Good Essay Writing Tips Include Employing the Proper Use of Quotes

Great essay writing tips include giving proper attributes to authors and others that you cite. Many writers have questions about using someone else’s words in academic writing. Hopefully, this article will provide some clarity.

Below are some points for citing a source when writing essays and academic papers. These points are the backbone of employing good essay writing tips.

McCombs tells us that "quotation marks enclose the quoted text, or the text is formatted as a block. The author is cited. The text is original."

So which format do you use when utilizing good essay writing tips? It depends on the length of the quote. For longer quotes, use the block format, which we will discuss a bit later. There are also different citation styles, which help to determine the format.

There are different ways to quote. MCCombs tells us that "three common ones are the APA (American Psychological Association), MLA (Modern Language Association) and Chicago Manual of Style."

This article will mostly be concerned with the MLA style. But here is some information on the APA and Chicago Manual of Style:

APA Style

When quoting a direct quote in APA, it is necessary to include the author’s last name, the year, and a page number. Commas will separate these. If the quote constitutes one page, use “p.” If the quote covers more than one page, use “pp.” (McCombs, 2021).

The in-text citation can be parenthetical or narrative. When using a parenthetical citation, place the information in parentheses after the quote (McCombs, 2021).

For more information on APA and Chicago Styles, click here.

MLA Style

In this style, an in-text citation includes the author’s last name and page number. It also can be parenthetical or narrative (McCombs 2021).

Examples of the in-text citation:

Writers aren't excited about their writing at first since the first draft "is the child's draft, where you let it all pour out and then let it romp all over the place, knowing that no one is going to see it and that you can shape it later" (Lamott 51).

Lamont states "the first draft is the child's draft, where you let it all pour out and then let it romp all over the place, knowing that no one is going to see it and that you can shape it later" (51).

Chicago Style

There are two types of Chicago-style citations. One is the author date system, and the other is the notes and bibliography system. The author date system, as in the APA style, includes the author, year, and page number in parentheses. This bibliography and note system uses footnotes to cite sources. A superscript number is placed after quotation marks. It indicates the author, title and page number. It can also display more information. Also, unlike citations in parentheses, the Notes and Bibliography system uses punctuation marks that appear between quotation marks. The footnote number comes after this (McCombs).

Find more information about these two types of Chicago-style citations here.

When Utilizing Proper Essay Writing Tips, You May Come Across the Block Quote

Block Quote

Another type of quote is the block quote, which was mentioned earlier. This type of quote is used when you quote more than a few lines from a source. There's no need for quotation marks. A block quote is indented and is used :

In APA style when quotes are longer than 40 words.

In MLA style when prose is longer than four lines and poetry or verse is longer than three lines.

In Chicago style when quotes are longer than 100 words.

We cite block quotes the same as regular quotes; however, if the quote ends with a period, the citation will appear after the period.

When using a quote, you'll want to preface it by commenting about it first. This tells your reader that she should be alert to what is coming. Also, give a statement after the block quote in your own words.

When it comes to essay writing tips, mastering this one should be high on your list.

MLA block example:

Wright uses heightened emotion to help his readers understand his characters:

Johnson led him back into the room. Over and over they asked him to tell what he had done, to show how he had done it. Several times he tried to open his lips to speak, but his jaws seemed locked. Finally, he made no attempt to speak at all; he merely shook his head when they talked to him. As he stood there gazing about in fear, the full seriousness of his predicament became plain. If he were being accused of a crime as horrible as this, then he was in deep danger. (34)

This passage is engaging to the point that we yearn to read more of the character's plight.

Here's More to Add to Your Essay Writing Tips List

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Introducing quotes

There are three main ways you can introduce quotes in a grammatically correct way. They are an introductory sentence, introductory signal phrase, and integrate into your own sentence (McCombs, 2021).

The following examples use MLA Style citations.

Introductory Sentence

Introduce the quote in a complete sentence followed by a colon.

When the author is named in your sentence, you can use present tense-verbs such as writes, states, shows, relates, and proposes, to describe the content of the quote (McCombs, 2021).

Examples:

Writers aren't excited about their writing at first: "The first draft is the child's draft, where you let it all pour out and then let it romp all over the place, knowing that no one is going to see it and that you can shape it later" (Lamott 51).

Lamott states that writers aren't excited about their writing at first: "The first draft is the child's draft, where you let it all pour out and then let it romp all over the place, knowing that no one is going to see it and that you can shape it later" (51).

Introductory Signal Phrase

Here, you use a signal phrase to mention the author or source. This, however, does not form a complete sentence. Note that after the phrase, there is a comma, not a colon (McCombs, 2021).

Examples:

Most seasoned writers agree that, "The first draft is the child's draft, where you let it all pour out and then let it romp all over the place, knowing that no one is going to see it and that you can shape it later" (Lamott 51).

As noted by Lamott, "The first draft is the child's draft, where you let it all pour out and then let it romp all over the place, knowing that no one is going to see it and that you can shape it later" (51).

Integrated Into Your Own Sentence

To cite a phrase that doesn’t form a full sentence, you can integrate it as a part of your sentence (McCombs, 2021).

Examples:

Writers aren't too hard on themselves because they realize that the "first draft is the child's draft, where you let it all pour out and then let it romp all over the place" because you know that you can get it into top shape later (Lamott 51).

Lamott offers that one reason authors aren't too hard on themselves is knowing the "first draft is the child's draft, where you let it all pour out and then let it romp all over the place," because you know that you can get it into top shape later (51).

In all styles, listing all the sources you cited at the end of your paper is imperative. Check each citation style for the requirements for formatting the introduction of quotes.

Essay Writing Tips Include Learning that Shortening a Quote is Often Necessary

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You can shorten a quote in a passage by eliminating unwanted words. Ellipsis shows the removal of unwanted text and consists of three dots. There should be a space before, after, and between each of the dots (McCombs, 2021).

Removing text should not distort the meaning of the passage or the author’s viewpoint.

Example of shortening a quote:

Regarding his character, Wright relates that, "he was stiff with terror; the siren was . . . so near that he had a wild idea that he had been dreaming and had not heard the approach of the siren and had suddenly awakened and now it was almost upon him" (52).

Using quotes is especially helpful when you need to support your view on a topic and when you need to lend credibility to your argument. It's important to know that using quotes effectively is key in putting into practice good essay writing tips. But avoid using too many.

Your subject matter should give you an indication of the number of quotes you should use. Your research topic may also suggest a recommended amount of quotes to use.

Essay Writing Tips Include Learning
About Paraphrasing and Plagiarism

Paraphrasing, putting the passage in your own words, shows that you have a grasp on the author’s meaning. You can put it in your own style, that is, letting your voice shine through. When you paraphrase, be sure to cite the source. Avoid plagiarizing (McCombs, 2021).

Plagiarism is copying someone else’s work and passing it off as your own. This is a no-no and breaks the rule of good essay writing tips. Plagiarism is considered cheating, and your instructor can throw out your paper. You can also be guilty of violating copyright laws.

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When using quotes properly, you can rest assured that you have addressed one of the principal aspects of writing a good paper. There are many other important essay writing tips. We will explore these in other articles on this site.

McCombes, S. (2021, September 20). How to Quote in Academic Writing. Retrieved January 7, 2022, from https://www.scribbr.com/citing-sources/how-to-quote/

Wright, Richard. The Man Who Lived Underground: A Novel. Library of America, 2021.