A quotation is a piece of text taken from another writer that you use to illustrate or explain a point that you wish to make in your work. It is important that you show that you are using a quotation, and to make clear where it is taken from:
As Friedman stated: 'Inflation is the one form of taxation that can be imposed without legislation' (1974:93).
Here the quotation marks '...' show the extent of the quotation, and the citation explains that it is from page 93 of the work by Friedman published in 1974, with full details in the reference list.
Quotations should be used carefully, and must not be over-used, or your teacher may think you are being lazy! They can be useful when:
a) the original words express an idea very clearly
b) the original is more concise than your summary could be
c) the original is well-known
Short quotes of 2-3 lines are normally shown by single quotations marks, while quotations inside quotations (nested quotations) use double:
As James remarked: 'Martin's concept of "internal space" requires close analysis.' (2011:32)
Longer quotations are either indented (i.e. given a wider margin) or printed in smaller type.
NB You must make sure that the quotes contain the exact words of the original.
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