If you copy or repeat a passage or use the exact wording from a source: book, speech or document this is quoting. You might need to quote text of a formal definition or a passage of dialogue to ensure the exact meaning is made clear to your reader. Perhaps there is an exact turn of phrase that is particularly significant and cannot be conveyed by paraphrasing. Use quotations sparingly. You could try asking yourself the following questions:
If you are going to use a quotation then it is worth a comment. Tell the reader why you have chosen to use a particular quotation.
Example: George Orwell’s advice on grammar for writers is still relevant today, “Never use the passive, when you can use the active.” (Orwell 169) - MLA
Example:
The Prime Minister introduced the government’s strategy to tackle obesity in these terms:
Our ambition is to be the first major nation to reverse the rising tide of obesity […] by ensuring that everyone is able to achieve and maintain a health weight. Our initial focus will be on children: by 202 we aim to reduce the proportion of overweight and obese children to 2000 levels. (Department of Health 2) - MLA
To write academic work successfully you need to read round the subject and organize your ideas into a coherent argument. It is very important to reference your sources each time you include an idea or an argument from your reading, whether you have summarized the information, quoted it directly or paraphrased it. Effective quotation and use of source materials can show credibility and authority in writing your produce, as well as providing opposing views against which you can comment. Anything you cite should clearly support your conclusions.
A paraphrase should be a restatement of the meaning of the original text in your own wordsand not simply changing some words or sentences around. Expressing ideas in your own words will show your tutor how well you understand the original material.
This is necessary to capture your research in writing. Use it to show your understanding of an argument. You can use summary to show the key outcomes of a study or show a specific approach taken by a researcher.
Generally in each paragraph of an article a point is developed. If you link three or four such points together you have an ‘argument’. Using summary with strong quotation forms the basis of good writing.
The only source material you can legitimately use without quotation. Common knowledge is information that could be generally known to an educated reader. Examples of this might be facts such as Paris is the capital city of France or widely known historical or scientific facts, such as the molecular structure of water is H2O. However, ideas or interpretations would not normally be considered common knowledge.
When in doubt, use the following test:
Here are some examples to clarify how you apply this rule.
Since these are factual statements, no citation is needed.
2. Fact-based descriptions of characters or events in works of literature are regarded as common knowledge. For instance:
Since this statement describes an event that undeniably occurred in the novel David Copperfield, no citation is necessary, even if this sentence was inspired by something you read in a book or journal article.
If you are in doubt as to whether something in your discipline is common knowledge or not it would be best to reference your source.
