A quote is a unit with 3 parts
- Introduction/Background: establishes the purpose and credibility of the source
- “Quote” (Citation): the exact words you’re using from the source
- Explanation/Analysis/Discussion: how the information from the source fits into or builds onto your argument, main point, paragraph, etc.
The introduction and explanation surround and support your use of the quote. In academic writing, we never let the quote (citation) stand alone. You want to make it clear why you’re using the information you’re quoting and how it fits into your argument.
The citation sandwich
One way to think about the parts of a quote is to visualize a sandwich.
The top bun: An introduction to the source, along with a signal phrase
The introduction is what you want to say and helps the reader understand how this source supports your idea
The signal phrase helps the reader A) Know that you’re about to use someone else’s words and B) How this source information fits into your own writing
The filling: The information from the source + In-text citation
The filling comes in different formats:
- Direct quote + In-text citation
- Paraphrase + In-text citation
- Summary + In-text citation
The bottom bun: Connecting the source back to your point/idea/argument
- Don’t let sources “speak for themselves.”
- Always make it clear to the reader why you’re citing a source, what the significance of this information is, and how it supports your argument
Example
[Top Bun] According to several recent studies, the impact of climate change on coastal cities is immediate and devastating. [Filling] Researcher Dr. Smith (2025) notes, “sea levels are rising faster than anticipated, leaving little time for mitigation” (p. 4). [Bottom Bun] This finding highlights the critical need for immediate infrastructure investment to prevent catastrophic flooding in cities like Miami and New York.
Example signal phrases
- For example, (This signals that the source will support your argument)
- However, (This signals that the source may contradict a point you or someone else is making)
- As the author writes/states/claims/explains, (This signals that you’re having a scholarly conversation with specific people)
Different ways to introduce a quote
Strategy 1: Quote introduced with an explanatory sentence + a colon
You can attach a quote to another sentence with a colon if that sentence helps explain the quote’s main idea.
Dr. Smith observes how extended stress affects students’ ability to sleep: “Students with stressors continuing longer than one week report less sleep and lower qualities of sleep than their counterparts with only short-term stressors.” (Smith 76).
Strategy 2: Your own words + quote flow together into a complete sentence
If you find a way to create a whole sentence by combining your words with part of a quote, then you don’t need any extra punctuation. This is the most condensed version of the three-part unit.
If, as Dr. Smith writes, “the average college-age person can only accommodate stress to a certain extent before he or she requires more sleep than normal to recuperate,” then simply sleeping in on weekends or scheduling classes later in the day is not enough (Smith 79).
Strategy 3: Quote introduced with signal phrase
Use phrases or words such as “says,” “according to,” or “argues,” with a comma between the signal phrase and the quote. This is the most common way of introducing quotes.
According to Dr. Smith, “Sleep among college students is often seen as a privilege, rather than a necessity.” (Smith 78).
Guidelines for editing a quote
- Remember that quotes should always be supporting your own observations and analysis, not taking over your paper and putting everything in someone else’s words. Sometimes using your own words requires manipulating a quote.
- Add with [Brackets]: You can add words to a quote or make small changes to words within a quote by using [brackets]. Only add or make small changes to a quote when it is necessary for clarification, consistency, or making the quote flow better into your own words (like with tense).
- Delete with Ellipses (…): You can delete words from a quote to make it shorter by using ellipses marks (…). Do not use ellipses marks at the beginning or end of a quote. Only use them if you take out words or phrases from the middle.
Warning!
Although it is good to know how to properly manipulate a quote to integrate it better into your work, do not change the quote so much that it has a meaning different from the original meaning. This constitutes an unethical use of the quote and should not be done.