Plagiarism

When you quote an author verbatim ("word for word"), take the source and add quotation marks at the beginning and ending of the passage. To avoid plagiarism, you must identify the source of the quotation using a citation format, like MLA or APA. 

An exact quote seems like the easiest way to integrate research information into your assignment. Direct quotations should be used only when:

• the author's language is especially eloquent or vivid;
• you intend to analyze the passage in detail; or
• a summary or paraphrase of the passage would result in misinterpretation.

Quotations (especially lengthy ones) must be accompanied by your own words. If you use a direct quote that is 50 words long, you should match that with 50 words of your own commentary on, analysis of, or reaction to the quotation.

To make your writing more interesting, insert direct quotes in the following ways:

Quoting a single word or phrase. Only Liberia, Suriname, and the US “routinely separate” incarcerated women and their offspring (Kauffman 62).

Quoting a longer phrase. Liberia, Suriname, and the US all have something rather shameful in common. Their prison systems “are the only ones that routinely separate young children from their incarcerated mothers” (Kauffman 62).  

Quote entire sentences or groups of sentences. Use this one with caution, and be careful not to substitute long quotations for your own words and ideas.

Note: The in-text citations in the above examples are in MLA format and refer to Kelsey Kauffman's article entitled "Mothers in Prison" published in Corrections Today, volume 63, page 62.