Research & Referencing
When to use a quotation?
A quotation is a text passage that you copy verbatim from the source.
You use a quotation:
- when reproducing an exact definition;
- when an author has said something memorably or succinctly,
- when you want to respond to exact wording.
Rules for quotation
- The quotation is followed by a reference in parentheses that lists the last name of the author(s), the year, and page number(s);
- Page numbers are indicated by the abbreviation 'p.' (page). If a quotation (in the original text) runs to the next page, 'pp.' (pages) is used:
- A quote is not in italics and the text may not be changed;
- If a section of text within the quote is irrelevant, it may be omitted. In place of the omitted portion, place the inhibition sign (three dots) with a space between the dots:
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An error in a quotation can be indicated by specifying [sic] immediately after the error;
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You are allowed to make a lower case out of a capital letter if the quote is not at the beginning of a sentence.
Short quotation (less than 40 words)
A quote of less than 40 words is enclosed in "quotation marks" in the running text.
- When the author(s) are named in the text, they do not need to be listed again in parentheses.
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If you do not mention the author leading up to the citation, place the author's name and the year and page number(s) in parentheses.
Block quotation (40 words or more)
A quote of 40 words or more is displayed in a stand-alone, indented block, without quotation marks. Above and below the block quote will be a blank line.
- Author in the running text:
Luyendijk (2015, p. 18) says of the British banking world:
I went for a walk and immediately noticed that 'the City' is no longer a good term. The financial sector in London employs between 250,000 and 350,000 people. That's a lot of jobs, and they have started to clump together in more than one place.
In our research ....
- Author in parentheses:
In This Can't Be True it says about this:
I went for a walk and immediately noticed that "the City" is no longer a good term. The financial sector in London employs between 250,000 and 350,000 people. That's a lot of jobs, and they have started to clump together in more than one place. (Luyendijk, 2015, p. 18)
In our research ....
Note: In the second example, in the text the title of the book is given in italics. The dot comes before the source reference here because the reference is not a part of the quotation.