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Study Skills- Referencing

A guide to referencing and avoiding plagiarism

Introduction to Quotations

Quoting is copying, repeating a passage or using the exact wording from a source, such as a book or journal article.

You might need to quote text of a formal definition or standard to ensure the exact meaning is made clear to your reader. Perhaps there is an exact turn of phrase that is particularly significant and cannot be conveyed by paraphrasing. 

Quotations are usually included in your word count. 

Within your writing, quotes must be:

  • Attributed to the author with a citation, including page numbers.
  • Indicate the beginning and the end with quotation marks.
  • Kept short, avoid using more than one or two short sentences at a time.
  • only quote if how it is said, is as important as what is said.

Can you justify why you have chosen to use a particular quote? Was it powerful, important in history or was it recorded by an important author in your area of study? 

Discover more about direct quoting by watching the video below:

Quotations

  • Use quotation marks, single or double, but be consistent.
  • Give the page number of the original in the text reference.
  • Give a full reference in the references section at the end of your work.
  • Run your quotation into the text, so it reads smoothly.

Example: George Orwell’s advice on grammar for writers is still relevant today,

"Never use the passive, when you can use the active." (Orwell, 1946, p.169).

  • Avoid extracts longer than 5 lines
  • Indent the passage – there is no need to use quotation marks
  • Give an in text citation
  • Give a full reference in the references section at the end of your work

Example:

The Prime Minister introduced the government’s strategy to tackle obesity in these terms:

Our ambition is to be the first major nation to reverse the rising tide of obesity […] by ensuring that everyone is able to achieve and maintain a health weight. Our initial focus will be on children: by 202 we aim to reduce the proportion of overweight and obese children to 2000 levels. (Department of Health, 2008, p.2).

References

University of Hertfordshire (2021) Academic writing: direct quoting. Available at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToVnoyNRivI.(Accessed: 31 July 2023).

University of Manchester (ND) Academic Phrasebank. Available at: https://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/ (Accessed: 31 July 2023).

Wood, K. (2015) How to write a summary. Available at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsB73dRuGcELinks to an external site.(Accessed: 31 July 2023).