English 112: Incorporating

Research into your Essay

Ajier you have found good sources - that means sources that are reliable, recent, and relevant - you
to incorporate quotes, summaries, and/or paraphrases from those sources to improve your argument
your own ethos. You want YOllr reader to believe ,hat )/Ou know what you're talking about. ,Hare than
you should actually WANT to know what you're talking about! However, you don't want to include so
research that YOllr readers are ovenvhelmed and lose track of your argument.
Your voice needs to be foremost in the paper.

need
and
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Note: Only use research when it will help your own paper. Never just stick a quote in your text ifit's
unnecessary. Your readers will clearly spot a useless citation. When you force quotations into the text
without making proper connections, your prose becomes logically fragmented.

How to "Bookend" Your Research

Usually you will want to introduce

and identify the author of your research. For instance, you might say:

"According to John Smith, professor of anthropology at Harvard University, mankind is ... "
You will also want to include a sentence after direct quotes to help your readers understand how to "read"
the quote you have provided.
A. You might want to restate the point of the quote in your own words. Good transition phrases to
use after quotes in restatement sentences are "In other words ... " or "That is ... " or "Here Smith
implies that ... " and so on.
B. Alternatively, sometimes you will want to draw conclusions from the quotes. Good words to use
after quotes when you draw conclusions from them are "Thus ... " or "Consequently ... ".

c. You

may also want to refute a quote. In these cases, you may want to make some concession - or
grant that some part of what the quote says is valid in some way. For instance, when you refute a
quote, you might say "Although Smith's theory holds in some cases, his position fails to explain ... "
or "1 agree with Smith in cases where ... , but in other cases, his theory falls short because ... ".
Example I:
Original: In order to clean up the environment, the government must enact stricter regulations on businesses.
"Government intervention is the most cost-effective way of saving our planet" (Green 23).
Revised: In order to clean up the environment, the government must enact stricter regulations on businesses.
As GreenPeace director John Green notes, "Government intervention is the most cost-effective way of
lowering pollution" (23). The lower cost of these regulations is mutually beneficial for both businesses and
environmental organizations.
Example II: Identifying the author of a quote often lends credibility to the information:
Original: To a certain extent the CDA has tried to bring the restrictions within the First Amendment;
however they have ultimately failed. "This is bullshit - unconstitutional bullshit and also bad policy bullshit.
You have sold the First Amendment your birthright and that of your children. The founders would turn in
their graves" (Russell 24).
Revised: To a certain extent, the CDA has tried to correlate the proposed restrictions to the First
Amendment; ho\'.ever, it has ultimately failed. Steve Russell, a retired state judge in Texas. has argued that
the CDA "is bullshit - unconstitutional bullshit and also bad policy bullshit. You have sold the First
Amendment your birthright and that of your children. The founders would turn in their graves" (24). Judge
Russell. in rather emphatic tenns. emphasizes one reaction to the CDA.

Example III: Sometimes the relevance or meaning of a quote will not be readily apparent; you \AI ill often
need to help your reader out, to direct his or her understanding of a quote or paraphrase. In this example, also
note how the identification of the writer helps inform the reader.
Original: For example, Hu says that "One hundred and twelve hour work weeks plus unpaid family labor is
common among Koreans. Many have college degrees that won't even get them decent jobs because of
discrimination" (314-315). Whites have the advantage over minorities.
Revised: For example, according to Arthur Hu, a writer for Asian Week, "One hundred and twelve hour work
weeks plus unpaid family labor is common among Koreans. Many have college degrees that won't even get
them decent jobs because of discrimination" (314-315). In other words, discrimination makes it almost
impossible for many minorities to live well in our nation, regardless of their educational level or how hard
they work, and allows for the white majority to benefit from the current system.

To Sum up ..
1. Limit quotations. Most of your essay should consist of your own words. Only use quotes when you need
to, that is, when they add something specific to your argument or when you need to illustrate a particular
point and using direct language from the text is the best means to do that.
2. Quote briefly: Use quotations when they provide key evidence, not just to pad.
3. Provide clear signal phrases: Signal phrases connect the quotation to your text by using your words,
signaling the reader and informing him or her whom you are quoting. Also, vary signal phrases both in
content and position: This tip allows you to avoid monotony in your prose.

4. Set-up the quote for your readers. When referring to a primary text (like 1984), don't just talk about
characters you haven't introduced or discussion things that happen in the text if you haven't explained them.
Give your readers enough information to understand the quote they are about to read.

5. Comment on what you quote: Make sure your reader understands why you find the quotation relevant.
Don't just assume the reader will read the quote the same way you do. Ditferent readers may draw different
conclusions from the same quote. So, you need to explain to them what the quote illustrates or how it makes
your point. If you introduce and explain/interpret each quote you use, you will be more likely to retain

control of the paragraph (remember, although using recent, reliable research and textual citations help
huild a strong argument, your voice should he the dominant one).
6. Check your punctuation: Except when using block quote. periods & commas go outside parenthesis.
Example: Historian Joe Smith writes. "War is hell" (21 ).
7. Finally. always remember to check your ,lfLAformat.
If you use a quote that is more than four lines, you should use block format (indent both sides
10 spaces, remove the quotations marks, and put the period before the citation information).
This is a sample of how to do block format. In your papers, the block quotes will also be
double-spaced. like the rest of your paper. (Nerad 4)