Using short quotes
In UK academic culture, it is poor practice to use a lot of direct quotes from someone else's work. Your assignment should be mostly written in your own words, using evidence from your research to support or challenge your statements. When it is appropriate to use direct quotes, these should generally be kept as brief as possible and you should show how the quote relates to the argument you are making and the assignment question. It is good practice to include the page number.
Below are some examples of ways to build short quotes into your writing. Citations are all in Harvard style - check the style your department prefers.
Examples:
Turner (2007, p.14) argues that it is more effective to work "better not longer".
If your source has three or more authors, list the first followed by et al:
The results were described as "disappointing" (Jensen et al, 2011).
If you need to add a word or words to make the excerpted phrase make sense, put them in square brackets:
However, identity may be expanded "through [both] space and time" (Wenger, 1998, p.181).
If you need to remove a word or words to shorten the excerpted phrase without changing the general sense, use an ellipsis:
Referring to the work of black women photographers, Parmar (1990, p.122) observes that, "The thematic concerns... are as varied as the women themselves".
Using long quotes
Long quotes (more than three or four lines) are set out in your text in a 'block' - started on a new line and indented at left and sometimes right. They are not placed in quotation marks, and the brief citation is placed on a separate line, on the right-hand side.
Example (in Harvard):
While students may feel that referencing is outdated, others have a different understanding:
Is an insistence on referencing about supporting a system and a process of learning that is a legacy of a different time and society? Are universities enforcing upon you an arcane practice of referencing that you will probably never use again outside higher education? Or is there something deeper in the practice of referencing that connects with behaving ethically, properly, decently and respecting others - ageless societal values that universities should try to maintain?
Neville, 2007, pp.27-8.
Long quotes are often used in assignments which focus on analysing a particular text closely (for instance, a novel or poem, or an original document). In these cases, the analysis may need to refer to a large number of phrases within the text and some more than once. Long quotes should only be used if you are planning to analyse the text in some detail.
Using long and short quotes (transcript)
Read along while watching the video tutorial.
In-text citation styles:
This table demonstrates how to create an in-text citation depending on how many authors are in your reference:| How many authors: | What a parenthetical citation looks like: | What a narrative citation looks like: |
| One author | (Forbes, 2020) | Forbes (2020) stated... |
| Two authors | (Bennet & Miller, 2019) | Bennet and Miller (2019) concluded that... |
| Three + authors | (Jones et al., 2020) | Jones et al. (2020) shared two different... |
| A group or organization as an author | (East Carolina University, 2020) | East Carolina University (2020) found... |
Let's look at these examples if they were written in text:
An example with 1 author:
Parenthetical citation: Following American Psychological Association (APA) style guidelines will help you to cultivate your own unique academic voice as an expert in your field (Forbes, 2020).
Narrative citation: Forbes (2020) shared that by following American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines, students would learn to find their own voice as experts in the field of nursing.
An example with 2 authors:
Parenthetical citation: Research on the use of progressive muscle relaxation for stress reduction has demonstrated the efficacy of the method (Bennett & Miller, 2019).
Narrative citation: As shared by Bennett and Miller (2019), research on the use of progressive muscle relaxation for stress reduction has demonstrated the efficacy of the method.
An example with 3 authors:
Parenthetical citation: Guided imagery has also been shown to reduce stress, length of hospital stay, and symptoms related to medical and psychological conditions (Jones et al., 2020).
Narrative citation: Jones et al. (2020) shared that guided imagery has also been shown to reduce stress, length of hospital stay, and symptoms related to medical and psychological conditions.
An example with a group/corporate author:
Parenthetical citation: Dr. Philip G. Rogers, senior vice president at the American Council on Education, was recently elected as the newest chancellor of the university (East Carolina University, 2020).
Narrative citation: Recently shared on the East Carolina University (2020) website, Dr. Philip G. Rogers, senior vice president at the American Council on Education, was elected as the newest chancellor.