How You Integrate a Quote into an Essay Depends on Three Factors:
Note that block quotations should be used sparingly. Block quotations tend to take over the voice of the paper, often overshadowing the voice of the author with that source’s voice. Instead, if at all possible, try to quote smaller portions of the piece of text and incorporate these into your own voice. This practice will not only allow you to establish your voice as the author but also show the way you are engaging with the information, not just reporting it.
Block quotes should be used when the specific wording or style of the quoted text is essential to your point. How often you use them depends partly on your field of study.
Avoid relying on block quotes from academic sources to explain ideas or make your points for you. In general, quotes should be used as sparingly as possible, as your own voice should be dominant. When you use another author’s ideas or refer to previous research, it’s often better to by .
So why does it matter how I format my block quotes, then?
A paragraph should never end with a block quote. Directly after the quote, you need to comment on it in your own words. Depending on the purpose of the block quote, your comment might involve:
To put a quote in an essay, incorporate it directly into a sentence if it's shorter than 4 typed lines. For example, you could write "According to researchers," and then insert the quote. If a quote is longer than 4 typed lines, set it off from the rest of the paragraph, and don't put quotes around it. After the quote, include an in-text citation so readers know where it's from. The right way to cite the quote will depend on whether you're using MLA, APA, or Chicago Style formatting.
If you quote two or more paragraphs, indent the first line of each paragraph an additional ¼ inch. However, if the first sentence quoted does not begin a paragraph in the source, do not indent it the additional amount, only indent the subsequent paragraphs. Here is an example where the first sentence is the beginning of a paragraph:
Long quotations should be kept to a minimum in your essay. Additionally, you should only use those parts of the long quotation that you really need. If a passage has a middle section that doesn’t relate to the point you are making, drop it out and replace it with an ellipsis (…) to indicate that you have left out part of the original text.
MLA Style Guide: 8th Edition: Block Quote
Hereâs the primary reason why I burnt out: I was too hard on myself. My exam study plan was rather ridiculous and unattainable. My target was to do at least one essay per day from the start of Term 4. In fact, in my September holidays I did not just one essay a day, but often two or three! Sheesh! No wonder I burnt out. I found that over the next few weeks, I started to repeat a lot of similar essay prompts, I would write the same phrases or quotes over and over again, and I personally think that this hindered my development because I was starting to regurgitate everything I had done so far, rather than pushing forward and writing with new ideas and thoughts.
How to Put a Quote in an Essay (with Pictures)
Here, I will be breaking down a comparative analysis. You will get to know exactly how I write one! Specifically, I will be focusing on the two texts, The Longest Memory and Black Diggers. I have also included my own essay as an example to follow through.
How to quote a long paragraph in MLA format
The Complete Maus is a graphic novel that may seem daunting to analyse compared to a traditional novel. However, with countless panels throughout the book, you have the freedom to interpret certain visuals so long as you give reasoning and justification, guiding the teacher or examiner on what you think these visuals mean. Here are some suggested tips:
How do I make a block quote in Word for my APA or MLA style paper?
- Prose quotations of fewer than 50 words should be placed within quotation marks and incorporated into the text (see examples above).
- Prose quotations of more than 50 words should be presented as a single-spaced block quotation. Leave a blank line before and after the quote and indent the whole quote from the left margin. Do not add quotation marks.
Introduce the quote using your own words follow by : a colon – if you have written a complete sentence – or a comma if you use a phrase such as 'according to' along with the authors name. End the quote with a fullstop and the footnote number.
How do I make a block quote in Word for my paper
- Prose quotations of fewer than five lines should be placed within double quotation marks and incorporated into the text (see examples above).
- Prose quotations of more than five lines should be presented as a single-spaced block quotation. Leave a blank line before and after the quote and indent the whole quote from the left margin. Do not add quotation marks.
Introduce the quote using your own words followed by : a colon – if you have written a complete sentence – or a comma if you use a phrase such as 'according to' along with the authors name. End the quote with a fullstop and the footnote number.