Properly Quoting In An Essay

However, this is why proper formatting is important—properly formatted quotes help the reader better understand the information being presented, keeps different research organized discreetly, and allows the reader to easily find the research being used in the Works Cited page.Deciding how to incorporate your research into a paper depends on what the writer needs the research to do exactly and how it will impact the length and flow of the paragraphs.

Place every quotation between quotation marks (" ") and copy the text word-for-word, including the text’s original punctuation and capital letters.

For help with citing properly, see our guides on: Make sure to explain your quotations.

For example, a student researching the business model of Starbucks might make a claim that the chain understands how to thrive in international communities.

Several pieces of research can support this claim as evidence, such as statistics about Starbucks’ growth in China over the past few years or a quote from an industry expert who explains how well Starbucks does internationally compared to other coffee chains.

For paragraphs with simple claims, often one piece of evidence is needed.

However, it is sometimes necessary and completely fine to use more than one piece of research or more than one quote in a paragraph.

Documenting research in an MLA paper involves two basic steps: noting where research is used in each instance within a paper and entering a citation in the Works Cited Page.

While finding and integrating information into a paper can sometimes be challenging—which is sometimes the point with these assignments—citing it correctly is not as difficult.

For example (with an APA-formatted citation): If you want to include a quotation into your writing, make sure to introduce, cite, and explain the quotation. Introduce your quotes by stating the author’s last name, any necessary background information, and a signal verb.

According to APA guidelines, signal verbs should be written in the past tense, for all quotes.