Week Seven: What to Do When You Quote

Last week, we discussed different ways to use the passages that you cite in your essays and we invited you to think of those moments where you cite other people's words as moments where you are demonstrating what you can do with what you've read. In placing this emphasis, we mean to stress that citation is an intellectual rather than a mechanical activity. And, because we think of citation in this way, it influences how we read: for whether we are reading student papers or published essays, we always pay particular attention to those moments when the writer is citing someone else. These moments can show how the writer's mind works on a problem, what the writer thinks counts as evidence, and how the writer engages with other writers.

The most common misconception we've found in the first year writing course, though, is that there are "correct passages" to cite. So, as you think about what passages you should cite in your own work, you should realize that there are no correct or right or perfect passages out there in the assigned readings waiting for you to choose them; there are just words on the page or on the web which are available to be worked on by you. It is your job as a writer to show why the words you've selected to discuss are important and worthy of further discussion. Thus, there's no way to guide you to the "right" passages to cite. What we can do in what follows is provide you with the questions that can help you to work on the passages you're considering citing, questions that will help you assess whether or not the passages are worth including in your own essays.

Please note: you'll note find discussed here the mechanics of citation (i.e., where the quotation marks go and other punctuation matters). For a full consideration of these issues, please refer to the grammar handbook required for the course.

As you think about which passages to bring into your own writing, ask yourself the following questions about what you've read:

• What passages in the assigned reading do you think the author wanted you to focus on? Are there passages that the author has made to stand out in some way-through the use of italics, say, or by indentation or by placing under a heading?
  

• Is there a passage where the author introduces a new term or concept?
  

• Is there a passage where the author uses a familiar term-like "evolution," "dialogue," or "war"--in a new way?
  

• Are there passages where the author is saying something that you find surprising?
  

• Is there an example that the author uses that stands out in your mind?
  

• Are there passages that you had trouble following? Places where you think the author's argument isn't persuasive?

You'll note that these questions are meant to help you think about working with two different kinds of passages: those where you feel the author is doing new and interesting work and those where the author's writing has caught your attention. Both sorts of passages provide opportunities for you to explore the implications and the significance of what the author in the assigned reading has written; both sorts of passages give you material that you can work on with your own writing.

When using passages from sources in your essay, you have two choices: to provide the passage as a direct quotation or to paraphrase the passage in your own words. A direct quote incorporates the exact words from the text (set off by quotation marks or, for passages more than four lines long, through indentation) into your essay. A paraphrase articulates the same idea or information provided in the source text, but puts it in your own words (i.e. it does not use the exact words or phrases found in the source). Here are some guidelines for choosing when to quote directly and when to paraphrase.

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