INTEGRATING A QUOTATION INTO AN ESSAY
Center for Writing and Speaking
Once you find a quotation that you think can add to your argument, you must begin to think
about how to best fit the quotation within the essay. Think of a quotation as a miniscule essay in
itself—it provides an argument and needs an introduction and conclusion to give it clarity. The
following general steps address how to properly integrate a quotation into an essay.
Step 1: Introduce the Author of the Quotation
Because you are using someone else’s words, make sure you let your reader know this. The first
time you use a quotation from a source in an essay, introduce the author and the work that the
quotation is attributed to before you use the actual quotation in the essay. Later in the essay, you
simply need to address the author’s last name before using the quotation.
Try not to get stuck saying “he says/she says” throughout the whole essay. Use a variety of verbs
including: state, declare, believe, contend, recall, write, note, critique, propose, etc.
Example (for a first-time quotation): Karl Marx, writer of the pamphlet The Communist
Manifesto, proclaims, “Communism abolishes all eternal truths, it abolishes all
religion, and all morality, instead of constituting them on a new basis” (81).
Example (for a later quotation): Marx also contends, “Communism abolishes all eternal
truths, it abolishes all religion, and all morality, instead of constituting them on a
new basis” (81).
Step 2: State the Quotation
The quotation should add to your argument and flow logically and grammatically with the rest of
the paper. To ensure this, make sure that you use a quotation of the proper length. A quotation
that is too short or too long will disrupt the flow of the essay. When choosing a quotation, keep
in mind that you want it to contribute to your argument, not veer your paper in a different
direction.
If you want to quote some parts of a longer sentence, use an ellipsis (…) between each part. Only
use a quotation that is more than three sentences if you think that it would be impossible to
eliminate a part of it and still retain the quality of your argument. When you quote a long passage
(also known as a block quotation), begin the
quotation on the next line of text, indent the entire
quotation, and do not use quotations marks around it.
Also, remember to properly cite the quotation at the
end of the sentence!
Example: He proclaims, “Communism
abolishes all eternal truths...instead of
constituting them on a new basis” (Marx 81).
Step 3: Summarize the Quotation
This step may not be necessary if the quotation is
relatively easy to understand. Use your own judgment regarding this step. It is important, though,
How long is a “long quotation”?
Whether to use a block quotation
depends on which formatting style
you’re following.
MLA: A quotation longer than 4 lines
of prose or 3 lines of poetry.
APA: A quotation 40 words or longer
Chicago: A quotation 100 words or
longer.
