· Only use direct quotations when you have a good reason to, when they say exactly what you want to say and you can’t think of any other way to do it. Most of your research paper should be written in your own words.
· Guide your reader through your paper by indicating when quotations are coming. Don’t just drop a quotation into the middle of a paragraph! Instead, lead into it with a phrase that shows why you included the quote. For example, you could say “Smith agrees that Elvis was a groundbreaking musician. She states…” and then you could put in a quotation at that point. This will show your reader why you thought it was important to quote Smith.
Reasons to quote someone:
o To show that an expert agrees with or supports your point
o To present an assertion that you will agree or disagree with, or comment on
o To provide especially descriptive language, something that’s emotionally strong or historically important
o To present an especially well-written statement that would lose its meaning if you tried to paraphrase it
