How To Embed Quotes in Your Essay Like a Boss


You'll use direct quotes to support your arguments throughout your degree. Learn how to reference your sources properly and show who said what to save you time and stress later on.


Using direct quotes in your writing improves your work and shows evidence of research and ideas in your assessments. Here, we explore how to use different quotes in your assessments.

There are various reasons to use direct quotations in academic writing. You'll usually use them as an example of ideas in your assignment, but exactly how you use them varies depending on your discipline. History or Sociology students use quotes differently to Biology or Computing students, for example. You should consult your course handbook, speak to your tutors and learn from your previous assignment feedback to explore how direct quotations are used on your course. Reading around your subject will also help you understand how academics in your field write.

What is the best way to use a quotation in an essay

Direct quotes are useful for defining or describing specific concepts, whereas paraphrasing or summarising information from other sources shows that you understand the content and general idea. Try to summarise sources in most of your work and use direct quotes when they'll have a strong impact. Make it clear to the reader that you understand the quote and its context, and why you've used a quote instead of paraphrasing.

You can use a quote to emphasize or support your arguments. Moreover, quotes are added to provide additional insights to the topic of the paper. It is up to you how you are going to incorporate a quote into your essay. My advice to you is to use them intelligently.

Have you ever wondered how to put a quote in your essay? If your answer is “yes”, then I got your back! This is the main focus of today’s session.

Using quotes properly will support your points and improve your assignments. Use quotes that back up your argument rather than quotes that 'look good' or sound impressive. Make sure you understand what a quote is saying in its context and explain its meaning in your work. Using quotes out of context or misinterpreting them to support your point won't improve your marks.


How to Quote in an Essay (5 Simple Steps)

3. Cite your quotes!!! This will depend on what format you're using, but in every format, it is necessary to cite your quotations so that a reader will be able to find the location of the quote to check your evidence. Here are guidelines for citing in MLA and APA styles. For more styles and details, see the links to this question.

Academic Guide For Students: How to Put a Quote in an Essay

The exact format of a quote depends on its length and on which citation style you are using. Quoting and citing correctly is essential to which is easy to detect with a .

How can I integrate quotations into my essay

Having an in-text citation in your paper prevents you from being accused (or being charged) of plagiarism by your instructor. The next section will tackle how you can properly quote a quote.

How to Integrate Quotes SEAMLESSLY in Your Essays

For quotations of fewer than 40 words, add quotation marks around the words and incorporate the quote into your own text—there is no additional formatting needed. Do not insert an ellipsis at the beginning and/or end of a quotation unless the original source includes an ellipsis.

How to Place a Quote in an Essay

You'll often use direct quotes in the middle of a paragraph. Use double quotation marks at the beginning and end of the quote, use the exact words from the original text and show your source, or your work being could be considered as plagiarism. For example:

How to Integrate Quotes into Your Essay

You asked, how can I quote a quote? I’ll give you a simple answer — by having an in-text citation. In APA, you have to write the following in an in-text citation: