Quote Integration

• A quote should NEVER function as an independent sentence in your essay.

• Your own thoughts must either precede or follow the quote.

• The only time punctuation is at the end of the quote is when a question mark or an exclamation point is present:

            1) When Susie says, “I’m so glad you came!” she reveals her excitement (Ski 2).

            2) When Susie asks, “Why didn’t you come?” she reveals her bewilderment (Ski 2).

• Otherwise, the period goes at the end of the parenthetical citation.

• If you would like to omit any part of a quote, simply insert spaced ellipses. 

“It’s so hot . . . I could melt” (Ski 36). Please note that the SPACE BAR has

been pressed between each period.

• If you would like to add to a quote you must use brackets.

“It’s so hot [even though the air is on] I could melt” (Ski 36).

• If pronouns in a quote are unclear (he, her, them, etc), you may add identification in your quote. Just insert brackets so that we know what you have added.

            “If it . . . please[s] her [Janet], I would propose immediately” (Ski 1).

• If you are quoting dialogue within your quote, use single quotation marks to denote it.

            “When Jake said ‘I have a great idea,’ we all knew trouble was coming” (Ski 1).

• There are only THREE ways to integrate quotes:  (However, they each come with a set of rules).

            1. Your own words “Quote” (Author #).

When the quote is the final part of your sentence, you can introduce the quote one of three ways: with a signal phrase like he says, or she says; with a colon (:); or as an extension of your own words.

                        He says / She says:      

                        Atticus metaphorically explains the reason people should leave Boo Radley alone

when he says, “remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (Lee 86).

Colon:

Atticus metaphorically explains why a man like Boo Radley should be left alone:

“it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (Lee 86).

Extension of your own words:

The children learn to leave Boo Radley alone due to their father’s lesson that “it’s

a sin to kill a mockingbird” (Lee 86).

            2. “Quote” (Author #) your own words.

When the quote is the first part of your sentence, you must make sure to blend it with your own words to make a seamless sentence. Again, you can integrate the quote as an extension of you own words, with a comma, or with a colon.

Your own words:

“Standing on the Radley porch was enough” (Lee 234) for Scout to fully empathize with Boo’s position within her own life.

Comma:

“Standing on the Radley porch was enough” (Lee 234), both as an epiphany and as a realization of a childhood goal, for Scout to fully empathize with Boo’s position within her own life.

Colon:

“Standing on the Radley porch was enough” (Lee 234): Scout now has attained the empathy for Boo’s position that she lacked throughout the text.

            3. Your words “Quote” (Author #) your words.

Placing a quote in the middle of a sentence is usually achieved through commas, or a combination of commas and extending your own words.

When Scout says, “Boo’s children needed him” (Lee 233), she ultimately

gives Boo the responsibility for her welfare.

• Avoid Plagiarism.  When you paraphrase, you must make it clear in your sentence that the ideas belong to someone else and are not yours. Also, include parentheses that follow your paraphrasing.

            Original:

Some of Dickinson’s most powerful poems express her firmly held conviction that life

cannot be fully comprehended without an understanding of death.

            Plagiarism:

Emily Dickinson firmly believed that we cannot fully comprehend life unless we also

understand death.

Paraphrased:

As Wendy Martin has suggested, Emily Dickinson firmly believed that we cannot fully

comprehend life unless we also understand death (625).