Quoting Sources

Download PDF Handout: Using Source Material For Your Purposes

Responsibly using quotations can help establish your credibility; however, writers sometimes don’t know how to use quotations in a compelling way. Sometimes, they think the quote’s meaning is self-evident; however, if writers don’t help readers interpret quotes, the points that we think we have made may be lost.

This handout will explain the “quotation sandwich” — four steps that help bolster your argument with source material:

• Present your argument
• Introduce a quotation
• Place your quote
• Interpret the quotation