Quotations and Documentation: Introduction

Essays need quotations in the way that a trial or enquiry needs witnesses to testify. Evidence is needed to convict a corrupt civil servant—or to convince the reader that your interpretation of a poem, historical event, or deviant behaviour is credible and convincing. But just as a witness is never placed on the stand without first being introduced, so quotations need to be introduced and put in context in order to best serve your arguments. Good essayists use a variety of methods to introduce and integrate quoted material smoothly.

Academic disciplines have evolved differing methods of documenting quotations and references to source materials. In the study of language and literature, the MLA method of documentation is most widely used. Students in psychology and sociology are generally required to use the APA documentation format. Chicago Style, or CMS, is the only documentation method that relegates bibliographic details to footnotes, and is the method preferred by historians and political scientists.

Before submitting an essay or research paper, you need to clarify with your instructor which method of documentation to use. In the links to the right you will find explanations of three common citation methods along with examples of formats for in-text citations and for standard research materials in a final list of sources, variously known as Bibliography (CMS), References (APA), and Works Cited (MLA).

Handling Quotations
MLA Format
APA Format
CMS Format