By Silvan Spicer

When should I use direct quotations?

  1. When the wording in your source is unique or important. If you don’t think you could capture the main idea of the passage if you were to paraphrase or summarize it, it might be a good idea to quote the passage directly. 
  2. When there are specific numbers or data that you need to report in your paper.

Example ✔

Leveille-Tulce (2021) describes mentoring as, “a modality that can help students overcome barriers that hinder their power to excel in their programs and as professionals in the field” (para. 1).

Since this is a definition, the wording is important!

Why should I use direct quotations in my writing?

  • To help support your own ideas.
  • As examples.
  • As evidence.
  • To illustrate your own ideas, NOT to substitute for them. In other words, your central ideas should be stated by you, not your sources.

Example ✔ 

One nursing program with a focus on diverse mentoring initiatives is CUNY SPS’s nursing program. It houses the Black Male Initiative, “which was designed to level the playing field of inequity and inequality in higher education” (Leveille-Tulce, 2021, para. 4). 

Notice how the first sentence introduces the student’s idea, while the second sentence uses a quotation to help support that idea.

What kind of punctuation should I use when quoting someone?

  1. Direct quotes should be signaled using quotation marks. (“…”)
    • Incorrect ❌: Leveille-Tulce (2021) says that This decision was spearheaded by the need to provide support to adult students who very often are juggling school with full-time work and family, in addition to other life responsibilities” (para. 5).
    • Correct ✔: Leveille-Tulce (2021) says that, “this decision was spearheaded by the need to provide support to adult students who very often are juggling school with full-time work and family, in addition to other life responsibilities” (para. 5).
    • In the correct example, double quotes are placed at both the beginning and end of the quote.
  2. If you use a parenthetical citation at the end of a sentence, the ending punctuation goes outside of the quote, after the citation. 
    • Incorrect ❌: The program “uses ‘a peer-to-peer mentoring model.’” (Leveille-Tulce, 2021, para. 4)
    • Correct ✔: The program “uses ‘a peer-to-peer mentoring model’” (Leveille-Tulce, 2021 para. 4).
    • In the correct example, the period is placed after the citation, not within the quote.
  3. If your quote is introduced in the middle of a sentence, don’t capitalize the first word.
    • Incorrect ❌: Leveille-Tulce (2021) says that, “This decision was spearheaded by the need to provide support to adult students who very often are juggling school with full-time work and family, in addition to other life responsibilities” (para. 5).
    • Correct ✔: Leveille-Tulce (2021) says that, “this decision was spearheaded by the need to provide support to adult students who very often are juggling school with full-time work and family, in addition to other life responsibilities” (para. 5).
    • In the correct example, the first word of the quotation isn’t capitalized.
  4. For a quote within a quote, the interior quote should be signaled using single quotation marks. (‘…’)
    • Incorrect ❌: The program “uses “a peer-to-peer mentoring model”” (Leveille-Tulce, 2021, para. 4).
    • Correct ✔: The program “uses ‘a peer-to-peer mentoring model’” (Leveille-Tulce, 2021, para. 4).
    • In the correct example, single quotation marks are used to signal the quote within the quote. 
  5. Every opening quotation mark must have a closing quotation mark, so that your readers know where the other person’s words end and where yours begin.
    • Incorrect ❌: Leveille-Tulce (2021) says that, “this decision was spearheaded by the need to provide support to adult students who very often are juggling school with full-time work and family, in addition to other life responsibilities (para. 5).
    • Correct ✔: Leveille-Tulce (2021) says that, “this decision was spearheaded by the need to provide support to adult students who very often are juggling school with full-time work and family, in addition to other life responsibilities” (para. 5).
    • In the correct example, both the opening and closing quotation marks are present.
  6. When your sentence continues after the material you are quoting, use commas to signal the end of the quote.
    • Incorrect ❌: The program “uses ‘a peer-to-peer mentoring model’” which is an important distinction from other models (Leveille-Tulce, 2021, para. 4).
    • Incorrect ❌: The program “uses ‘a peer-to-peer mentoring model.’” which is an important distinction from other models (Leveille-Tulce, 2021, para. 4).
    • Correct ✔: The program “uses ‘a peer-to-peer mentoring model,’” which is an important distinction from other models (Leveille-Tulce, 2021, para. 4).
    • In the correct example, a comma is used at the end of the quotation and before the rest of the sentence.
  7. To add emphasis in a quote, use italics, and write “emphasis added” in brackets ([…]) immediately after the emphasized words, within the quote itself.
    • Incorrect ❌: The program “uses ‘a peer-to-peer mentoring model’” (Leveille-Tulce, 2021, para. 4).
    • Correct ✔: The program “uses ‘a peer-to-peer [emphasis added] mentoring model’” (Leveille-Tulce, 2021, para. 4).
    • In the correct example, the added emphasis is signaled immediately after the emphasized words.

How should I format direct quotes?

  • If they are less than 40 words (according to APA style): copy them directly into your body paragraphs, using correct punctuation. 
  • If a quote is longer than 40 words, it should be a block quote. To make a quote a block quote, you start the quote on a new line. The entire quote should be indented, and you don’t use quotation marks with it. Introduce the quote using a colon. 

Block Quote Example ✔

Leveille-Tulce (2021) continues by saying:

Although all the mentors are currently CUNY SPS nursing faculty who volunteered to participate, mentors can also be professional nurses outside of the program. Careful measures are taken so as not to pair students to faculty who teach them. The hope is for students to use this resource for career guidance, confidence building, and collegial support. (para. 5)

How do I introduce a quote?

You should introduce every quote you use. A quotation should NEVER stand alone as its own sentence. 

One good way to introduce a quote is to give the reader some of the context they need to know to understand the quote.

  • Who said it?
  • How does it connect to your overall paper topic and/or the subtopic you’re currently focusing on? 

Incorrect ❌

Leveille-Tulce (2021) describes mentoring. “A modality that can help students overcome barriers that hinder their power to excel in their programs and as professionals in the field” (para. 1).

Correct ✔

Leveille-Tulce (2021) describes mentoring as “a modality that can help students overcome barriers that hinder their power to excel in their programs and as professionals in the field” (para. 1).

In the correct example, the quotation is integrating into an existing sentence instead of standing alone as its own sentence.

How do I omit part of a direct quote?

Use ellipses. (…) Simply replace the part of the quote you want to remove with ellipses. 

Example ✔

According to Leveille-Tulce (2021), “mentoring also aligns with the CUNY SPS nursing program’s mission to…excel in the profession of nursing” (para. 2).

How do I effectively explain, clarify, and/or interpret a direct quote I’ve used in my paper?

A good way to think about the direct quotations you use in your paper is to use a “sandwich” model. Your quote should be “sandwiched” between important pieces of context. 

  1. First piece of context: Includes any introductory information your audience needs to know to understand the quote. 
  2. Second piece of context: Usually comes after the quotation, and explains how the quote is relevant to and supports your argument, as well as how this information connects to your next point.

Example ✔

One nursing program with a focus on diverse mentoring initiatives is CUNY SPS’s nursing program. It houses the Black Male Initiative, “which was designed to level the playing field of inequity and inequality in higher education” (Leveille-Tulce, 2021, para. 4). This kind of diversity-focused mentorship helps increase access to resources.

The first and second sentences give the reader introductory context for the quote, and then after the quote, the third sentence adds on more context to help readers understand how the quote fits into their overall argument.

What kind of citation do I need to include with a direct quote?

  1. An in-text citation
  2. A bibliography or works cited entry at the end of your paper

Make sure to follow the citation style that is being used in your course. This example uses APA format. If your instructor wants you to use a different citation style, you can find guides to different citation styles here: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/resources.html

In-text Citation Examples ✔

One nursing program with a focus on diverse mentoring initiatives is CUNY SPS’s nursing program. It houses the Black Male Initiative, “which was designed to level the playing field of inequity and inequality in higher education” (Leveille-Tulce, 2021, para. 4). 

Leveille-Tulce (2021) describes mentoring as, “a modality that can help students overcome barriers that hinder their power to excel in their programs and as professionals in the field” (para. 1).

Works Cited Entry Example ✔Leveille-Tulce, A. M. (2021, November 23). Mentoring: A CUNY School of Professional Studies Nursing Student’s Power Enhancer. Daily Nurse. Retrieved February 2, 2022, from https://dailynurse.com/mentoring-a-cuny-school-of-professional-studies-nursing-students-power-enhancer/

This FAQ uses examples from the following source:

Leveille-Tulce, A. M. (2021, November 23). Mentoring: A CUNY School of Professional Studies Nursing Student’s Power Enhancer. Daily Nurse. Retrieved February 2, 2022, from https://dailynurse.com/mentoring-a-cuny-school-of-professional-studies-nursing-students-power-enhancer/ 

All of the examples in this FAQ use APA format. If your instructor wants you to use a different citation style, you can find guides to different citation styles here: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/resources.html 

If you want to know more about how to cite sources, see [link to citation section].If you want to know more about how to integrate courses, see [link to integration section].

Resources for Incorporating Direct Quotes: