Follow These Rules for Recording Quotations

Like most scholars, you will surely be stuck with the writing part of your dissertation, thesis or research paper. It is easier said than done and to decide on when to use a direct quotation or when to paraphrase an idea is one of the most difficult writing choices. This blog discusses the rules for using quotations in your academic writing.

Rule 1
The first rule for recording a quotation is always to record a page number when you are writing it. Sometimes committee members flip through the article to find the page number of a quote. So it is essential that you record the page number to keep yourself from trouble.

Rule 2
Type full quotation in your bibliographies, and record them judiciously. More often than not, scholars record an inordinate amount of quotations in introduction and literature review that hinders the flow of writing. In that case, the best approach is to translate an author’s thoughts into your own words.

Rule 3
If you are taking quotations from literature review, you should be careful of picking up the one that actually adds value to your content that you can’t achieve by translating that in your own voice. These questions can help you with deciding when you should use quotations directly to add value to your work.

• When an author says what you cannot
• When a quote is catchy
• When a quote is a definition
• When a quote comes from a nationally recognised organisation or experts

Rule 4
Whether you are using quotation marks or block quotation, do not use the italic font as it is not a correct format for indicating quoted material in academic and scientific writing. Italic fonts are allowed if you wish to emphasise certain words within a quotation.

Rule 5
If you are quoting longer prose such as more than four lines, or three lines of verse, you do not need to use quotation marks. Instead, you should display it in a freestanding block of text. Start this block from the next line and indent it half an inch from the left margin.
So, go on and finish your writing like a pro! Quote it and support your text the way you want!