphrase: put the idea in your own words and still cite it. Over-quoting drowns out your own voice, and essays that lean too hard on quotes read as a stitched-together collection of other people’s sentences. For the technique, see how to paraphrase a quote, and for what counts as a direct quote, direct quotes.
FAQ
How do you quote someone in an essay?
Put their exact words in quotation marks, introduce them with a signal phrase naming the speaker, and add an in-text citation in your required style.
Do you need a citation for every quote?
Yes. Every quote needs an in-text citation, and the source needs a full entry in your Works Cited or References list. Quoting without citing is plagiarism.
How do you quote in MLA versus APA?
MLA uses the author’s last name and page number: (Wordsworth 263). APA uses the author’s last name, year, and page: (Jones, 1998, p. 199).
When should you paraphrase instead of quote?
Paraphrase unless the exact wording matters. Quote only for distinctive or precise phrasing; put everything else in your own words and still cite it.
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