in academic essays signal phrases

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Signal and Lead-in Phrases

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In most citation styles, including APA, MLA, and Chicago style, you can add variety to your research writing by not always using the same sentence structure to introduce quotations, paraphrases, or pieces of information borrowed from different sources. It is relatively simple to use a wide variety of different expressions to introduce both direct and indirect citations. These expressions, which usually occur in the parts of sentences that come just before quotes and paraphrases, are called signal phrases (or, in some cases, lead-in phrases ).

Often, signal phrases can be distinguished by the presence of a verb like "indicate" or "argue" that references what the author is doing in the original source. However, a few select signal phrases contain no verbs (e.g., "According to [author],").

In the examples below, the author being cited is Jane Doe. The examples in the first section are adapted to APA, which recommends past-tense verbs in signal phrases. For MLA (as well as Chicago style), the same verbs can also be used in the present tense instead of the past tense, as the second section below shows.

Be sure each signal phrase verb matches your intention for the in-text citation. Read the whole sentence after you finish to ensure that the signal phrase grammatically coheres with any content that follows the quote or paraphrase.

Expressing Disagreement with a Signal Phrase

Of course, some quotes and paraphrases express disagreement or negative opinions. In these cases, be sure that any verbs in the signal phrase match the nature of the quote or paraphrase. See the examples below.

Doe rejected the claim that nature is more important than nurture.

Doe denied the claim that nature is more important than nurture.

Doe refutes the claim that nature is more important than nurture.

Doe disputes the claim that nature is more important than nurture.

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Signal Phrases

A signal phrase, also known as an attributive tag, is a device used to smoothly integrate quotations and paraphrases into your essay. It is important to use signal phrases to clearly attribute supporting evidence to its author or authors and to avoid interrupting the flow of an essay. Signal phrases can also be used as meaningful transitions, moving your readers between your ideas and those of your sources.

A signal phrase consists of an author’s name and an active verb indicating how the author is presenting the material. A signal phrase may also include information explaining an author’s credentials and/or affiliations as well as the title and/or publisher of the source text.

Referring to the Author within a Signal Phrase

In many instances, signal phrases will contain only the last name of the author of the source text (as opposed to the author’s first and last name). For instance, APA style guidelines require no reference to the author’s first name at any point in an essay. But in MLA papers, if you are referring to an author for the first time in your essay, you should include that author’s first name as well as the author’s relevant credentials or affiliations in your signal phrase (you might also want to include the title of the source text). Once you have supplied an author’s first name and credentials, any subsequent signal phrase referencing that same author should contain the author’s last name only. For example:

Michael Pollan, Professor of Science and Environmental Journalism at the University of California Berkeley, observes that “Americans today are having a national conversation about food and agriculture that would have been impossible to imagine even a few short years ago” (29).
Pollan continues, “But the national conversation unfolding around the subject of food and farming began in the 1970s” (29).

Notice how each signal phrase verb is followed by the word “that” or a comma, which is then followed by one space before the opening quotation mark.

In essays written according to MLA and APA guidelines, it is acceptable to refer to an author as “the author” as long as it is clear to whom you are referring. In APA, it is common to see references to “the researchers.”

Signal Phrase Verb Tense

In the examples above, notice how the signal phrase verbs are written in the present tense. When you are asked to write a paper that follows MLA guidelines, signal phrases should always be written in present (not past) tense. When writing a paper using APA style, signal phrase verbs should be written in past tense. For example:

Pollan (2009) observed that “Americans today are having a national conversation about food and agriculture that would have been impossible to imagine even a few short years ago” (p. 29).

Notice how APA in-text citations also differ from MLA style in that APA citations include the year of publication and the page number is preceded by a “p.”

Varying Your Verbs

You should also vary your signal phrase verbs (rather than simply using “states” throughout your entire essay) to maintain your readers’ interest and to indicate the author’s intended use of the excerpted material. See below for examples of strong signal phrase verbs.

Types of Signal Phrases

In most instances, the first time the author is mentioned in an MLA-style essay, as well as including the author’s first and last name in a signal phrase, it is also a good idea to include the author’s credentials and the title of the source.

While providing the author’s credentials and the title of the source are the most common types of signal phrases, there are others we should be aware of. In the examples below, the information relevant to the type of signal phrase is underlined.

Type: Author’s credentials are indicated.

Example: Grace Chapmen, Curator of Human Health & Evolutionary Medicine at the Springfield Natural History Museum, explains…

Purpose: Presenting an author’s credentials should help build credibility for the passage you are about to present. Including the author’s credentials gives your readers a reason to consider your sources.

Type: Author’s lack of credentials is indicated.

Example: Matthew Spencer, whose background is in marriage counseling, not foreign policy, claims…

Purpose: Identifying an author’s lack of credentials in a given area can help illustrate a lack of authority on the subject matter and persuade the audience not to adopt the author’s ideas. Pointing to an author’s lack of credentials can be beneficial when developing your response to counter-arguments.

Type: Author’s social or political stance, if necessary to the content, is explained.

Example: Employing nonviolent civil disobedience, Roland Hayes, a prominent civil rights activist, preaches…

Ralph Spencer, who has ties to the White Nationalist movement, denies…

Purpose: Explaining the author’s social or political stance can help a reader to understand why that author expresses a particular view. This understanding can positively or negatively influence an audience. Be careful to avoid engaging in logical fallacies such as loaded language.

Type: Publisher of the source is identified.

Example: According to a recent CNN poll…

Purpose: Identifying the publisher of the passage can help reinforce the credibility of the information presented and you can capitalize on the reputation/ credibility of the publisher of the source material.

Type: Title of the Source is included.

Example : In “Understanding Human Behavior,” Riley argues …

Purpose: Inform the reader where the cited passage is being pulled from.

Type: Information that establishes context is presented.

Example: In a speech presented during a Free Speech rally, Elaine Wallace encourages …

Purpose: Presenting the context in which the original information was presented can help the audience understand the author’s purpose more clearly.

MLA Signal Phrase Verbs

apa signal phrase verbs.

Attributions

A Guide to Rhetoric, Genre, and Success in First-Year Writing by Melanie Gagich & Emilie Zickel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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11.4 Signal Phrases

John Lanning and Amanda Lloyd

A signal phrase , also known as an attributive tag, is a device used to smoothly integrate quotations and paraphrases into your essay. It is important to use signal phrases to clearly attribute supporting evidence to an author and to avoid interrupting the flow of an essay. Signal phrases can also be used as meaningful transitions, moving your readers between your ideas and those of your sources.

A basic signal phrase consists of an author’s name and an active verb indicating how the author is presenting the material. A signal phrase may also include information explaining an author’s credentials and/or affiliations as well as the title and/or publisher of the source text.

Referring to the Author within a Signal Phrase

In many instances, a signal phrase should contain only the last name of the author or authors of the source text (as opposed to the author’s first and last name). For instance, APA style guidelines require no reference to an author’s first name at any point in an essay and few if any gender-specific pronouns. But in MLA papers, if you are referring to an author for the first time in your essay, you should include that author’s first name (you might also want to include the author’s credentials and the title of the source—see “Types of Signal Phrases” below). Any future signal phrase should refer to the author by last name only or with a pronoun when it’s perfectly clear to whom that pronoun refers. For example:

Michael Pollan observes that “Americans today are having a national conversation about food and agriculture that would have been impossible to imagine even a few short years ago” (29).
Pollan continues, “But the national conversation unfolding around the subject of food and farming really began in the 1970s” (29).
He then specifies, “I would argue that the conversation got under way in earnest in 1971, when [Wendell] Berry published an article in The Last Whole Earth Catalogue” (29).

Notice how each signal phrase verb is followed by a comma (or the word “that”), which is then followed by one space before the opening quotation mark.

In essays written according to MLA and APA guidelines, it is acceptable to refer to the author as “the author” as long as it is perfectly clear to whom you are referring. In APA, it is common to see general references to “researchers.”

Signal Phrase Verb Tense

In the examples above, notice how the signal phrase verbs are written in present tense. When you are asked to write a paper that follows MLA guidelines, signal phrases should always be written in present (not past) tense. When writing a paper using APA style, signal phrase verbs should be written in past tense. For example:

Pollan (2009) observed that “Americans today are having a national conversation about food and agriculture that would have been impossible to imagine even a few short years ago” (p. 29).

Notice how APA in-text citations also differ from MLA style in that APA citations include the year of publication and the page number is preceded by a “p.”

See section 12.6 for more information on APA in-text citations and section 12.2 for MLA citations.

Varying Your Verbs

You should also vary your signal phrase verbs (rather than simply using “states” throughout your entire essay) in order to maintain your readers’ interest and to indicate the author’s intended use of the excerpted material. See below for examples of strong signal phrase verbs.

Types of Signal Phrases

Type: Author’s credentials are indicated.

Example: Grace Chapmen, Curator of Human Health & Evolutionary Medicine at the Springfield Natural History Museum, explains…

Type: Author’s lack of credentials is indicated.

Example: Matthew Spencer, whose background is in marriage counseling, not foreign policy, claims…

Type: Author’s social or political stance, if necessary to the content, is explained.

Example: Employing nonviolent civil disobedience, Roland Hayes, prominent civil rights activist, preaches…

Ralph Spencer, who has ties to the White Nationalist movement, denies…

Type: Publisher of the source is identified.

Example: According to a recent CNN poll…

Purpose: Identifying the publisher of the passage can help reinforce the credibility of the information presented, and you can capitalize on the reputation/credibility of the publisher of the source material.

Type: Title of the source is included.

Example : In “Understanding Human Behavior,” Riley argues…

Purpose: Informs the reader where the cited passage is being pulled from.

Type: Information that establishes context is presented.

Example: In a speech presented during a Free Speech rally, Elaine Wallace encourages …

Purpose: Presenting the context in which the original information was presented can help the audience understand the author’s purpose more clearly.

MLA Signal Phrase Verbs

apa signal phrase verbs.

A signal phrase signals to the reader of your paper that you will be including ideas from another person. Signal phrases are used to clearly differentiate between your thoughts and those of the authors who you quote, paraphrase, or summarize.

Example signal phrases:

Jones states that...

Miller argues that...

According to the Pew Research Center, ...

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37 Signal Phrases

A signal phrase , also known as an attributive tag, is a device used to smoothly integrate quotations and paraphrases into your essay. It is important to use signal phrases to clearly attribute supporting evidence to an author and to avoid interrupting the flow of an essay. Signal phrases can also be used as meaningful transitions, moving your readers between your ideas and those of your sources.

Referring to the Author within a Signal Phrase

In many instances, a signal phrase should contain only the last name of the author or authors of the source text (as opposed to the author’s first and last name). For instance, APA style guidelines require no reference to an author’s first name at any point in an essay and few if any gender-specific pronouns. But in MLA papers, if you are referring to an author for the first time in your essay, you should include that author’s first name (you might also want to include the author’s credentials and the title of the source—see “Types of Signal Phrases” below). Any future should refer to the author by last name only or with a pronoun when it’s perfectly clear to whom that pronoun refers. Consider the following examples:

Michael Pollan observes that “Americans today are having a national conversation about food and agriculture that would have been impossible to imagine even a few short years ago” (29).
Pollan continues, “But the national conversation unfolding around the subject of food and farming really began in the 1970s” (29).
He then specifies, “I would argue that the conversation got under way in earnest in 1971, when [Wendell] Berry published an article in The Last Whole Earth Catalogue” (29).

Notice how each signal phrase verb is followed by a comma (or the word “that”), which is then followed by one space before the opening quotation mark.

Signal Phrase Verb Tense

Pollan (2009) observed that “Americans today are having a national conversation about food and agriculture that would have been impossible to imagine even a few short years ago” (p. 29).

Notice how APA in-text citations also differ from MLA style in that APA citations include the year of publication and the page number is preceded by a “p.”

Varying Your Verbs

Types of Signal Phrases

While providing the author’s credentials and title of the source are the most common types of signal phrases, there are others we should be aware of. In the examples below, the information relevant to the type of signal phrase is underlined.

Type: Author’s credentials are indicated.

Example: Grace Chapmen, Curator of Human Health & Evolutionary Medicine at the Springfield Natural History Museum, explains…

Type: Author’s lack of credentials is indicated.

Example: Matthew Spencer, whose background is in marriage counseling, not foreign policy, claims…

Type: Author’s social or political stance, if necessary to the content, is explained.

Example: Employing nonviolent civil disobedience, Roland Hayes, prominent civil rights activist, preaches…

Ralph Spencer, who has ties to the White Nationalist movement, denies…

Type: Publisher of the source is identified.

Example: According to a recent CNN poll…

Type: Title of the Source is included.

Example : In “Understanding Human Behavior,” Riley argues …

Purpose: Informs the reader where the cited passage is being pulled from.

Type: Information that establishes context is presented.

Example: In a speech presented during a Free Speech rally, Elaine Wallace encourages …

Purpose: Presenting the context that the original information was presented can help the audience understand the author’s purpose more clearly.

MLA Signal Phrase Verbs

apa signal phrase verbs.

Appendix B offers you some additional assistance with reading sources, integrating evidence, and paragraph development.

In “ Troubleshooting: Body Paragraph Development ,” John Lanning and Sarah M. Lacy give directions for how to better develop body paragraphs.

“ Reading Popular Sources ,” by Melanie Gagich and Emilie Zickel, discusses types of popular sources and how to read and evaluate them.

Svetlana Zhuravlova, in “ Additional Synthesis Examples ,” provides tips on how to synthesize.

Melanie Gagich and Emilie Zickel discuss reading and evaluating tips for scholarly sources in “ Reading Academic Sources .”

In “ Signal Phrases ,” John Lanning and Amanda Lloyd, explain signal phrases in detail and offer examples.

Robin Jeffrey and Melanie Gagich share tips on when to summarize, when to paraphrase, and when to quote, as well as rules for each, in “ Paraphrasing, Summarizing, and Quoting .”

In Appendix B: Writing and Research Skills, targeted objectives are Composing Processes , Reading , and Information Literacy . Chapters 55, 57, 59, 60, and 61 all address the mechanics of integrating research and writing development at the sentence and paragraph level (Composing Processes). And, in Chapters 56 and 58—both of which target source evaluations, readers will learn about the nuances of cultivating writing and research skills for first-year writing (Reading and Information Literacy).

"There is One Correct Way of Writing and Speaking" by Anjali Pattanayak comes from Bad Ideas About Writing , edited by Cheryl E. Ball and Drew M. Loewe. This article focuses on the myth that there is only one way to read and write successfully in our world. Pattanayak dispels this position by speaking to the ways in which holding tightly to such beliefs can limit writing diversity and further marginalize those who have specific cultural linguistic styles that connect deeply with their identity.

This reading is available below, as a PDF , and as a podcast .

People consistently lament that kids today can’t speak properly or that people coming to this country need to learn to write correctly. These lamentations are based on the notion that there is a single correct way of speaking and writing. Currently, the general sentiment is that people should just learn to speak and write proper English. This understanding of writing is rooted called current traditional rhetoric , which focuses on a prescriptive and formulaic way of teaching writing that assumes there is only one way to write (or speak) something for it to be correct. However, over the past several decades, scholars in writing studies have examined the ways in which writing has a close dialectical relationship with identity, style genre, and culture. In other words, the rules for writing shift with the people and the community involved as well as the purpose and type of writing.

Most people implicitly understand that the way they communicate changes with different groups of people, from bosses to work colleagues to peers to relatives. They understand that conversations that may be appropriate over a private dinner may not be appropriate at the workplace. These conversational shifts might be subtle, but they are distinct. While most people accept and understand these nuances exist and will adapt to these unspoken rules— and while we have all committed a social faux pas when we didn’t understand these unspoken rules—we do not often afford this same benefit of the doubt to people who are new to our communities or who are learning our unspoken rules.

While the idea of arguing whether there is one correct way of communicating or whether writing is culturally situated might seem to be a pedantic exercise, the reality is that espousing the ideology that there is one correct way to speak and write disenfranchises many populations who are already denigrated by society. The writing most valued in this binary is a type of writing that is situated in middle-class white culture. In adhering to so-called correct language, we are devaluing the non-standard dialects, cultures, and therefore identities of people and their communicative situations that do not fit a highly limited mold.

The way in which correctness in language devalues people is already troubling, but it becomes exacerbated by the current trends in education. Please refer to the literary crisis chapter to learn more about the changing dynamics in education. Given this shift and the way that Standard Written English is deeply rooted in white upper/middle-class culture, we see more and more students from diverse backgrounds gaining access to college who are facing barriers due to their linguistic backgrounds.

This means that while minority students and lower class students are ostensibly being given greater access to education, careers, and other facets of society they had been previously barred from, they are still facing serious barriers that their upper-class white counterparts do not, particularly in terms of culture, language, and literacy. J. Elspeth Stuckey argues that literacy, rather than enfranchising students, is a means of oppression and that it does little to help the economic futures of minority students because of how literacy teaches a particular set of values—ways of communicating and identity. In the context of educational settings, the cultures and identities of academia are valued more than those of the students, which sends the message that how they, their family, and members in their community speak and act are wrong by comparison. In essence, it sends the message starting at a very young age that who they are and where they come from is somehow lesser.

In this sense, education, while well intentioned, serves to further the marginalization of certain identities and cultures that do not fit. This is particularly evident in Latino, African American, and English as Second Language communities. In the book Paying for the Party , Elizabeth Armstrong and Laura Hamilton note that colleges like the school they studied for five years, which they call Midwestern University, do not help facilitate social mobility. Frequently, the students who entered college best prepared were those who were already middle or upper class, meaning the opportunities the working-and lower-class students received were more limited. When you look at this alongside what Gloria Ladson-Billings calls the educational debt , or the compounded impact of educational deficits that grow across generations of poor minority students, literacy efforts as they are currently framed paint a bleak picture for poor, minority students.

The issue is not just one of unequal access to opportunities. Jacqueline Jones Royster and Carmen Kynard illustrate how attitudes toward students as writers are interwoven with attitudes toward them as people. Language cannot be disassociated from people, which has important consequences for those who grow up speaking different dialects. By continuing to propagate the notion of correct and incorrect ways of speaking, we effectively devalue the intelligence and character of students, employees, and colleagues, who, for whatever reasons, don’t speak or write what in historical terms has been called the King’s English (among other names). We use the perception of improper communication as evidence of others’ lesser character or ability, despite recognizing that this country was united (if only in name) after declaring independence from that King.

This perception becomes all the more problematic because it is not just about devaluing individuals, but about the widespread practice of devaluing the literate practices of those who are already marginalized. David Gold highlights the marginalization of women, working class, rural, and African American literacy in our understanding of writing. Gold writes about how the literacy practices of African Americans in universities laid the groundwork for the Civil Rights movement. Indeed, the schools he studied were decades ahead of the larger national conversation on how literacy, identity, and power were interrelated. In her work examining how literacy and identity formation were key for African American women and for social change, Jacqueline Jones Royster discusses the importance of understanding the these cultural, identity, and social movements, echoing the impact marginalized scholars had in academia. Both demonstrate the detrimental impact of sidelining groups of people and their literate practices by devaluing their languages and their experiences, not just for those who are marginalized but for our larger understanding of how we as a society write.

The notion of one correct way of writing is also troubling because it operates under the assumption that linguistic differences are the result of error. The reality is that, for many speakers, what we might perceive as a mistake is actually a system of difference. One notable example of a different dialect of English is Ebonics, which has different patterns of speech rooted in the ancestral heritage of its speakers. Similarly, immigrant groups will frequently speak and write English in a way that mirrors the linguistic heritage of their mother tongue.

The way that we conceptualize language is not just detrimental to minorities; it also devalues the identities that working- and lower-class people bring to communicative situations, including the classroom. Lynn Z. Bloom writes that “Freshman Composition is an unabashedly middle-class enterprise.” She argues that one of the reasons composition is required for all students is because it promulgates middle-class values and ways of thinking. These values in the writing classroom are embodied in everything from the notion of property, which undergirds the way that plagiarism and intellectual property are treated, to formality of language and rhetorical choices that are encouraged in papers. Indeed, the way many instructors teach writing, plagiarism, citation, and word choice in papers is not in and of itself good but rather is the socially accepted way of interacting with text as defined by the middle class. Mike Rose and Irvin Peckham write about the tension of middle-class values on working-class students and the cognitive dissonance and struggles with identity that come with imposing such values in writing under the guise of correctness. The idea that there is one correct way of writing devalues the writing, thoughts, intelligence, and identities of people from lower-class backgrounds.

Pragmatically, many argue that standard English should be dominant in the binary between academic English and all other dialects in order for speakers and writers to communicate with credibility in their communities. This argument has been used to justify the continued attention to correctness at the expense of authors’ voices, but we can teach people to adapt while also valuing their identities. We can talk about writing as something that they can employ to their benefit rather than a hegemonic standard that supersedes their backgrounds, identities, and experiences.

In order to value the diversity of communication and identities that exist in the U.S., we need to start teaching and envisioning writing as a cultural and social activity. We need a more nuanced view of writing in society that encourages everyone to adapt to their audiences and contexts rather than placing an undue burden on those who do not fit the mold of standard English. One strategy for teaching academic English without devaluing a writer’s identity is code-switching, a concept already taught in schools with significant minority populations as a way of empowering young people. While instruction in code-switching is valuable because it teaches students that they can adopt different linguistic choices to appeal to different audiences, it is deeply problematic that the impetus is still placed on minority students with non-standard dialects to adapt. While code-switching is meant to empower people, it is still rooted in the mentality that there is one correct way of writing, because even as code-switching teaches an incredibly nuanced way of thinking about writing, it is still being taught in the context of preparing writers to deal with a society that will use errors in speak- ing as evidence that they are lesser. As a result, it is a less-than-ideal solution because it plays into—rather than undermines—the racism of academic English.

By perpetuating the myth of one correct way of writing, we are effectively marginalizing substantial swaths of the population linguistically and culturally. The first step in combating this is as easy as recognizing how correctness reinforces inequality and affects our own perceptions of people and questioning our assumptions about communication, and a second step is valuing code-switching in a wide swath of communicative situations.

Section Overview

Many of the readings in this book, and certainly in this section include chapters from the book, Bad Ideas About Writing . It is important to note that Bad Ideas About Writing includes titles that can be misleading if you do not read the text itself. The titles for all of the Bad Ideas About Writing essays are actually misleading myths about writing that circulate. It may be confusing, at first, to see these titles. And it is important to keep in mind the content of each essay dispels these popular beliefs about writing that can be found in the titles, by using research from the field. Happily, there are both written and audio versions available for each of these brief, engaging chapters.

The first three chapters in this section address the relationship between rhetoric and first-year writing as well as the purpose of first-year writing in education:

Rhetoric is Synonymous with Empty Speech by Patricia Roberts-Miller ( Bad Ideas About Writing ) ( Podcast )
First-Year Composition Prepares Students for Academic Writing by Tyler S. Branson ( Bad Ideas About Writing ) ( Podcast )
First-Year Composition Should be Skipped by Paul G. Cook ( Bad Ideas About Writing ) ( Podcast )

The next three chapters consider the relationship between reading and writing:

“Developing a Repertoire of Reading Strategies” by Ellen C. Carillo
Reading and Writing Are Not Connected by Ellen C. Carillo ( Bad Ideas About Writing ) ( Podcast )
How to Read Like a Writer by Michael Bunn

To provide a foundation for this work, consider how rhetorical analysis is always at work in communication. Whenever we speak, write, or listen, we're doing rhetorical work. By beginning our considerations of the rhetorical nature of communication with a focus on "Rhetorical Analysis" (below), we invite you to apply these skills throughout your work this semester. The following text, "Rhetorical Analysis," is an excerpt from Try This: Research Methods For Writers , (pp. 79-82) by Jennifer Clary-Lemon, Derek Mueller, and Kate Pantelides.

Rhetorical analysis helps demonstrate the significance of a text by carefully considering the rhetorical situation in which it develops and the ways that it supports its purpose. There are lots of definitions of rhetoric, and the definition that makes the

most sense to you and your understanding of communication will impact how you deploy rhetorical analysis. The following are a few definitions of rhetoric:

Quote that reads "Rhetoric may be defined as the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion. Aristotle"

Ancient Greek rhetor Aristotle : “Rhetoric may be defined as the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasio n.”
British rhetorician I. A. Richards : “Rhetoric…should be a study of misunderstanding and its remedies” (3).
Contemporary American rhetors Elizabeth Wardle and Doug Downs : “Rhetoric is a field of study in which people examine how persuasion and communication work, and it is also the art of human interaction, communication, and persuasion” (366).
Contemporary American genre theorist Charles Bazerman : “The study of how people use language and other symbols to realize human goals and carry out human activities. . . . ultimately a practical study offering people greater control over their symbolic activity” (6).

Try This: Defining Rhetoric (30 minutes)

Find a few alternative definitions of rhetoric on your own, and see which one is most appealing to you. Now, mush them together, paraphrase, and come up with a definition that resonates with your understanding of rhetoric.

Rhetorical analysis helps us understand the various components that make a communicative act/artifact successful or not. A key component to effective rhetorical analysis is careful, active attention to what the author and her text are trying to accomplish. Krista Ratcliffe calls such attention rhetorical listening .

Most people summarize rhetorical listening as an orientation of active openness toward communication, and Ratcliffe identifies multiple components for such a stance:

“acknowledging the existence” of the other, their self, and discourse;
listening for "(un)conscious presences, absences, and unknowns”;
and purposefully “integrating this information into our world views and decision making.” (29)

Rhetorical listening often draws our attention to absences. Jacqueline Jones Royster’s work on literacy practices, particularly of nineteenth century Black women, demonstrates how listening for and being curious about absences often leads us to understudied rhetors . Temptaous McCoy has coined the term amplification rhetorics (AR), a method of seeking out and amplifying rhetorical practices that may not have been effectively heard. She describes AR as a way of examining and celebrating the experiences and community rhetorics of Black and marginalized communities.

Try This: Analyzing Keywords (60 minutes)

Working with something you have recently written, assign keywords (one or two-word phrases) you believe would do well to convey its significance (don’t count, just consider what you think is most important about the text). To do so, follow these steps:

Identify five to seven keywords based on your sense of the text.
Then, turn to a keyword generating tool, such as TagCrowd (tagcrowd.com) or the NGram Analyzer (guidetodatamining.com/ngramAnalyzer/). Copy and paste your writing into the platform and initiate the analysis with the aid of the keyword generating tool. Which words or phrases match (as in, you thought they were significant and they show up frequently in your text)? Which words or phrases appear in one list but not the other? What do you think explains the differences in the lists?
Next, identify two keywords or phrases you believe are not sufficiently represented in either list. What are these keywords or phrases, and how are they significant to the work you are doing? Develop a one-page revision memo that accounts for how you could go about expanding the presence of these underrepresented words or phrases in your writing.

Another way of thinking of rhetorical listening in the context of texts is Peter Elbow’s practice of “ The Believing Game ,” in which he encourages audience members to suspend potential disbelief or critique of

Quote that reads "Rhetoric is 'the study of how people use language and other symbols to realize human goals and carry out human activities . . . ultimately a practical study offering people greater control over their symbolic activity.' Charles Bazerman"

Try This: Rhetorical Analysis (60 minutes)

Practice rhetorical analysis. Select an article that interests you, perhaps one that you identified to work with in Chapter 3 or something you came across when you searched for potential corpora at the beginning of this chapter. Spend some time considering why this article is persuasive or appealing to you. The following questions may aid your consideration:

Who is the audience? What evidence suggests this audience?
What is the context in which it was written? What evidence suggests this?
What is its purpose? You might also identify the thesis or orienting principle and consider the larger relationship between the work’s purpose and its stated argument or principle. What evidence leads you to this finding?
Who is the author? Really—who is the author? Draw on your worknet findings ( see Try This for a discussion of worknets) and consider the author’s relationship to this rhetorical situation. What is the exigency, or reason, for writing this work? Or, you might return to considering the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of this article.

There are many ways to practice rhetorical analysis, although it is often reduced to an equation rather than a tool for discov ery of a text. Let rhetorical analysis be a method that opens up understanding and poss ibility rather than one that simply labels certain word s or passages. Consider how identifying a particular rhetorical appeal adds depth and nuance to a text and connects you to it in complex ways. For instance, the previous “Try This” offered two approaches to rhetorical analysis. The next “Try This” offers two ad ditional approaches. Consider which one resonates most with you. Which method helps you identify the significance and interest of a text?

Try This: More Rhetorical Analysis (60 minutes)

Working with a text/genre/corpus of your choosing, develop responses to the following prompt. If you seek a text as the basis of your analysis, we recommend Captain Brett Crozier’s letter to shipmates aboard the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt during the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak .

In what ways does the author offer specific appeals to the audience? Consider particular instances of the following appeals in the text:

Kairos, which refers to timeliness—indications of why the text is contemporarily relevant
Ethos, which generally concerns the relative credibility of an author or argument
Logos, which means demonstrating specific pieces of evidence that support the text’s purpose
Pathos, which relates to engaging the emotions

Practice rhetorical listening. Ask yourself the following questions:

What is not here? Are there any notable absences? Things/people/ideas the author does not mention?
Are there ideas or appeals that potentially challenge your acceptance of the author’s work?

Although we have asked you to identify individual appeals, such rhetorical tools usually work together, and it can be hard to pull them apart. In identifying the various rhetorical components of a text, consider how they collaborate to make a text successful and persuasive . . . or not.

The Muse: Misunderstandings and Their Remedies Copyright © by Eric Detweiler; Paul Evans; Amy Fant; Amy Harris-Aber; Nich Krause; Caroline LaPlue; Candie Moonshower; Kate Pantelides; and Jennifer Wilson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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11.4: Signal Phrases

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A signal phrase , also known as an attributive tag, is a device used to smoothly integrate quotations and paraphrases into your essay. It is important to use signal phrases to clearly attribute supporting evidence to an author and to avoid interrupting the flow of an essay. Signal phrases can also be used as meaningful transitions, moving your readers between your ideas and those of your sources.

Referring to the Author within a Signal Phrase

In many instances, a signal phrase should contain only the last name of the author or authors of the source text (as opposed to the author’s first and last name). For instance, APA style guidelines require no reference to an author’s first name at any point in an essay and few if any gender specific pronouns. But in MLA papers, if you are referring to an author for the first time in your essay, you should include that author’s first name (you might also want to include the author’s credentials and the title of the source—see “Types of Signal Phrases” below). Any future signal phrase should refer to the author by last name only or with a pronoun when it’s perfectly clear to whom that pronoun refers. For example:

Michael Pollan observes that “Americans today are having a national conversation about food and agriculture that would have been impossible to imagine even a few short years ago” (29).
Pollan continues, “But the national conversation unfolding around the subject of food and farming really began in the 1970s” (29).
He then specifies, “I would argue that the conversation got under way in earnest in 1971, when [Wendell] Berry published an article in The Last Whole Earth Catalogue” (29).

Notice how each signal phrase verb is followed by a comma (or the word “that”), which is then followed by one space before the opening quotation mark.

Signal Phrase Verb Tense

Pollan (2009) observed that “Americans today are having a national conversation about food and agriculture that would have been impossible to imagine even a few short years ago” (p. 29).

Notice how APA in-text citations also differ from MLA style in that APA citations include the year of publication and the page number is preceded by a “p.”

See section 12.6 for more information on APA in-text citations and section 12.2 for MLA citations.

Varying Your Verbs

Types of Signal Phrases

Type: Author’s credentials are indicated.

Example: Grace Chapmen, Curator of Human Health & Evolutionary Medicine at the Springfield Natural History Museum, explains…

Type: Author’s lack of credentials is indicated.

Example: Matthew Spencer, whose background is in marriage counseling, not foreign policy, claims…

Type: Author’s social or political stance, if necessary to the content, is explained.

Example: Employing nonviolent civil disobedience, Roland Hayes, prominent civil rights activist, preaches…

Ralph Spencer, who has ties to the White Nationalist movement, denies…

Type: Publisher of the source is identified.

Example: According to a recent CNN poll…

Type: Title of the Source is included.

Example : In “Understanding Human Behavior,” Riley argues …

Purpose: Informs the reader where the cited passage is being pulled from.

Type: Information that establishes context is presented.

Example: In a speech presented during a Free Speech rally, Elaine Wallace encourages …

Purpose: Presenting the context that the original information was presented can help the audience understand the author’s purpose more clearly.

MLA Signal Phrase Verbs

Apa signal phrase verbs.

“11.4 Signal Phrases” has been edited by Linda Gannon and is licensed under CC BY 4.0 / A derivative from the original work by John Lanning and Amanda Lloyd.

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Signal Phrases in MLA Style

When you choose to use quotations, make sure that they are integrated smoothly into the text of your paper.

Readers should be able to move from your own words to the words you quote without feeling an abrupt shift. Signal phrases provide clear signals to prepare the readers for the quotation.

Choose a verb that is appropriate in the context. Here are some example signal phrases:

illustrates

Ease the Reader Out of a Quotation

When you use a quotation, help the reader make a smooth transition back into your own words. To do this, follow up the quotation with a sentence or two of your own that reinforces or expands upon it.

Try Not to Overdo the Quotations

If you include too many quotations in a research essay, readers may form the impression that you cannot think for yourself. Use direct quotations only when a source is particularly clear or expressive.

Similarly, try to avoid too many long quotations. Or if you use them, be sure that you spend time discussing them in your own words. Connect your ideas with those of your source's.

All information written on this page has been excerpted from the official handbook of the IUP writing center: Hacker, Diana. A Writer's Reference . 5th ed. Boston: St. Martin's, 2003.

Kathleen Jones White Writing Center
Stabley Library, Room 203 431 South Eleventh Street Indiana, PA 15705
Phone: 724-357-3029
[email protected]

How it works

Signal Phrases – Uses, Definition & Examples

Published by Owen Ingram at October 17th, 2023 , Revised On October 17, 2023

In written content, from research papers to blog posts, clarity is one critical element that distinguishes quality writing from the rest. One of the most effective methods to introduce this harmony is by ensuring smooth transitions that guide the reader through the narrative. Understanding information literacy becomes crucial in this context, as it educates a writer about correctly using and attributing information.

The ability to communicate ideas succinctly, ensuring that the reader is not left grappling with disjointed concepts or abrupt shifts in thought, can significantly elevate any piece of writing. One of the most effective methods to introduce this harmony is by ensuring smooth transitions that guide the reader through the narrative, much like signposts guiding travellers on a road trip.

Enter signal phrases. These handy tools are a significant aspect of how to integrate sources in written work. By indicating where information originates and providing context, they ensure that readers are not only informed but also engaged. You can say that signal phrases function as the bridge between an author’s voice and the voices of those they cite, fostering a conversation that feels both authentic and well-structured.

Signal Phrase Definition

The term “signal phrases” can be dissected into two components: “signal” and “phrases.” As the name suggests, they act as signals, or indicators, within the writing. Think of them as flag bearers, announcing the arrival of information from an external source. The “phrase” component refers to the group of words that together perform this signalling function.

Signal phrases are introductory phrases that serve to incorporate external information or references into a piece of writing. They alert readers that the ensuing information is borrowed, offering a preamble to a quotation, paraphrase, or summary from another source. The art of paraphrasing in sources is as essential as direct quoting. More than just mere introductions, they provide context, setting the tone for the reader’s reception of the cited information.

How to Use a Signal Phrase in Different Types of Writing

Here is what role signal phrases play in different types of writing.

Academic Writing

In scholarly articles and research papers, the use of signal phrases is paramount. A cardinal rule in academia is to avoid plagiarism, and this is where source citing comes into play. By introducing experts or research findings and then citing them correctly, writers can avoid this pitfall.
A cardinal rule in academia is to avoid plagiarism. Signal phrases, when coupled with proper citations, ensure that readers know which ideas are the author’s and which are borrowed.
With dense information and complex ideas, academic writing can be challenging to navigate. Signal phrases guide the reader, providing them with context and aiding in comprehension.

Non-Academic Writing

Even in less formal settings, source evaluation is crucial. This is because, regardless of the formality of the content, incorporating credible and relevant sources boosts the writer’s credibility.
Non-academic writing often aims to engage readers in a conversation. Signal phrases can introduce different viewpoints, encouraging readers to consider multiple perspectives.
In storytelling or descriptive pieces, signal phrases can be used to provide background or historical context, ensuring the narrative is rich and well-rounded.

Purpose of a Signal Phrase

The use of signal phrases in writing can be likened to the art of seasoning in cooking. Just as the right blend of spices can elevate a dish, signal phrases enhance the flavour and texture of written content. But what exactly are the reasons that make them so indispensable?

Credibility and Attribution

Giving Credit Where Due: In the world of writing, original ideas are as valuable as gold. When we borrow these “golden nuggets” from others, it’s not just ethical, but also respectful to acknowledge the original source. Signal phrases serve as the tip of the hat, recognising the contribution of the original author.
Building Trust with the Reader: By transparently showcasing where information is sourced from, writers not only credit the original authors but also demonstrate their diligence in source evaluation. This helps in establishing a solid foundation of trust with the readers.
Avoiding Plagiarism: Beyond just a breach of ethics, plagiarism can lead to severe consequences in academic and professional realms. Signal phrases, when used correctly, act as a protective shield, ensuring writers steer clear of unintentional plagiarism.

Flow and Coherence

Creating Seamless Transitions: Just as a skilled conductor ensures smooth transitions between musical notes, signal phrases guide readers from one idea to the next, ensuring a harmonious reading experience.
Providing Context: Instead of jarringly introducing a quote or reference, signal phrases set the stage. They provide readers with the necessary context, helping them understand the relevance of the upcoming information.
Enhancing Clarity: By indicating the source and purpose of the cited material, signal phrases assist readers in distinguishing between the writer’s thoughts and external references. This clarity prevents misunderstandings and confusion.

Variety in Writing

Breaking the Monotony: Repetitive structures and patterns can make writing sound monotonous. Signal phrases offer writers a palette of varied introductions, allowing for a dynamic and engaging narrative.
Introducing Multiple Voices: Signal phrases allow for the seamless incorporation of multiple viewpoints. By introducing diverse voices into the narrative, writers can create a richer, more multidimensional discourse.

Encouraging Thoughtful Engagement: With a mix of original content and external references, readers are encouraged to engage critically with the material. The variety stimulates thought, prompting readers to form opinions and perspectives.

The research done by our experts have:

Precision and Clarity
Zero Plagiarism
Authentic Sources

Signal Phrase Examples

Signal phrases come in various shapes and forms, suitable for diverse contexts and intentions. Here are some commonly used signal phrases, categorised based on their purpose:

Introducing a Source or Quotation

These phrases lay the groundwork for a direct quotation, paraphrase, or summary, notifying the reader of the incoming external reference. They often include the name of the author or source for clarity.

According to Dr. Jane Smith, …
As Professor Adams points out, …
In her seminal work, “The Dynamics of Change,” Thompson writes, …
As highlighted in The New York Times, …

Highlighting Agreement or Support

Writers use these signal phrases to emphasise concordance with an external reference, bolstering their own assertions or showcasing a consensus in the field.

Similarly, Johnson asserts, …
In agreement with this perspective, Martinez comments, …
Echoing these sentiments, the study conducted by Wallace and Lee indicates, …

Introducing Contrasting or Differing Views

Contrasting signal phrases introduce alternative perspectives or conflicting evidence. They alert the reader to a shift in viewpoint or a counter-argument to the previous statement.

On the other hand, Brown contends, …
Challenging this view, Dr. Patel argues, …
Contrary to popular belief, Jackson suggests, …
However, in a recent publication, Gomez offers a different perspective, stating, …

Highlighting a Point of Emphasis or Significance

Most importantly, Wilson notes, …
It is essential to understand, as Singh emphasises, …
Underlining the gravity of the situation, Clark mentions, …

Presenting Statistical or Empirical Data

Based on the latest findings from the National Health Institute, …
A recent survey conducted by Forbes revealed, …
As per the data gathered by the World Bank, …

Indicating Uncertainty or Potential Bias

These signal phrases introduce information that may be unverified, based on hearsay, or potentially biased. They act as cautionary flags, signalling readers to approach the upcoming information discerningly.

Reportedly, the committee has decided, …
Allegedly, the organisation was involved in, …
Rumour has it that …

Referring to Previous Discussions or Historical Context

Historically, as documented by White, …
Recalling earlier discussions on the topic, Barnes had stated, …
As previously mentioned by Davis, …

How to Properly Integrate Signal Phrases in Writing

Like any tool in the writer’s toolbox, the effectiveness of signal phrases depends on how aptly they’re used. Here is a guide on integrating signal phrases seamlessly and effectively in your writing:

Varied Usage

Overusing a particular phrase like “According to” can become monotonous and may make your writing seem unoriginal. Ensure that you vary your signal phrases to maintain reader engagement. For instance, alternate between “Smith argues,” “As Pérez posits,” and “Johnson observes.”
Depending on the context, alternate between introducing a source, expressing agreement, presenting contrasting views, and highlighting uncertainties. This variation ensures a rich, multidimensional narrative.

Appropriate Context

If you are introducing a counterargument, phrases like “On the other hand” or “Contrarily” are apt. But if you’re reinforcing your point with a supportive source, “Similarly” or “In agreement” would be more suitable.
The signal phrase should also match the tone of the source. For instance, a casual observation might be introduced with “Jones notes,” while a strong, controversial claim might warrant “Smith fervently argues.”

Punctuation and Formatting

Place a comma after the signal phrase when it is followed by a direct quote.

Example: Smith states, “The environment is of paramount importance.”

Example: “The best approach,” Johnson argues, “is through a collaborative effort.”
Example: According to Pérez, many startups fail within their first year.
Full-sentence example: Lee suggests, “The city should invest more in public transportation.”
Fragment example: The results, labelled as “groundbreaking” by Dr. Kim, have changed the field.
The first word in a full-sentence quote should be capitalised. However, if you’re quoting a fragment, there’s typically no need to capitalise the first word unless it’s a proper noun.

Common Mistakes to Avoid With Signal Phrases

Signal phrases, while tremendously helpful, can also become pitfalls if not used correctly. As writers strive for clarity and credibility, it’s crucial to sidestep common errors related to signal phrases. Here are some frequent mistakes and how to avoid them:

Mismatching the Signal Phrase with the Content it Introduces

Problem: Using a signal phrase that suggests agreement, like “Similarly,” but then introducing content that presents a contrasting view.
Solution: Ensure that the tone and intention of the signal phrase match the content it precedes. Regularly reviewing and editing your work can help catch such inconsistencies.

Overusing a Particular Phrase Leading to Redundancy

Problem: Repeatedly relying on the same signal phrase, such as “According to,” makes the writing sound monotonous and may cause the reader to disengage.
Solution: Maintain a list of varied signal phrases and consciously rotate through them. Periodically, revisit sections of your writing to ensure diversity in your introductions.

Failing to Properly Cite After Using Signal Phrases and Citation Styles

Problem: Using a signal phrase to introduce information and then neglecting to provide a proper citation can lead to unintentional plagiarism. It can also leave readers wondering about the source of your information.
Solution: Always follow a signal phrase with the appropriate citation, whether it is an in-text parenthetical citation, a footnote, or another form. Familiarise yourself with the citation style you are using to ensure accuracy, and learn how to cite sources properly, be it APA, MLA, Chicago, or another format, to ensure accuracy.

Using Signal Phrases that Sound Uncertain Without Reason

Problem: Overusing phrases like “It is believed” or “Some say” can make your writing sound non-committal and vague.
Solution: While there is a place for such phrases, especially when discussing rumours or unconfirmed beliefs, it’s essential to use definitive language when the information is confirmed or when presenting your clear perspective.

Incorrect Punctuation Around Signal Phrases

Problem: Misplacing commas or other punctuation around signal phrases can confuse readers and disrupt the flow of the writing.
Solution: Remember basic rules, such as placing a comma after a signal phrase that introduces a direct quote. Always review and edit your work, keeping punctuation guidelines in mind.

Overloading With Signal Phrases

Problem: Using signal phrases for every piece of information, even when it is common knowledge or when consecutive sentences cite the same source, can be overkill.

Solution: Use discretion. While it is vital to credit sources, you do not need to signal every single reference, especially if it makes the writing feel cumbersome. If you have just mentioned a source, and the following sentence continues to discuss the same source, you may not need a new signal phrase.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to use a signal phrase.

To use a signal phrase, introduce external information in your writing by embedding the source’s name or title, followed by verbs like “states,” “argues,” or “suggests.” This alerts readers to incoming quotes, summaries, or paraphrases, providing context and credit. Proper punctuation, typically a comma, often follows the phrase before the quoted material.

What is a signal phrase?

A signal phrase introduces quotations, paraphrases, or summaries in writing, indicating the source of the information. By using verbs like “states,” “argues,” or “notes,” these phrases provide context, attribute credit, and seamlessly integrate external references into the narrative. They help guide readers and enhance clarity, flow, and credibility.

When do I need to use a signal phrase?

Use a signal phrase when introducing quotations, paraphrases, or summaries from external sources in your writing. It attributes credit, provides context, and alerts readers to the origin of the information. Employing them enhances clarity, avoids abrupt transitions, and upholds ethical standards by clearly differentiating between your ideas and sourced content.

Signal Phrases: Enhancing Clarity and Coherence

Maintaining clarity and coherence is crucial when it comes to effective writing. Signal phrases play a critical role in achieving these objectives by guiding readers through the text and connecting ideas seamlessly. By using signal phrases in their writing and understanding their significance, students develop essential skills and contribute to a culture of academic excellence and integrity.

Teaching students to write credible and informative content can be challenging but with a focus on signal phrases, effective writing can be developed.

Signal phrases enhance the quality of written content by providing smooth transitions from a writer's words to a source's words. They create a boundary between the writer's words and credit the original source.

Let's explore the significance of signal phrases, how to use them, and why.

What Are Signal Phrases?

Signal phrases are introduction phrases in writing that indicate the first time a quotation, paraphrase, or summary of another author’s work is mentioned. Signal phrases ensure ideas flow smoothly and contribute to the overall clarity and coherence of the text.

When incorporating external sources into students’ writing, they should use signal phrases to attribute the ideas or information to the original authors. By integrating signal phrases, writers demonstrate engagement with existing literature and show respect for the contributions of other scholars when summarizing someone else’s work to enhance their own.

The Importance of Signal Phrases in Writing

Signal phrases in academic writing allow writers to give credit where credit is due. By incorporating them, writers credit existing literature to its source and in turn, maintain academic integrity. If writers do not give recognition to the direct source, it would be considered plagiarism.

Signal phrases also act as signposts for readers, helping them navigate the text and understand the relationships between different ideas. Signal phrases indicate someone else is able to contribute to the same ideas, which can paraphrase the content being presented. This also adds variety and sophistication to a writing style, making it more engaging for the audience. Purdue University has a variety of online resources to check out. For in-person guidance, a writing center or workshop is an interactive way to work on signal phrases.

Education writer and author Natalie Wexler states in a podcast for EDVIEW360 , “It’s not that kids don't want to write. It’s that they haven’t been explicitly taught how to do it. And once you show them how to construct a sentence and how to put a paragraph together, what I’ve heard is that reluctant writers often become eager writers.”

Types of Signal Phrases

Understanding the types of signal phrases allows writers to choose the appropriate one based on their writing goals and context of their work. There are three types of signal phrases: Attribution signal phrases, transition signal phrases, and explanation signal phrases.

By delving into each type, writers can develop a deeper understanding of how to incorporate signal phrases seamlessly into their writing and create a well-structured and engaging piece of work. Writing format will also indicate which verb tenses you will use for your signal phrase verbs. When writing in MLA style, signal phrases should be in present perfect tense, while APA style should be in past tense.

Attribution signal phrases are used to attribute a particular idea or information to a specific author or source. They help establish the credibility of the source and provide clear attribution by “tagging” the author through the use of the signal phrase.

Common examples of signal phrases are:

Illustrates

Transition signal phrases help to smoothly transition between the writer’s ideas and the information from external sources. Transition signal phrases indicate there is a sequential order to the ideas or statements made. These words help the writer connect concepts, support arguments, and improve the overall flow of the writing.

Give these transition signal phrases a try:

Explanation signal phrases are used to introduce an explanation or clarification of a concept. They provide additional context and help readers understand complex ideas or terms.

Common explanation signal phrases are:

Specifically
For instance

Benefits of Using Signal Phrases

Using signal phrases in writing offers several benefits that contribute to the overall quality, effectiveness, and conciseness of the text. Clearly, they differentiate between the writer’s ideas and information derived from other authors, which prevents confusion and ensures a clear understanding of the source of each idea. Using signal phrases to acknowledge the contributions of other scholars also helps writers demonstrate academic integrity and respect for intellectual property, as well as avoid risk of plagiarism.

Signal phrases help writers assist readers in following the flow of the text and grasping connections between their own arguments and supporting evidence. They help the writer keep thoughts organized and sentences flow cohesively as opposed to having repeated citations throughout the text. Strategically incorporating different types of signal phrases allows writers to vary their language and sentence structure, making the text more engaging and impactful.

Advanced writers looking to defend a position or provide a counter argument can try these signal words:

As Wexler said in the podcast for EDVIEW360 , “One problem is that writing’s really hard. So, if you ask kids to write at length, it just becomes harder. But often kids don’t just pick up the conventions and grammar, the syntax of written language just on their own, just from reading.”

The Role of Signal Phrases in Education

The role of signal phrases in education is crucial, because they serve multiple purposes in academic settings, such as enhancing students’ reading comprehension, promoting critical thinking, fostering academic integrity, and encouraging effective research and citation practices.

In-text citations of the writer’s reference should include the author’s name and publication date. Depending on the source material, the writer could also hyperlink it within the citation. Direct quotations require quotation marks, the page number, and often the title of the source. Citation styles vary in their requirements. APA style and MLA style are common types of styles, and both have a style guide for reference. Whether you write in APA or MLA citation styles, the most important thing is that you cite an outside source correctly.

Signal phrases are invaluable tools to enhance clarity and coherence in writing, as well as to give credit to outside sources to maintain academic integrity. Signal phrases are key elements of quality writing.

If you’re looking to help your students find success in each phase of the writing process, Step Up to Writing ® is a powerful writing program that is not only compatible with any core curriculum, but is also designed for all K–12 learners. Learn how to help students understand the importance of each step in the writing process with Step Up to Writing .

Research-Based Writing Instruction (Grades K–12)

Classroom Activities/Strategies/Guides

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87 Signal Phrases and Transitions

John Lanning and Amanda Lloyd

A signal phrase, also known as an attributive tag, is a device used to smoothly integrate quotations and paraphrases into your essay. It is important to use signal phrases to clearly attribute supporting evidence to an author and to avoid interrupting the flow of an essay. Signal phrases can also be used as meaningful transitions, moving your readers between your ideas and those of your sources.

Referring to the Author within a Signal Phrase

In many instances, a signal phrase should contain only the last name of the author or authors of the source text (as opposed to the author’s first and last name). For instance, APA style guidelines require no reference to an author’s first name at any point in an essay and few if any gender specific pronouns. But in MLA papers, if you are referring to an author for the first time in your essay, you should include that author’s first name (you might also want to include the author’s credentials and the title of the source—see “Types of Signal Phrases” below). Any future signal phrase should refer to the author by last name only or with a pronoun when it’s perfectly clear to whom that pronoun refers. For example:

Michael Pollan observes that “Americans today are having a national conversation about food and agriculture that would have been impossible to imagine even a few short years ago” (29).
Pollan continues, “But the national conversation unfolding around the subject of food and farming really began in the 1970s” (29).
He then specifies, “I would argue that the conversation got under way in earnest in 1971, when [Wendell] Berry published an article in The Last Whole Earth Catalogue” (29).

Notice how each signal phrase verb is followed by a comma (or the word “that”), which is then followed by one space before the opening quotation mark.

Signal Phrase Verb Tense

Pollan (2009) observed that “Americans today are having a national conversation about food and agriculture that would have been impossible to imagine even a few short years ago” (p. 29).

Notice how APA in-text citations also differ from MLA style in that APA citations include the year of publication and the page number is preceded by a “p.”

Varying Your Verbs

Types of Signal Phrases

Type: Author’s credentials are indicated.

Example: Grace Chapmen, Curator of Human Health & Evolutionary Medicine at the Springfield Natural History Museum, explains…

Type: Author’s lack of credentials is indicated.

Example: Matthew Spencer, whose background is in marriage counseling, not foreign policy, claims…

Type: Author’s social or political stance, if necessary to the content, is explained.

Example: Employing nonviolent civil disobedience, Roland Hayes, prominent civil rights activist, preaches…

Ralph Spencer, who has ties to the White Nationalist movement, denies…

Type: Publisher of the source is identified.

Example: According to a recent CNN poll…

Type: Title of the Source is included.

Example : In “Understanding Human Behavior,” Riley argues …

Purpose: Informs the reader where the cited passage is being pulled from.

Type: Information that establishes context is presented.

Example: In a speech presented during a Free Speech rally, Elaine Wallace encourages …

Purpose: Presenting the context that the original information was presented can help the audience understand the author’s purpose more clearly.

MLA Signal Phrase Verbs

apa signal phrase verbs.

https://owl.excelsior.edu/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=h5p_embed&id=51

Transitional Words and Phrases for University Writing

by Suzan Last

Transitional words and phrases are a type of signal phrase, too. They help guide a reader from one sentence, idea, or paragraph to the next. In previous English classes, you may have learned the basic transitional words or phrases in Table D.1. These can be effective when writing simple information in a structure where you simply add one idea after another, or want to show the order of events.

TABLE D.1 Basic beginner-level transitions

However, more complex university-level writing requires more sophisticated transitions. It requires you to connect ideas in ways that show the logic of why one idea comes after another in a complex argument or analysis. For example, you might be comparing/contrasting ideas, or showing a cause and effect relationship, providing detailed examples to illustrate an idea, or presenting a conclusion to an argument. When expressing these complex ideas, the simple transitions you’ve learned earlier will not always be effective – indeed, they may even confuse the reader.

Consider the transitions in Table D.2, and how they are categorized. While this is not an exhaustive list, it will gives you a sense of the many transitional words and phrases that you can choose from, and demonstrate the need to choose the one that most effectively conveys your meaning.

TABLE D.2 Sophisticated university-level transitions

Transitional words and phrases show the connection between ideas, and show how one idea relates to and builds upon another. They help create coherence. When transitions are missing or inappropriate, the reader has a hard time following the logic and development of ideas. The most effective transitions are sometimes invisible; they rely on the vocabulary and logic of your sentence to allow the reader to “connect the dots” and see the logical flow of your discussion.

Repeat a word or phrase from the previous sentence (or use a synonym, related word, or antonym) to show that the same idea is still being discussed, but is being developed further
Use the pronoun “this + noun” to show continued discussion of the idea
Use one of the above transitional words or phrases to show HOW you are developing your idea (are you showing contrast? Are you using an example to develop your idea? Are you showing a cause and effect relationship? Are you concluding? Are you conceding a point?).

Transition Exercises: Place the transitional words below the paragraph into the blanks where they work most logically into the paragraphs.

A vegan can be defined as someone who does not eat meat, fish, or other animal products, such as eggs or cheese; ________, they eat vegetables, fruits, grains, and seeds. __________ this diet consists of non-meat food sources, a vegan typically consumes less fat and cholesterol than an individual who consumes meat. __________, raising animals for food uses valuable land, water, and energy. __________, adopting a vegetarian diet can help conserve the valuable resources that our future depends on.

consequently
furthermore
for example

__________ many educators and parents have praised the Harry Potter series, some Christian parents have called for a ban on the books in their schools and libraries. Some churches have even gone as far as burning the books, citing biblical injunctions against witchcraft, __________ those in Exodus and Leviticus . __________, some Christians believe the books are compatible with Christianity, __________, that they embody basic Christian beliefs.

in addition

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Signal Phrases and Interacting With Texts

Signal Phrases and Interacting With Texts (APA Style 7th Ed.) Podcast

Signal phrases and interacting with texts (apa style 7th ed.) transcript.

Greetings everyone. This is Kurtis Clements with another Effective Writing podcast. In this episode, I am going to discuss using signal phrases and interacting with texts.

In case you’re wondering what a signal phrase is, let me start there. All a signal phrase is is some introductory text that precedes (and sometimes splits and follows) information that comes from a source whether that information is a direct quote, a paraphrase, or a summary. A signal phrase is a natural part of an APA narrative in-text citation as it attributes information to a particular author like this: Clements (date of publication in parentheses) explained signal phrases in a recent fabulous podcast. Common signal phrases include such phrasing as According to X, As noted by X, As X argued, stated, reported, or some other past tense verb, and other similar constructs.

APA is not the only documentation style that uses signal phrases. MLA uses signal phrases as well, and the key difference between the way signal phrases are used is that MLA uses present tense verbs and APA uses past tense verbs.

A signal phrase in MLA: Jones argues that . . . A signal phrase in APA: Jones argued that . . .

You may be wondering, What’s the benefit of using a signal phrase? Well, for starters, signal phrases help writers distinguish their ideas from a source’s ideas.

Listen to the following example:

Recent studies have shown that car accidents are the leading cause of death for teens in the United States. “Car crashes remain the leading cause of death for teenagers, who have a crash rate four times higher than that of older drivers” (Zernike, 2012, p. 76). Although some 16 year olds may appear more mature than some 18 year olds, records show that 16 year olds are more likely to get involved in car accidents.

Could you tell what content in that section was mine and what content came from a source? Absolutely not, right? Now obviously if you could actually see the page and a direct quote was used, then you would be able to tell what material was quoted, but even then, it’s a good idea to give a quote authority by using a signal phrase to name the author prior to the direct quote.

Listen to this updated version of the content I just read:

Recent studies have shown that car accidents are the leading cause of death for teens in the United States. According to Zernike (2019), “Car crashes remain the leading cause of death for teenagers, who have a crash rate four times higher than that of older drivers” (p. 76). While Zernike’s contention should be concerning, what should also be clear is that some 16 year olds may be more mature than some 18 year olds.

Note how in this revised passage, the author, Zernike, is named before the quote so readers know the source right out of the gate, and then the quote is integrated. In APA when using a signal phrase, put the date of publication in parenthesis directly after the author’s last name. Did you notice anything else about the short passage I just read? You probably noticed this sentence: “While Zernike’s contention should be concerning, what should also be clear is that some 16 year olds may be more mature than some 18 year olds.” Why use the author’s name again as I have done? Using the author’s name again and attributing an idea to that source shows my view of the issue relative to Zernike’s view, and in this way makes it clear to readers what ideas are mine and what ideas are Zernike’s. Attributing information to a specific source is another way writers make sure their ideas stand out on the page. Indeed, signal phrases and other forms of attribution function as signposts to readers so that it’s clear whose ideas belong to whom.

While it’s important to use a signal phrase, repeating the same language and placing it prior to the source material will make your writing predictable and perhaps even boring to readers. To this end, you will want to vary how you use signal phrases. The signal phrase is most commonly used prior to the direct quote, paraphrase, or summary, but it can also be used after the information used or it can even split up content from a source. And of course, you should mix up the wording you use in the signal phrases. In other words, you wouldn’t want to use “According to” in every instance you use a signal phrase. Vary the phrasing as much as possible.

Another good reason for using a signal phrase when integrating a direct quote is so that you avoid using stand-alone quotes–that is, a quote that starts and ends a sentence. There is no transition into or out of the quote. The quote just appears. I call this kind of quote an island quote, but it’s also known as a dropped quote because it’s dropped into a paragraph without any transitions or real context. Stand-alone quotes should be avoided and using signal phrases will help in this regard.

One suggestion for integrating source material is to be sure to include one or more sentences that establish your thoughts on a subject prior to using the material. You as the writer set the context before even beginning to use content from a source.

Listen to the following excerpt and take note of how the first sentence clearly expresses a personal view as well as a reaction to previously used content, and then a new sentence starts with a signal phrase, followed by the source material.

While Zernike’s contention should be concerning, others argue that some 16 year olds may appear more mature than some 18 year olds, but records show that 16 year olds are still more likely to get involved in car accidents. Preusser and Leaf (2018) argued that the “problem is related to both age and experience. Young drivers lack the fully developed judgmental and decision-making skills of older people at a time when they are just beginning to acquire their driving experience” (2000, p. 36). Preusser and Leaf’s argument is logical–how can new drivers be expected to make split-second decisions when they are still learning to drive? The prudent course of action, then, is to set eighteen as the minimum age in which a driver can be issued a license.

When you are writing an academic essay, you as the writer are expressing your view–in some way, shape, or form–on a topic, so you want to make sure that your voice is loud and clear in the discussion. To this end, when material from research is integrated into your composition, you want to make sure that you interpret and comment on that content as a way of developing your thoughts on the topic and advancing what the essay as a whole is trying to say. When you interact with material from sources in this way, your voice is entering the conversation on the topic.

Did you notice in the previous excerpt how the writer included such commentary on the evidence presented? Listen to part of the excerpt again:

Preusser and Leaf (2000) argued that the “problem is related to both age and experience. Young drivers lack the fully developed judgmental and decision-making skills of older people at a time when they are just beginning to acquire their driving experience” (2000, p. 36). [Here comes the part to pay attention to]: Preusser and Leaf’s argument is logical–how can new drivers be expected to make split-second decisions when they are still learning to drive? The prudent course of action, then, is to set eighteen as the minimum age in which a driver can be issued a license.

The excerpt begins with a signal phrase that clearly lets readers know the source of the content, and after the material is used, the writer offers commentary on that content as a way for the writer to make his case. The commentary directly follows the content and in this case begins with “Preusser and Leaf’s argument is logical.”

It’s important to offer commentary on evidence presented or you risk an essay that is simply presenting information and has no other purpose–or at least no clear purpose. Even if the purpose of the essay is to inform, commentary connects the content to the point of the paragraph as well as to the larger point of the essay.

Well, everyone, that does it for this effective writing podcast. I hope you found the information helpful. Thanks for listening. Happy writing.

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Chapter 11: Ethical Source Integration: Citation, Quoting, and Paraphrasing

11.4 Signal Phrases

John Lanning, Amanda Lloyd, and Emilie Zickel

A signal phrase , also known as an attributive tag, is a device used to smoothly integrate quotations, paraphrases, and summarized content into an essay. It is important to use signal phrases to clearly attribute supporting evidence to its author or authors and to avoid interrupting the flow of an essay. Signal phrases can also be used as meaningful transitions, moving your readers between your ideas and those of your sources.

A signal phrase consists of:

an author’s name and,
an active verb indicating how the author is presenting the material.
a signal phrase may also include information explaining an author’s credentials and/or affiliations as well as the title and/or publisher of the source text.

Parts of a signal phrase

Referring to the Author within a Signal Phrase

In many instances, signal phrase s will contain only the last name of the author of the source text (as opposed to the author’s first and last name).

if you are referring to an author for the first time in your essay, you should include that author’s first name as well as the author’s relevant credentials or affiliations in your signal phrase (you might also want to include the title of the source text).
After the initial introduction of the author, any subsequent signal phrase referencing that same author should contain the author’s last name only.
Last name + quoted, paraphrased, or summarized material + citation.

Signal phrases and citations (MLA)

no reference to author first names at any point in an essay – only last names
Last name + (date) + quoted, paraphrased, or summarized material + (citation).

Signal phrases and citations (APA)

In essays written according to MLA and APA guidelines, it is acceptable to refer to an author as “the author” as long as it is perfectly clear to whom you are referring. In APA, it is common to see references to “the researchers.”

Signal Phrase Verb Tense

MLA style guidelines: signal phrase verb is in present tense

Pollan observes that “Americans today are having a national conversation about food and agriculture that would have been impossible to imagine even a few short years ago” (29).

APA style guidelines : signal phrase verb should be written in past tense.

Pollan (2009) observed that “Americans today are having a national conversation about food and agriculture that would have been impossible to imagine even a few short years ago” (p. 29).

Practice – MLA vs APA signal phrases

See section 12.6 for more information on APA in-text citations and section 12.2 for MLA citations.

Varying Your Verbs

MLA Signal Phrase Verbs

apa signal phrase verbs, types of mla signal phrases.

Type: Author’s credentials are indicated.

Presenting an author’s credentials should help build credibility for the passage you are about to present. Including the author’s credentials gives your readers a reason to consider your sources .

Example: Grace Chapmen, Curator of Human Health & Evolutionary Medicine at the Springfield Natural History Museum, explains…

Type: Author’s lack of credentials is indicated.

Identifying an author’s lack of credentials in a given area can help illustrate a lack of authority on the subject matter and persuade the audience not to adopt the author’s ideas. Pointing to an author’s lack of credentials can be beneficial when developing your response to counter-arguments.

Example: Matthew Spencer, whose background is in marriage counseling, not foreign policy, claims…

Type: Author’s social or political stance, if necessary to the content, is explained.

Explaining the author’s social or political stance can help a reader to understand why that author expresses a particular view. This understanding can positively or negatively influence an audience. Be careful to avoid engaging in logical fallacies such as loaded language.

Example: Employing nonviolent civil disobedience, Roland Hayes, prominent civil rights activist, preaches…

Ralph Spencer, who has ties to the White Nationalist movement, denies…

Type: Publisher of the source is identified.

Identifying the publisher of the passage can help reinforce the credibility of the information presented and you can capitalize on the reputation/ credibility of the publisher of the source material.

Example: According to a recent CNN poll…

Type: Title of the Source is included.

Informs the reader where the cited passage is being pulled from.

Example : In “Understanding Human Behavior,” Riley argues …

Type: Information that establishes context is presented.

Presenting the context that the original information was presented can help the audience understand the author’s purpose more clearly.

Example: In a speech presented during a Free Speech rally, Elaine Wallace encourages …

11.4 Signal Phrases by John Lanning, Amanda Lloyd, and Emilie Zickel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Introducing Sources

Signal phrases.

A signal phrase is a short introduction phrase that indicates that a quote or paraphrase is coming. By introducing a quotation or paraphrase with a signal phrase, you provide an effective transition between your own ideas and the evidence used to explore your ideas.

One of the best ways to let readers know more about your source is to use a signal phrase. Signal phrases help readers “move from your own words to the words of a source without feeling a jolt” (Hacker 406). A writer uses signal phrases to avoid dropped quotations, smoothly leading the reader into the source’s ideas.

How to Use a Signal Phrase

Signal phrases provide a seamless transition from the writer’s thoughts to a source’s thoughts and can provide details about the source that highlight credibility and expertise.

Avoid dropped quotations:

Did you know that some bread batters should be hand mixed? “This light mixing technique produces quick breads with a lovely open crumb” (Greenspan 2).

Instead, use a signal phrase :

Did you know that some bread batters should be hand mixed? According to Dorrie Greenspan, author of Baking: From My Home to Yours , “This light mixing technique produces quick breads with a lovely open crumb” (2).

Signal Phrase Examples

In the words of noted psychologist Carl Jung, “…”

As cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead noted, “…”

Kanye West, Grammy award-winning songwriter and rapper, says, “…”

“…,” claims reality-TV star Hulk Hogan.

Authors Amy Tan and Tobias Wolfe offer two unique perspectives on growing up: “…” (Hacker 408)

Verbs in Signal Phrases

Choose an appropriate verb to create your own signal phrase that will make your source’s position clear (Hacker 408).

Work Cited [MLA]

Hacker, Diana. Instructor’s Edition: Rules for Writers. 5th ed . Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2004.

Learn more about "Using Quotes Effectively" by reviewing this handout .

Learn more about the "Quote Sandwich" by reviewing this handout .

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Signal Phrases – Everything You Need to Know

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Signal phrases are essential components of academic writing, providing a seamless transition for citing sources and incorporating external information into one’s work. By skillfully integrating these phrases, writers can effectively acknowledge and attribute the ideas and evidence they draw from other authors, bolstering the credibility and reliability of their arguments. In this article, we discuss the purpose of signal phrases , how you can use them, and some examples you should be aware of.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1 Signal Phrases – In a Nutshell
2 Definition: Signal phrases
3 How to use signal phrases?
4 Functions of signal phrases
5 Signal phrases in different citation styles – APA, MLA, and Chicago

Signal Phrases – In a Nutshell

Signal phrases are a great way to give more information on other people’s opinions and findings.
However, ensure you effectively use them to make your work more understandable for your readers to understand you easily.

Definition: Signal phrases

A signal phrase is a short expression that introduces a quote , paraphrase , or summary and indicates to readers that you’ve used an outside source.

Some general signal phrases include

according to
acknowledges or acknowledged
adds or added
addresses or addressed
argues or argued

On the other hand, some common signal phrases that show opinion or uncertainty include:

believes or believed
cautions or cautioned
claims or claimed
endorses or endorsed

How to use signal phrases?

You often include relevant quotes or arguments in essays: Signal phrases are ideal for making vital introductions. Include them at the end, beginning, or middle of your sentence, varying how you use them to create a natural flow to your writing.

Effective use of signal phrases means that you should consider including the following:

The reference’s name, i.e., a study or scholar(s)
A distinctive tag like “has argued” or “asserts that”
The idea or the quote itself
The author’s credentials and title of the reference (option)

Remember to consider your word choice to avoid misinterpreting the author. The signal phrases you choose show the author’s standpoint.

For example, you could state that:

In the groundbreaking work “The Hero with a Thousand Faces,” Joseph Campbell denies that an earlier myth is the root of all other variations of myths.

Instead of saying:

In the groundbreaking work “The Hero with a Thousand Faces,” Joseph Campbell admits an earlier myth is the root of all other variations of myths.

You can also use signal phrases to compare different arguments by using transition words like “however” or “although.”

For example

Harold Bloom, the literary critic, criticizes all the theories connecting the pleasures of solitary reading to the public good. However , Marxist and feminist critics oppose this opinion.

Functions of signal phrases

Signal phrases can take many different forms and mean other things. These phrases have various functions that imply different perspectives on the text they’re framing.

Your choice of signal phrases tells your readers about the standpoint of the author you’re citing and, at times, your perspective.

Below is a table with some signal phrases and their functions:

Signal phrases in different citation styles – APA, MLA, and Chicago

Sign tense in signal phrases usually varies depending on your citation style. A signal phrase with a verb must adhere to the chosen style, but other terms like “in the words of” or “according to” remains intact regardless of the citation style.

In APA Style , you use the present perfect tense or past tense .
While in MLA and Chicago Style , you use the present tense .

Examples of signal phrases

Here are some examples that show the incorrect and correct uses of phrases in different citation styles:

What are the three parts of signal phrases?

Signal phrases should have:

The context in which you’re writing
The flow of your sentences
The citation of the material you’re quoting

Why should you use signal phrases?

When you use signal phrases, it ensures you:

Establish the source’s credentials
Avoid plagiarism
Position your work regarding other scholars
Show the depth of your understanding and reading in a field

How do signal phrases improve your writing?

Signal phrases are beneficial because they allow you to design various sources concerning your arguments.

For example:

Terms like “has revealed “ or “has shown” demonstrate that you agree.
Phrases like “proposes” or “has claimed” are open for counterarguments.

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Jeffrey R. Wilson

Aphorisms on Signal Phrases

When presenting academic information, show, don’t tell, but do try to flag. That is, without being heavy-handed about it, include signal phrases in your writing that alert your reader to the kind of information you are communicating in each part of your paper. For example, it would be awkward for a paper to say something like, “My text is … ,” a flag that could be better stated as, “In this paper, I examine … ”. Likewise, it would be awkward to read, “My occasion for this essay is … ,” or “My methodology is … ,” or “I assert that … ,” or “My analysis of this evidence is that … ”. It would be better to say something like (for occasion), “The problem with [your text] is that … ,” or (for methodology), “This essay looks at [your text] from the perspective of … ,“ or (for assertions and analyses) to give the details specific to your ideas. Show, don’t tell, but do try to flag.

Be careful not to over-flag your introductory material, which can make your paper sound mechanical. For example, if your first sentence were a text statement and your second sentence were a thesis statement, it would sound goofy to say: "In this paper, I explore the problem of Horatio in Shakespeare's Hamlet , especially the fact that Horatio loves to tell stories. In this paper, I argue that, even more than Hamlet and his thoughts on ‘the purpose of playing,’ Horatio emerges in Hamlet as an avatar for Shakespeare and a model for the kind of story-teller Shakespeare wanted to be." This passage could more eloquently be edited as follows: "This paper explores the problem of Horatio in Shakespeare's Hamlet. I argue that, even more than Hamlet..."

When framing a paper in the introduction, alternate between first-person pronoun usage (“I consider,” “I argue,” “I approach this problem from the perspective of,” etc.) and third-person noun usage (“This essay explores,” “This paper draws from the vocabulary of,” “As this paper demonstrates,” etc.). Not to put too fine of a point on it, but I usually use the third-person when giving a “text statement” (e.g., “This essay considers some questions of crime, criminal justice, and criminology in William Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure ”) and the first-person when giving a “thesis statement” (e.g., “I argue that Shakespeare’s play shows the abuses of power that can occur when individual law enforcement agents receive both a mandate to crackdown on social disorder and the authority to decide for themselves what counts as disorder and how to fight it”).

Additionally, when flagging your information, be careful with pronouns: try to remove from a paper the fact that “you’re” leading “us” through an idea. Doing so draws attention to what you’re doing with the text when the focus should be on what the text is doing. Save those moments of personal pronoun usage for extremely important moments in your paper (e.g., “In this paper, I argue that …”).

Focusing on …

This paper examines …

This paper addresses …

This paper discusses …

In this paper, I explore …

In this paper, I outline …

This paper concerns …

This paper attempts to unpack …

… specifically …

… especially the tension between …

… paying particular attention to …

Questions and Problems

This paper asks …

I want to ask …

The problem is that …

This paper deals with the question of …

[Text] invites the question, …

The question I ask is …

There is a tension between …

Critics have long recognized that …

Critics have always been fascinated with …

The most fascinating aspect of [text] is that …

The most troubling aspect of [text] is that …

The most problematic aspect of [text] is that …

Arguably there are two ways to see [text]: …

Methodology

I address [text] by …

By using [method] to examine [text] …

This essay draws from the vocabulary of …

This essay looks at [text] from the perspective of …

In this paper I read [text] as an example of …

This article treats [text] as an instance of …

… through the lens of …

… with the help of …

With reference to …

I suggest we look at [text] by …

Terminology

By [term] I mean …

[Author/Critic/Theorist] defines [term] as …

According to [Author/Critic/Theorist], [term] is …

I refer to [term] as opposed to [term].

In this paper, I argue …

This paper argues …

This paper presents …

I would like to suggest …

As this paper demonstrates, …

As I argue in this paper, …

I argue that …

I suggest that …

This paper suggests that …

I hope to show that …

I contend that …

This reading of [text] … argues that …

The purpose of this paper is …

[Author] says, “[Quote]” (Cite).

According to [Author], “[Quote]” (Cite).

In [Author]’s words, “[Quote]” (Cite).

For [Author], “[Quote]” (Cite).

As [Author] says, “[Quote]” (Cite).

For example, …

For instance, …

This … can be seen in …

…, such as …

Just look at …

Consider the example of …

In this passage, …

Such an idea…

In other words, …

Put differently, …

That is to say, …

As this [line/statistic/etc.] suggests, …

As this [line/statistic/etc.] demonstrates, …

In essence, …

Given that …

Some might say …

It is tempting to think …

One could argue …

Of course …

[Author/Critic/Theorist] thinks that …

[Author/Critic/Theorist] feels that …

[Author/Critic/Theorist] would have us think …

According to [Author/Critic/Theorist], …

Nevertheless, …

This … notwithstanding, …

I do not want to suggest that …

I do not mean to say that …

It may be true that …, but …

Conclusions

In conclusion, …

In summary, …

To summarize, …

All in all, …

On the whole, …

At the end of the day, …

I would like to conclude by …

In this paper, I have argued …

As I have argued, …

This paper has sought to show …

This paper has argued …

I hope to have shown that …

In this paper I aim to offer …

If true, my argument would mean that …

We can see that …

I believe this analysis can …

Some questions remain, such as …

This approach allows us to see that …

Given [argument], we must consider …

… we should acknowledge …

… we can speculate …

To arrive at this conclusion is to …

Transitions

Consequence

Accordingly, …

Consequently, …

As a result of this …

If …, then …

Therefore, …

Resemblance

Likewise, …

Similarly, …

By the same token, …

Not only…, but also…

On the one hand, … .

On the other hand, …

In contrast, …

On the contrary, …

… as opposed to …

…; conversely, …

…; instead …

…, whereas …

First of all, …

To begin, …

In the first place, …

At the same time, …

Continuation

Furthermore, …

Moreover, …

Subsequently, …

In addition, …

Additionally …

More importantly, …

For the same reason …

… as well, …

… as well as …

Equally important

,,,, however, …

…; however, …

…, though, …

Although … , ….

Aphorisms on Academic Writing
Aphorisms on Rhetoric
Aphorisms on the Writing Process
Aphorisms on the Elements of Academic Argument
Aphorisms on Structure
Aphorisms on the Parts of Speech
Aphorisms on Grammar
Aphorisms on Punctuation
Aphorisms on Eloquence
Aphorisms on Editing
Aphorisms on Quotation
Aphorisms on Citation
Aphorisms on Literature
Aphorisms for the Social Sciences
Aphorisms on Higher Education
Other Handouts and Aids
Sample Papers

IMAGES

APA Signal Phrases at a glance
Signal Words: 5 Fun Ways to Explain these Sentence Superheroes!
Persuasive Writing: Signal Words
Signal Phrases Examples List
Signal Words and Phrases In academic writing (as well as in
Using Signal Phrases

VIDEO

Forecasting in Writing
Tips for Using Signal Phrases
Top Phrases to Sound Intelligent in Academic English
Stand Out With These 3 College Essay Openings
How To Employ Signal Phrases to Enhance Credibility in our Writing (Part 1)
Academic Phrases That Can Help You in Writing Research Papers, Essays, Thesis Writing etc

COMMENTS

Signal Phrases
How to use signal phrases. Once you have found a relevant quote or argument that you want to include in your academic essay, a signal phrase can help you to introduce it. Signal phrases can be used at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence. Vary how you use them to create a sense of flow in your writing.
Signal and Lead-in Phrases
Often, signal phrases can be distinguished by the presence of a verb like "indicate" or "argue" that references what the author is doing in the original source. However, a few select signal phrases contain no verbs (e.g., "According to [author],"). In the examples below, the author being cited is Jane Doe.
The Writing Center
Signal phrases usually include the author's name but can also include the author's job title or background ("reporter for Washington Post," "researcher," "senator," "scholar," and so on) and/or the title of the source. Signal phrases usually come at the beginning of a sentence before the source material, but they can also ...
Signal Phrases
Signal Phrases. A signal phrase, also known as an attributive tag, is a device used to smoothly integrate quotations and paraphrases into your essay. It is important to use signal phrases to clearly attribute supporting evidence to its author or authors and to avoid interrupting the flow of an essay. Signal phrases can also be used as ...
11.4 Signal Phrases
11.4 Signal Phrases. John Lanning and Amanda Lloyd. A signal phrase, also known as an attributive tag, is a device used to smoothly integrate quotations and paraphrases into your essay. It is important to use signal phrases to clearly attribute supporting evidence to its author or authors and to avoid interrupting the flow of an essay.
Signal Phrases
A signal phrase is a natural part of an APA Style narrative in-text citation as it attributes information to a particular source like this: Clements (date of publication in parentheses) explained signal phrases in a recent fabulous podcast. Common signal phrases include such phrasing as According to X, As noted by X, As X argued, stated ...
11.4 Signal Phrases
11.4 Signal Phrases John Lanning and Amanda Lloyd. A signal phrase, also known as an attributive tag, is a device used to smoothly integrate quotations and paraphrases into your essay.It is important to use signal phrases to clearly attribute supporting evidence to an author and to avoid interrupting the flow of an essay.
11.4 Signal Phrases
A signal phrase, also known as an attributive tag, is a device used to smoothly integrate quotations and paraphrases into your essay. It is important to use signal phrases to clearly attribute supporting evidence to an author and to avoid interrupting the flow of an essay. Signal phrases can also be used as meaningful transitions, moving your ...
Signal Phrases
37 Signal Phrases . A signal phrase, also known as an attributive tag, is a device used to smoothly integrate quotations and paraphrases into your essay.It is important to use signal phrases to clearly attribute supporting evidence to an author and to avoid interrupting the flow of an essay.
11.4: Signal Phrases
Types of Signal Phrases. In most instances, the first time the author is mentioned in an MLA-style essay, as well as including the author's first and last name in a signal phrase, it is also a good idea to include the author's credentials and the title of the source.. While providing the author's credentials and title of the source are the most common types of signal phrases, there are ...
Using Signal Phrases Effectively
Types of Signal Phrases . In most instances, the first time the author is mentioned in an MLA-style essay, as well as including the author's first and last name in a signal phrase, it is also a good idea to include the author's credentials and the title of the source.. While providing the author's credentials and title of the source are the most common types of signal phrases, there are ...
Signal Phrases in MLA Style
Signal phrases provide clear signals to prepare the readers for the quotation. Choose a verb that is appropriate in the context. Here are some example signal phrases: argues. asserts. believes. claims. comments. disputes.
Signal Phrases
Signal phrases, when coupled with proper citations, ensure that readers know which ideas are the author's and which are borrowed. With dense information and complex ideas, academic writing can be challenging to navigate. Signal phrases guide the reader, providing them with context and aiding in comprehension. Non-Academic Writing
Signal Phrases: Enhancing Clarity and Coherence
The Importance of Signal Phrases in Writing. Signal phrases in academic writing allow writers to give credit where credit is due. By incorporating them, writers credit existing literature to its source and in turn, maintain academic integrity. If writers do not give recognition to the direct source, it would be considered plagiarism.
Signal Phrases and Transitions
A signal phrase, also known as an attributive tag, is a device used to smoothly integrate quotations and paraphrases into your essay. It is important to use signal phrases to clearly attribute supporting evidence to an author and to avoid interrupting the flow of an essay. Signal phrases can also be used as meaningful transitions, moving your ...
Signal Phrases and Interacting With Texts
A signal phrase is a natural part of an APA narrative in-text citation as it attributes information to a particular author like this: Clements (date of publication in parentheses) explained signal phrases in a recent fabulous podcast. Common signal phrases include such phrasing as According to X, As noted by X, As X argued, stated, reported, or ...
6.3 Using Sources in Your Paper
Academic writing requires the use of signal phrases to properly embed quoted material and document information. While basic signal phrases require the use of the author's name and a strong verb, attribution tags emphasize different types of information related to the source in order to set up the quoted material and can help shape your reader ...
11.4 Signal Phrases
11.4 Signal Phrases John Lanning, Amanda Lloyd, and Emilie Zickel. A signal phrase, also known as an attributive tag, is a device used to smoothly integrate quotations, paraphrases, and summarized content into an essay.It is important to use signal phrases to clearly attribute supporting evidence to its author or authors and to avoid interrupting the flow of an essay.
Introducing Sources
A signal phrase is a short introduction phrase that indicates that a quote or paraphrase is coming. By introducing a quotation or paraphrase with a signal phrase, you provide an effective transition between your own ideas and the evidence used to explore your ideas. One of the best ways to let readers know more about your source is to use a ...
Signal Phrases ~ Everything You Need to Know
Signal phrases are essential components of academic writing, providing a seamless transition for citing sources and incorporating external information into one's work. By skillfully integrating these phrases, writers can effectively acknowledge and attribute the ideas and evidence they draw from other authors, bolstering the credibility and reliability of their arguments.
Examples of Signal Phrases and How to Use Them
Use these 40 signal phrases examples to help give credit for quotes and paraphrases. Make your writing more professional by using signal phrases correctly.
Aphorisms on Signal Phrases
Aphorisms on Signal Phrases. When presenting academic information, show, don't tell, but do try to flag. That is, without being heavy-handed about it, include signal phrases in your writing that alert your reader to the kind of information you are communicating in each part of your paper. For example, it would be awkward for a paper to say ...

Signal and Lead-in Phrases

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

Expressing Disagreement with a Signal Phrase

Signal Phrases

Referring to the Author within a Signal Phrase

Signal Phrase Verb Tense

Varying Your Verbs

Types of Signal Phrases

Type: Author’s credentials are indicated.

Type: Author’s lack of credentials is indicated.

Type: Author’s social or political stance, if necessary to the content, is explained.

Type: Publisher of the source is identified.

Type: Title of the Source is included.

Type: Information that establishes context is presented.

MLA Signal Phrase Verbs

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11.4 Signal Phrases

Referring to the Author within a Signal Phrase

Signal Phrase Verb Tense

Varying Your Verbs

Types of Signal Phrases

Type: Author’s credentials are indicated.

Type: Author’s lack of credentials is indicated.

Type: Author’s social or political stance, if necessary to the content, is explained.

Type: Publisher of the source is identified.

Type: Title of the source is included.

Type: Information that establishes context is presented.

MLA Signal Phrase Verbs

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37 Signal Phrases

Referring to the Author within a Signal Phrase

Signal Phrase Verb Tense

Varying Your Verbs

Types of Signal Phrases

MLA Signal Phrase Verbs

Further Reading

Section Overview

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11.4: Signal Phrases

Referring to the Author within a Signal Phrase

Signal Phrase Verb Tense

Varying Your Verbs

Types of Signal Phrases

MLA Signal Phrase Verbs

Signal Phrases in MLA Style

Ease the Reader Out of a Quotation

Try Not to Overdo the Quotations

Signal Phrases – Uses, Definition & Examples

Signal Phrase Definition

How to Use a Signal Phrase in Different Types of Writing

Academic Writing

Non-Academic Writing

Purpose of a Signal Phrase

Credibility and Attribution

Flow and Coherence

Variety in Writing

The research done by our experts have:

Signal Phrase Examples

Introducing a Source or Quotation

Highlighting Agreement or Support

Introducing Contrasting or Differing Views

Highlighting a Point of Emphasis or Significance

Presenting Statistical or Empirical Data

Indicating Uncertainty or Potential Bias

Referring to Previous Discussions or Historical Context

How to Properly Integrate Signal Phrases in Writing

Varied Usage

Appropriate Context

Punctuation and Formatting

Common Mistakes to Avoid With Signal Phrases

Mismatching the Signal Phrase with the Content it Introduces

Overusing a Particular Phrase Leading to Redundancy

Failing to Properly Cite After Using Signal Phrases and Citation Styles

Using Signal Phrases that Sound Uncertain Without Reason

Incorrect Punctuation Around Signal Phrases

Overloading With Signal Phrases

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a signal phrase?

When do I need to use a signal phrase?

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