Quoting from other texts is extremely important as you create your own texts. Quotation is a way of making the voices from other texts and authors say something in your paper. This shows how your work is in conversation with other writers. Also, direct quotation is crucial for proving the arguments you make about a text you've read.

It is important to learn to handle quotations well, though, since there is always the danger of letting those other voices begin to drown out your own voice, which is the one you obviously want most prominent.

Primary sources

Often you will quote from what are called primary sources, or from just one primary source. A primary source is the text you are commenting on directly in your writing. If you are writing an essay on Cristina Garcia's novel Dreaming In Cuban, then Dreaming In Cuban is your primary text. Generally, your primary source will be the place you go to support most (if not all) the claims you make in your writing.

It is possible to have multiple "primary" sources without having one more primary than another. Perhaps you are writing a paper on Emily Brontė's references to imprisonment in "The Prisoner: A Fragment," and "I'm Happiest When Most Away." These two poems would then be your primary sources.

Secondary sources

Secondary sources are those that focus on (either directly or indirectly) your primary source. For a paper on end rhymes in selected poems by Marianne Moore, for example, you will have a selection of her poems as your primary texts. In addition, you might find books on Marianne Moore herself, on her poetry, on theories of rhyming, on modernist poetry, on imagism, and on a variety of other related subjects. Any of these can be secondary sources. You are not writing directly about them, but you can read from them to stimulate ideas or to answer questions you might have. Also, quoting from secondary sources is often a good idea to show that you've done research on your topic and that you understand that your argument fits into a certain tradition, or history, of other readings.

You can use secondary sources to add authority to your work, in the sense that you are engaging other prominent critics in a given field. However, secondary sources should not be used to make your argument for you. Quotation from secondary sources should be sparing so that your voice remains prominent in your work. If anything, a quotation from a secondary source should support what you've already said by saying it in a slightly different way.

Introducing quotations

Never leave quotations hanging as sentences all by themselves. Always introduce a quotation. It is often a good idea to provide information on the author or source as a way of introducing your quotation, always drawing attention to an important aspect of why you've chosen this particular source. For example, here is an introduction to a fictitious quotation:

Wendy Smith, in her recent book Milton Revisited, writes that "Milton was a writer very much involved in the social debates of his era" (44).

Note that we name the author immediately and also draw attention to her book as a recent contribution to Milton scholarship. This quotation would support our discussion of Milton as a writer actively involved in the concerns of his era—a claim we could support by noting the number of pamphlets he published like Areopagitica and The Reason of Church Government.

Practice: Introducing quotations

Introduce the following fictitious quotations. Authors and page numbers are included in parentheses. Do not use a formula for introducing your quotations; try to practice a little variety.

"William Blake worked as an artist and an engraver." (Davis 67)
"1984 represents an ironic look at structures of power." (Kidd 29)
"The West Indies has produced some of the most important writers of the 20th century." (Haley 110)
"Borges' short stories involve a great deal of self-reflexivity." (Garland 301)

Documentation

Quoting means including the exact words from another text into your writing. Always be sure to quote accurately. Paraphrasing means taking general ideas from another text but putting them into your own words. Every time you quote or paraphrase, you must provide complete documentation. If you don't document sources, you are plagiarizing.

Be careful especially with paraphrasing. Only paraphrase when you want to summarize what would otherwise be a very long quotation in order to give a general sense of another author's ideas or arguments. Wherever possible, quote directly instead of paraphrasing. When you paraphrase you must rewrite entirely what the other text says. Don't just substitute a couple of synonyms. You must develop entirely different sentence structures.

In English classes, you'll be using the Modern Languages Association (MLA) style for documentation. Visit their web site at www.mla.org for information on current usage.

MLA style consists of two parts: in-text citation and a works-cited page. In-text citation, like the term suggests, is information you give about a source within the text of your paper. The works-cited page gives extensive publication information for each of your sources so that your reader can find the exact source you've used.

MLA in-text citation requires that you give the author and page number for sources you've quoted or paraphrased. For example: Northrop Frye describes his book The Great Code as "a study of the Bible from the point of view of a literary critic" (xi).

The parenthetical roman numeral at the end of the sentence constitutes the MLA in-text citation. Note that if you name the author in the sentence, you do not need to repeat the name in the citation. Do not write "page" or "pg" or anything aside from the page number itself. If you do not name the author in your own sentence, put the last name only in the citation: (Smith, 32). Note again there is nothing but the name and number.

There are so many possible sources you may deal with, it is best to get a recent writers' handbook that describes how to write citations for many different circumstances, including books, articles, CD-ROMs, web pages, newspapers, etc. Also, check the MLA web site for up-to-date information on citation style.

In addition to the in-text portion of MLA citation, you also need to construct a works-cited page that includes entries for all the sources you've paraphrased or quoted. Do not include entries for material you read but did not incorporate into your own work. For every author or source you mention in your in-text citation, there must be a corresponding works cited-entry.

The works-cited entries begin on a new page at the end of your paper. Entries are alphabetical. As with in-text formatting, since there are so many possible sources, you need to have a reference book handy which shows you how to format each source you've used.

For the in-text example above, you'd have an entry like this:
Frye, Northrop. The Great Code. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1982.

Practice: Building works-cited entries

Using readings that have been assigned for your class, make a works-cited page. Be sure that all parts are correct and that all works are in alphabetical order.
If you do not currently have a class reading list, use the list below. You will have to find complete publication information by using a library computer catalogue. Search for each book by title, and make a note of all the information you'll need to make a works-cited entry.


A Glossary of Literary Terms
Slow Learner
Visionary Company
City of Quartz
Omeros
Foucault's Pendulum