how to quote for research paper

To cite a direct quote in APA, you must include the author’s last name, the year, and a page number, all separated by commas. If the quote appears on a single page, use “p.”; if it spans a page range, use “pp.” An APA in-text citation can be parenthetical or narrative.

A research paper can be made stronger through the use of quotations. You may use quotes when you need to cite a key piece of primary source material, strengthen your argument through another writer's work, or highlight a term of art.

Short quotations. If you are directly quoting from a work, you will need to include the author, year of publication, and page number for the reference (preceded by "p." for a single page and “pp.” for a span of multiple pages, with the page numbers separated by an en dash).

Below are some basic guidelines for incorporating quotations into your paper. Please note that all pages in MLA should be double-spaced. To indicate short quotations (four typed lines or fewer of prose or three lines of verse) in your text, enclose the quotation within double quotation marks.

This page addresses how to format short quotations and block quotations. Additional information is available about how to: include page numbers for quotations; cite quotations from material without page numbers; cite quotations that include errors; indicate changes to quotations; present quotations from research participants

To cite a direct quote in APA, you must include the author’s last name, the year, and a page number, all separated by commas. If the quote appears on a single page, use ‘p.’; if it spans a page range, use ‘pp.’. An APA in-text citation can be parenthetical or narrative.