Quoting from Sources—Helpful Hints and Examples

Keep these guidelines in mind:

· Quote only when something is aptly said or where your ideas need authoritative support. Otherwise, use your own words and ideas that your research and discovery generated.

· Always try to keep quotations as short as possible.

MLA Works Cited Page entry for Garland’s essay:

Garland, Anita. "Let's Really Reform Our Schools." Reader’s Digest. Oct. 2000: 101-103.

Ending your sentence with a quotation:

Original in Garland’s essay on p. 101:

Not only must we stop forcing everyone to attend school; we must stop allowing the attendance of so-called students who are not interested in studying.

Our modified version:

One change Garland recommends is to “stop allowing the attendance of so-called students who are not interested in studying” (101).

OR

One change Garland recommends is to “. . . stop allowing the attendance of so-called students who are not interested in studying” (101).

The author’s name (Garland in this case) is not required in the parentheses with the page number because the lead-in to the quote identified the author.

Using ellipses (three spaced dots) to omit words:

Original in Garland’s essay:

A student who sincerely wants an education, regardless of his or her mental or physical ability, should be welcome in any school in this country.

Our modified version:

“A student who sincerely wants an education . . . should be welcome in any school in this country” (Garland 101).

Original in Garland’s essay:

But "students" who deliberately interfere with other students' ability to learn, teachers' ability to teach, and administrators' ability to maintain order should be denied a place in the classroom. They do not want an education. And they should not be allowed to mark time within school walls, waiting to be handed their meaningless diplomas while they make it harder for everyone around them to either provide or receive a quality education.

Our modified version:

“But ‘students’ who deliberately interfere with other students' ability to learn . . . should be denied a place in the classroom . . . . And they should not be allowed to mark time within school walls . . . while they make it harder for everyone around them . . . .” (Garland 101).

MLA Works Cited Page entry for Remarque’s novel—our text:

Remarque, Erich Maria. All Quiet on the Western Front. New York: Ballantine Books, 1958.

Sample quotations with ellipses used to denote omitted material:

Original in Remarque’s novel:

The first recruit seems actually to have gone insane. He butts his head against the wall like a goat. We must try to-night to take him to the rear. Meanwhile we bind him, but in such a way in case of attack he can be released at once” (Remarque 111).

Our modified version:

“The first recruit seems actually to have gone insane . . . . we bind him, but in such a way . . . that he can be released at once” (Remarque 111).

Original in Remarque’s Novel:

“I am mad with rage. But I cannot say anything to him; he could put me under arrest if he liked. So I double back, and then march up to him” (Remarque 163).

Our modified version:

“I am mad with rage . . . . So I double back and then march up to him” (Remarque 163).

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MLA Works Cited Page format for Garland’s essay:

Garland, Anita. "Let's Really Reform Our Schools." Reader’s Digest. Oct. 2000: 101-103.

APA format

Garland, A. (2000). Let’s really reform our schools. Reader’s Digest, 101-103.

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MLA Works Cited Page format for Remarque’s novel:

Remarque, Erich Maria. All Quiet on the Western Front. New York: Ballantine Books, 1958.

APA format

Remarque, E. (1958). All quiet on the western front. New York: Ballantine Books.