Format for Quotation, Paraphrase, and Summary

Two formats to incorporate a quotation

(1) Narrative citation: The author and year are incorporated into the text; the location is placed after the quotation in parentheses: 



According to Newman (2014), "For 15 years, Gustavo Baden has confounded American presidents as they tried to figure him out, only to misjudge him time and again. He has defied their assumptions and rebuffed their efforts at friendship" (p. 3).

         If there is no page number (as in many electronic sources), use paragraph number (e.g., para. 3), section title, or

      heading. 

(2) Parenthetical citation: The author, year and location are put in parentheses and placed after the quotation:

"For 15 years, Gustavo Baden has confounded American presidents as they tried to figure him out, only to misjudge him time and again. He has defied their assumptions and rebuffed their efforts at friendship" (Newman, 2014, p. 3).

      Notice that both formats provide the author, year, and location of the quotation.  Consider the flow of your ideas

      when you choose the format to use. Quotations should incorporate seamlessly into your text. Location includes

      page(s), paragraph(s), section(s) or other identifying information. In general, use direct quotes sparingly. The ability

      to break down an idea, to put it into your own words, is very important in research writing.  

Two formats to incorporate a paraphrase or summary

(1) Narrative citation: Introduce the author as a part of the text, followed immediately by the year in parentheses:

Whitton (2010) claimed that active learning is a major factor in gameplay due to the games’ hands-on characteristics. These characteristics, in turn, inform analysis and synthesis, solution finding, information gathering, and critical thinking.

(2) Parenthetical citation: Place the author and year in parentheses after the paraphrase or summary:

Active learning is a major factor in gameplay due to the games’ hands-on characteristics. These characteristics, in turn, inform analysis and synthesis, solution finding, information gathering, and critical thinking (Whitton, 2010).

       Notice that both formats provide the author and year of the paraphrase or summary.  Consider the flow of your

       ideas when you choose the format to use. Paraphrases and summaries should incorporate seamlessly into your text.