How to Quote Sources in an Essay?

In writing an essay, you need to cite quotes and words of other people and while doing this you need to properly acknowledge them in right style. This authenticates your work and keeps you away from plagiarism. A common way of quoting sources is to use footnotes or endnotes. A footnote is written within a body of text while an endnote is written at the end of the page. In both cases, you must adhere to the right formatting style for quoting your sources. Therefore, it is important for you to get acquainted with rules for quoting sources in an essay. This article will focus on some of the prominent rules for properly quoting sources in an essay paper.

Following are some rules necessary to quote a source in your essay:

Rule#1

Be very particular when quoting sources in your essay. Use the quotations only when accuracy is needed or when you need to make an impression. Paraphrase the quotation and make sure if it is used in the right context.

Rule#2

You need to use double quotations when you use a quote which is less than four sentences. Never use quotation marks when paraphrasing a piece of information.

Rule#3

Always indent a citation in case it is longer than four lines. Avoid using quotation marks around indented text.

Rule#4

Capitalize the first letter of a quotation only when if it is a complete sentence and not in case of a clause or fragment. Use ‘periods’ and ‘commas’ within the quotation marks. Whereas a colon or semi-colon should be used outside. Put question mark or exclamatory sign within the quotation marks if they are used inside the quotation, but use them outside in case they are meant for the sentence as a whole.

Rule#5

Cite every quotation, even if you use it in paraphrased form. Use a number in superscript at the end of each quotation after a period. In the bibliography, type the number and the source name.

Remember! When quoting sources, you need to conform to the right format as per your required style. Ask to your teacher and make sure if you are using the right style. This is important and in case of failure to comply the right style, your assignment might be cancelled out.

Keep in mind the above mentioned tips in order to properly quote sources in your essay.