APA Style | Part 2: Quoting

Summary

This video provides essential guidance on quoting outside sources in APA style, covering the why, how, and when of quoting. It emphasizes the importance of proper citation to lend credibility to college writing, especially for students who may not be experts in their fields. Viewers learn how to format direct quotes, including the use of quotation marks and block quotes for longer passages. The video also encourages paraphrasing to demonstrate understanding and avoid over-reliance on direct quotes, highlighting the need for proper citation to credit original authors.

Takeaways

• 😀 Quoting outside sources is essential in college writing to provide credibility and support your arguments.
• 😀 A source can be any written material, media, or interview that provides information for your work.
• 😀 Direct quotes must be enclosed in quotation marks and properly cited to credit the original author.
• 😀 If a quote is 40 words or longer, format it as a block quote, omitting quotation marks.
• 😀 You can alter words in a quote for clarity, using brackets to indicate changes, and ellipses to show omitted content.
• 😀 Introduce quotes with a signal phrase to provide context for the reader.
• 😀 Titles of short works should be in quotation marks, while titles of longer works should be italicized.
• 😀 APA style encourages paraphrasing over direct quoting to demonstrate understanding of the material.
• 😀 Limit the use of direct quotes in your paper to show mastery of the subject matter.
• 😀 Proper citation is crucial for both direct quotes and paraphrased content to give credit to original authors.

Q & A

Why is quoting outside sources important in college writing?

Quoting outside sources is vital because it lends credibility to your writing, allows you to acknowledge the expertise of others, and supports the information you present.

What constitutes a source in academic writing?

A source can be any piece of writing, media, or an interview that provides information relevant to your research.

What are the basic rules for quoting sources in APA style?

Any direct words taken from another source must be enclosed in quotation marks and properly cited.

How should you format a block quote in APA style?

A block quote should be introduced with a sentence followed by a colon, then placed on a new line, indented, and without quotation marks if it contains 40 words or more.

What should you do if you need to change a word in a quote?

You can change a word as long as you indicate the alteration with brackets, ensuring it does not alter the original meaning.

How can you indicate that words have been omitted from a quote?

You can use ellipses (three dots) to show that some words are missing from the original quotation.

What is a signal phrase and why is it important?

A signal phrase introduces the quote, providing context to the reader about the source, which enhances understanding and clarity.

When is it preferable to paraphrase information instead of quoting it directly?

It is preferable to paraphrase when the information can be condensed or summarized without losing meaning, especially for factual content.

What can happen if you use too many direct quotes in a paper?

Using excessive direct quotes may make it seem like you're not fully understanding the material, potentially harming your demonstration of mastery over the subject.

What is the next step after learning how to quote sources?

The next step is to learn how to properly cite those sources, which will be covered in the following video.