Quoting Sources

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When you quote words from a source, you need to quote accurately—that is, every word and every punctuation mark in your quotation must match the source exactly. You also need to be sure that your quotation conveys the meaning its author intended and that you are not distorting the meaning by quoting out of context or by omitting an essential part of the passage you are quoting.

WHEN TO QUOTE

Quote a source’s words only in the following situations:

  • Quote when your source’s words are distinctive or memorable.

  • Quote when your source’s words are so direct and concise that a paraphrase would be awkward or wordy.

  • Quote when your source’s words add authority or credibility to your argument (for example, when your source is a well-known expert on your topic).

  • Quote an opposing point when you will go on to refute it.

Remember, quoting from a source adds interest to your paper—but only when the writer’s words are compelling. Too many quotations—especially long quotations—distract readers and make it difficult for them to follow your discussion. Quote only when you must. If you include too many quotations, your paper will be a patchwork of other people’s words, not an original, unified whole.

QUOTING SOURCES

Do

  • Enclose borrowed words in quotation marks.

  • Quote accurately.

  • Include documentation.

Do not

  • Quote out of context.

  • Distort the source’s meaning.

  • Include too many quotations.

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EXERCISE 9.4

Read the following paragraphs from a newspaper column that appeared in the Calgary Herald. (The full text of this column appears in Exercise 9.5.) If you were going to use these paragraphs as source material for an argumentative essay, which particular words or phrases do you think you might want to quote? Why?

How do users not know that a server somewhere is recording where you are, what you ate for lunch, how often you post photos of your puppy, what you bought at the supermarket for dinner, the route you drove home, and what movie you watched before you went to bed?

So why do we act so surprised and shocked about the invasion of the privacy we so willingly relinquish, and the personal information we forfeit that allows its captors to sell us products, convict us in court, get us fired, or produce more of the same banality that keeps us logging on?

We, all of us, are digital captives. (Shelley Fralic, “Don’t Fall for the Myths about Online Privacy,” Calgary Herald, October 17, 2015.)