Although it is tempting to insert many quotations in your paper and to use your own words only for connecting passages, do not quote excessively. It is almost impossible to integrate numerous long quotations smoothly into your own text.
Except for the following legitimate uses of quotations, use your own words to summarize and paraphrase your sources and to explain your own ideas.
WHEN TO USE QUOTATIONS
When language is especially vivid or expressive
When exact wording is needed for technical accuracy
When it is important to let the debaters of an issue explain their positions in their own words
When the words of an important authority lend weight to an argument
When language of a source is the topic of your discussion (as in an analysis or interpretation)
It is not always necessary to quote full sentences from a source. To reduce your reliance on the words of others, you can often use signal phrases to integrate language from a source into your own sentence structure.
Kizza and Ssanyu observe that technology in the workplace has been accompanied by “an array of problems that needed quick answers” such as electronic monitoring to prevent security breaches (4).
Exercise: Integrating sources in MLA papers 1
Exercise: Integrating sources in MLA papers 2
Exercise: Integrating sources in MLA papers 3
Exercise: Integrating sources in MLA papers 4
signal phrase A phrase that cues and introduces the use of source material, usually by naming the author of the material.