how to quote yourself in an essay

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Reusing Your Work and Citing Yourself: Reusing Your Work and Citing Yourself

As you progress in your Walden program, you may find that you research and write about a topic more than once. This is typical as you engage with key concepts and specialize in your field of study. See the information and best practices on this page to ensure you follow APA citation guidelines and Walden policy if you plan to reuse past written work.

Your Published Writing

If you have published your writing outside of the Walden classroom—in a journal or even in a local newsletter or blog—and would like to reuse portions of it or refer to the findings or ideas in that work, you will need to cite yourself.

Follow APA’s guidelines for citing and referencing published works.

Your Previous Coursework

If you are considering reusing your previously submitted Walden coursework in a new course or term, review the following best practice and policy sections.

Best Practices for Reusing Work

During your studies at Walden, you may write on the same topic for a second, third, or fourth time; regardless, your writing should reflect new approaches and insights into that topic to demonstrate intellectual growth.
Your writing submitted for previous Walden courses will show up in the Turnitin Similarity Report when reused. Contact your faculty if you plan to reuse your work to avoid concerns about possible plagiarism. Additionally, you could cite your unpublished writing (see How to Cite Your Unpublished Work below).
Your faculty for your current course can guide you about whether reusing your previous writing seems appropriate for a particular assignment or writing task.

Walden University’s Policy on Reusing Work

The following comes from the Walden Student Code of Conduct :

Walden Students’ Use of Their Own Scholarly Work

Students may reuse their work without an expectation that previously awarded grades or credit will attach to the new assignment. Any work previously published by the student must be appropriately cited if reused.
Field Experience Exception: Any assignments or documentation submitted related to field experience (work, hours, client or patient logs, etc) must be new, current, accurate, and relate to clients or patients seen during the term and in direct reference to the assignment.

How to Cite Your Unpublished Work

Although not required in the policy above, in rare instances, you may need to or want to cite your unpublished Walden coursework.

If you cite or quote your previous work, treat yourself as the author and your own written document as the source. For example, if Marie Briggs wanted to cite a paper she wrote at Walden in 2022, her citation might look like this:

Briggs (2022) asserted that previous literature on the psychology of tightrope walkers was faulty in that it "presumed that risk-taking behaviors align neatly with certain personality traits or disorders" (p. 4).

And in the reference list:

Briggs, M. (2022). An analysis of personality theory [Unpublished manuscript]. Walden University.

Multimedia Resources

The Northwest Passage, or Why You Should Cite Yourself Only Sparingly (blog post)
To Cite Yourself or Not Cite Yourself (blog post)

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FAQ: How should I cite my own work?

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Last Updated: Aug 14, 2024 Views: 205053

If you want to re-use portions of a paper you wrote for a previous assignment or course, you need to take care to avoid self-plagiarism. The APA Manual (7th edition, p. 21) defines self-plagiarism as “the act of presenting one's own previously published work as original." This includes entire papers, and also slightly altered work. Self-plagiarism is a violation of SNHU’s Academic Honesty Policy ( Online Student Academic Integrity Policy This link opens in a new window , Campus Student Academic Integrity Policy This link opens in a new window ). To avoid self-plagiarism, you should request approval from your instructor to use portions of your prior work, and you also need to provide a proper citation within your paper.

If you are citing your own writing from a paper submitted for a previous course, then you would generally cite it as an unpublished manuscript. Here are specific examples of how it works in the three major citation styles:

Please check with your instructor to verify if you can use a previous work as it may violate academic integrity, honor codes, etc. If you are permitted to quote or paraphrase from earlier work, students should cite the work, following the unpublished work template (Section 10.8, p. 336). You can change “Unpublished manuscript” to “Unpublished paper” or another phrase.

Reference Page General Format

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the work [Unpublished paper]. Department Name, University Name.

Reference Page Example

Fisher, J. D. (2021). This is the title of my paper [Unpublished paper]. English Department, Southern New Hampshire University.

In-Text Example

(Fisher, 2021)

According to the MLA Style site, authors should cite their work the same way they would cite any other source (book, article, etc.). In the text you can refer to yourself (e.g. "In my work...").

Works Cited General Format

Author Last name, Author First Name. "Title of Your Paper: Subtitle of Your Paper." Date. Name of the Course, Institution, Type of Work.

Works Cited Example

Lee, Cody. "My Student Paper: Why I Like This Subject a Lot." 9 Sept. 2021. New Media: Writing and Publishing, Southern New Hampshire University, student paper.

In-Text Citation Example

See the MLA Style pages Citing Your Own Work This link opens in a new window and How do I cite an unpublished student paper? This link opens in a new window for more information.

Chicago Style

Per the Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition), unpublished works such as theses and dissertations are cited like books, with the exception that titles of unpublished works appear in quotations, not italics. Also, the type of paper, the academic institution, and the date follow the title.

For published works, please consult the Chicago Style Table of Contents This link opens in a new window for the type of source and follow the formatting guidelines associated.

Bibliography General Format

Author Last Name, Author First Name. "Title of Paper." Essay, Southern New Hampshire University, Year.

Bibliography Example

Wendell, Richard. "This Is the Title of My Paper." Essay, Southern New Hampshire University, 2021.

Note Example

2. Richard Wendell, "This Is the Title of My Paper" (essay, Southern New Hampshire University, 2021), 4.

More Information

Citing Your Sources (Shapiro Library) research guide.

Further Help

This information is intended to be a guideline, not expert advice. Please be sure to speak to your professor about the appropriate way to cite sources in your class assignments and projects.

Campus Students

To access Academic Support, visit your Brightspace course and select “Tutoring and Mentoring” from the Academic Support pulldown menu.

Online Students

To access help with citations and more, visit the Academic Support via modules in Brightspace:

Academic Support Overview: Getting Help with your Schoolwork This link opens in a new window

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How to Cite Yourself

Posted on December 22, 2021 December 22, 2021

You already know that it’s unethical and, in some cases, illegal to use another person’s work without giving them credit. Plagiarism is intellectual theft, whether you’re a professional writer or a student. But did you also know that it’s possible to plagiarize yourself?

Like other forms of plagiarism, self-plagiarism can cause severe problems for you professionally and academically if you’re not careful. Here’s everything you need to know about citing yourself so you can avoid unintentionally plagiarizing yourself.

Why Self-Citations Are Important

There are several reasons why it’s essential to self-cite when referencing your prior work. If that previous work is published, for example, then quoting from it without proper citation could be a violation of your publishing agreement.

Even if your work is unpublished, it’s inappropriate to reuse prior work without proper citation and identification. If you’re a student, reusing work from a previous assignment without doing any new work deprives you of the learning opportunity, and it may also be a violation of your high school or college’s academic integrity policy.

There’s not much difference between citing your work and citing someone else’s work in most style guides. As a general rule, you cite your previous work in the same way you cite a similar work by another author.

Let’s say you wrote and published a novel. Under most style guides, if you wanted to quote or reference a novel you wrote, you would cite it in the same format as you would cite a novel by anyone else. Likewise, if you wanted to reference a research paper you wrote, you would cite it using the same format as a research paper completed by someone else.

Published vs. Unpublished Work

Whether you’re a content creator getting paid for a piece of work or a student submitting a paper for high school or college credit, you must cite every piece you reference—including published, scholarly sources as well as unpublished works. This is true whether you’re citing your own work or someone else’s.

However, this issue comes up more often when it comes to your own work simply because you’re more likely to possess your own unpublished work than another person’s. However, the American Psychological Association (APA) Style Guide and the Modern Language Association (MLA) Style Guide differ somewhat in handling citations to unpublished work.

How do you determine whether your work is published or unpublished? In most cases, it’s pretty straightforward. If your work has appeared in an anthology, journal, or otherwise been made public, it’s a published work. If it hasn’t appeared anywhere and is solely in your possession, then it’s an unpublished work.

Things get a little fuzzier when you consider the work that you’ve shared online. If you’ve posted it somewhere that it can be accessed by the general public, like an online forum, then it’s been informally published and should be cited as a website.

On the other hand, a private document that can only be accessed by people you authorize using a private link is generally considered unpublished. Unless a stranger could access it without your authorization, your own private work is unpublished.

Under the APA Style Guide, a published work is always cited the same way, whether it’s your own or someone else’s. If the work you are citing is published, cite it as you would a similar publication by another author, even if it’s your own.

However, if you cite your unpublished work, the APA citation style requires you to specify that the work is unpublished. In addition, if you created the work for a particular purpose, you must state that purpose in the citation.

Published Research Paper – Walter Wombat, a researcher, previously published a research paper in a wildlife journal. Now Walter wants to cite that study in a new paper. He will cite it in the same way as he would another researcher’s published study:

Last Name, First Name (Year of publication). Title of study. Title of Journal, volume number(issue number), page numbers. http://webaddress.com

Wombat, Walter (2018). Wombats in the wild: a study. Wildlife Journal, 47(3), 48-63. http://wombatstudies.org

Unpublished Assignment – Walter also wants to cite a previous assignment from his graduate school coursework in the new research study. Under the APA Style Guide, to cite to an unpublished student assignment, Walter must also identify that the study is unpublished, as well as its purpose:

Last Name, First Name (Year authored). Title of study [Unpublished study submitted for course]. University Name.

Wombat, Walter (2020). Wombat teeth grow forever [Unpublished study submitted for Biology 1001]. Marsupial University.

If Walter also cited other sources in his unpublished study, then he must also cite those sources in the reference list of his new work.

Other examples – Citation styles for different types of sources can be found in the complete 7th edition APA Style Guide at the Purdue OWL website.

As the APA Style Guide, the rules for citing your own published work are the same as citing someone else’s under the MLA Style Guide. A published work is cited the same way, whether you’re self-citing or citing someone else’s work.

The MLA Style Guide doesn’t explicitly require you to identify an unpublished manuscript or unpublished paper in the reference list. However, you still must identify the origin of an unpublished document, such as the collection where it’s housed or the reason for its creation.

There are plenty of unpublished documents available in public and private museums and personal collections around the world. Your unpublished work is most likely either from your personal collection or submitted for a high school or university assignment.

Published Research Paper – Walter Wombat is writing an article for a popular science magazine and wants to reference a study he published previously in a peer-reviewed science journal. He will cite it in the same way as if he were citing another person’s published study:

Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal, Volume, Issue, Year, pages.

Wombat, Walter. “Wombats in the Wild.” Wildlife Journal, 47, 3, 2018, 48-63.

Unpublished Assignment – Suzie Scholar is writing a reflective piece on her growth as a writer for a college assignment. In it, she wants to reference a piece she wrote for an assignment in high school. While she doesn’t have to specify that the piece is unpublished, Suzie does have to identify its source:

Last Name, First Name. “Paper Title.” Date authored. Class, School, assignment type.

Scholar, Suzie. “My Final Paper.” 1 May 2010. 12th Grade English, Wisdom High School, student paper.

Other Examples – You can find citation formats for different types of sources in the complete MLA Style Guide at the Purdue OWL website.

Avoiding Self-Plagiarism

To avoid self-plagiarism under any style guide, you must cite all of your sources using in-text citations and a list of works cited. This is true whether you’re citing your own work or someone else’s.

One way to ensure that you’re not accidentally committing self-plagiarism or any other kind of plagiarism is to use a plagiarism checker like Quetext. If you’ve unintentionally quoted or paraphrased from a source without citing it, a good plagiarism checker will flag it for you so you can cite it appropriately.

Quetext’s plagiarism checker takes this one step further by automatically generating the appropriate citation for you, making it easy to avoid unintentional plagiarism.

Sign Up for Quetext Today!

Click below to find a pricing plan that fits your needs.

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How to Quote in an Essay: A Step-by-Step Guide with Examples

Have you ever found yourself staring at a perfect quote, unsure of how to incorporate it into your essay? Quoting effectively is a skill that every student should master, as it adds credibility and depth to your arguments. However, it can be a daunting task to navigate the intricacies of quoting in an essay.

Fear not! In this blog post, we will guide you through the art of quoting, providing you with practical tips and examples to help you seamlessly integrate quotes into your writing.

The Importance of Quoting in an Essay

Quoting plays a crucial role in enhancing the quality of your essay. It serves two main purposes: establishing credibility and adding depth to your arguments. By incorporating quotes from reputable sources , you demonstrate that your ideas are supported by experts in the field. This helps to build trust with your readers and strengthens your overall argument.

Additionally, quoting allows you to provide evidence and examples that support your claims. It adds weight to your arguments by showcasing the thoughts and opinions of others who have studied the topic extensively. This not only adds depth to your essay but also helps to validate your own ideas.

To effectively use quotes in your essay, consider the following tips:

1. Choose quotes from credible sources: Ensure that the quotes you include are from reputable experts, scholars, or well-known publications.

2. Integrate quotes seamlessly: Avoid simply dropping quotes into your essay without any context. Instead, introduce the quote, provide a brief explanation, and then analyze its significance in relation to your argument.

3. Use quotes to support your own ideas: Quotes should be used to enhance and strengthen your own arguments, not replace them. Use quotes strategically to provide evidence and examples that support your claims.

4. Provide proper citation: Always include proper citation for any quotes you use. This not only gives credit to the original source but also helps your readers to locate the information if they wish to explore it further.

Different Types of Quotes

When it comes to incorporating quotes into your writing, it’s important to understand the different types and how to use them effectively. Let’s explore three common types of quotes: direct quotes, indirect quotes, and block quotes.

Direct quotes

These are exact words or phrases taken directly from a source and enclosed in quotation marks. They provide the reader with the original wording and are useful when you want to emphasize a specific point or capture the author’s unique expression.

Here is a good example from the economist article ‘The Economics of Thinness’ :

Today the perfect body is the “weasel bod”, says one Los Angelena, who is surrounded by women seeking physical perfection.

Indirect quotes

Also known as paraphrasing , indirect quotes involve rephrasing someone else’s words in your own writing. They convey the same meaning as the original quote but are not enclosed in quotation marks. Indirect quotes are useful when you want to summarize or restate information from a source while maintaining your own voice.

In addition, they help you avoid over-reliance on quotes and demonstrate your understanding of the material. This is why you should only be quoting the most impactful sentences or phrases and give preferance to paraphrasing in all the other cases.

Here is a good example from the article exploring the relation between beauty standarts and women’s socio-economic mobility that quotes the research we have just mentioned:

The economist recently investigated the correlation between thinness and wealth – particularly for women – and the findings are rather striking. ‘The Economics of Thinness’ sheds light on the alarming correlation between body weight and financial prosperity. The study highlights that thinner women, on average, earn more than their heavier counterparts.

Block quotes

Block quotes are used when you want to include a longer quote of four or more lines. They are indented from the main text and do not require quotation marks. Block quotes are typically used to highlight significant passages or when the exact wording is crucial.

For example, if you were analyzing a poem, you might include a block quote from a poem to showcase the poet’s use of imagery and symbolism. Block quotes from a book or an article are only suitable in longer research papers or a thesis and should not be used in college essays.

How to Introduce a Quote in an Essay Examples

How to Incorporate Quotes into Your Writing

When incorporating a quote into an essay, it is important to use signal phrases or introductory clauses to introduce the quote. These phrases serve as a way to smoothly integrate the quote into the text and provide context for the reader. Some common signal phrases include “according to,” “as stated by,” “in the words of,” and “as noted by.”

Additionally, introductory clauses can be used to introduce a quote, such as “In his/her article, [author name] argues that…” or “As [author name] explains,…” It is important to choose a signal phrase or introductory clause that fits the tone and style of the essay, while also accurately reflecting the source of the quote.

50 signal phrases to introduce a quote download PDF

Signal Phrases for Introduce a Quote in an Essay

Punctuating quotes correctly is crucial for maintaining clarity and accuracy in your writing. Remember to place quotation marks at the beginning and end of the quote, and use appropriate punctuation within the quote itself. For instance, if the quote ends with a question mark or exclamation point, include it within the quotation marks. If the quote is a complete sentence, place the punctuation inside the quotation marks as well.

Analyzing and Explaining Quotes

Analyzing and explaining quotes is a crucial step in any academic writing . It helps provide context, analyze the significance, and link them to your thesis statement . Here are some tips to effectively accomplish this:

1. Provide context and analysis:

Introduce the quote by briefly explaining the background or the source;
Analyze the quote by breaking it down and examining its key elements;
Discuss the implications or interpretations of the quote within the context of your topic.

2. Explain the significance of quotes:

Highlight why the quote is important in supporting your argument or providing evidence;
Discuss how the quote contributes to the overall understanding of your topic.

3. Link quotes to your thesis statement:

Clearly state how the quote supports or relates to your thesis statement,
Connect the ideas presented in the quote to the main argument of your paper,
Show how the quote strengthens your position or helps you make a persuasive case.

Avoiding Common Pitfalls

When it comes to quoting, the important question in not only how to quote in an essay, but also how much to quote. Here are three key pitfalls to avoid:

1. Overusing quotes: While incorporating quotes from reputable sources can enhance your arguments, it is important not to rely too heavily on them. Instead, strive for a balance between your own analysis and supporting evidence from experts. Quote only the most relevant and impactful sentence to strengthen your point.

2. Misquoting or misinterpreting sources: Accuracy is paramount when citing sources. Misquoting or misinterpreting can lead to misinformation and weaken your argument. Always double-check your quotes and ensure they align with the original context.

3. Failing to cite properly: Proper citation is essential to acknowledge the work of others and avoid plagiarism . Failing to cite can result in severe consequences, including academic penalties. Familiarize yourself with the appropriate citation style for your discipline and consistently apply it throughout your writing.

Final Thoughts

Quoting is an essential tool in essay writing. It helps to establish credibility and adds depth to your arguments. By incorporating quotes from reputable sources, you can enhance the quality of your essay and provide evidence to support your claims. Remember to choose quotes wisely, integrate them seamlessly, and provide proper citation to ensure the effectiveness of your essay.

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Self-Citation

Self-Citation Podcast

Self-citation transcript.

Greetings everyone. This is Kurtis Clements with another effective writing podcast. In this episode, I am going to shed some light on self-citation—that is, instances when one would want to cite him or herself in academic work in an effort to avoid plagiarism.

What’s this you ask? Students sometimes want to know if they can cite themselves in a paper or assignment they are working on—that is, they want to know if they can use content they’ve written for one class in another—and while this is a relatively uncommon practice—students aren’t, after all, experts in the fields in which they write papers—protocol exists.

Let’s say that you are working on a paper about cogs and wheels, a subject that you have written about in a couple of prior classes. In fact, you’ve discovered some terrific content about cogs and wheels and have even written several particularly strong paragraphs in a previous paper that you think will fit into your current assignment. You decide to copy and paste two full paragraphs from a previous paper into your new paper. Have you just committed plagiarism?

The answer: yes and no.

What? How can this be? Simply put, the topic of self-citation and plagiarism can be confusing, so let’s break it down. You plagiarize yourself when you reuse work that you have used elsewhere without making anyone aware of this reuse of old content. When you turn in a paper for a class, the expectation is that this work is original and created specifically for a given assignment. If it is not original, it is unethical, and in cases of copyright issues (that is, you are reusing old content not for a class but for publication), it’s illegal. You must not mislead your reader, editor, or professor.

Generally, you can use small portions of your previous work if you cite it properly. This is called self-citation. The citation is required because it must be clear that this work or writing exists somewhere else and that the words or ideas are not original to the current paper or production. If you quote or paraphrase your ideas from a previous paper, in APA, you would cite yourself as the primary author and the work as an unpublished paper. For this self-citation, you must include both an in-text and reference citation like you would for any other source in your paper.

Please take special note of what I said above: It’s ok to use small portions of your previous work. In most cases of university academic writing, “small portions” means a sentence or two. What?!

That’s right: If you do cite yourself—that is, if you use content that you wrote for a previous paper—do so rarely and reuse content sparingly. Why? You ask. Think of it this way: If you are choosing to cite your previous work, it should be because you want to build on an idea you came up with in a previous paper. You should not cite previous work in order to only write a new paper faster.

However, with that said, the real question to think about is should you be using your previous work to begin with? To quote yourself does not lend credibility to your paper unless you are a known and published scholar in the field about which you are writing. Most students don’t fall into this category. Therefore, it is better for the validity of the paper and for student learning to avoid citing yourself unless you truly have an important idea of yours to build upon from a previous paper. Make sense? I am not saying don’t use your own content from a previous paper, but I am saying do so purposefully.

In order to cite yourself, if you decide it is appropriate for your paper, you can either refer to yourself in the third person, Clements (2013) stated, for example, or, if the assignment allows for a more casual personal reference, you could write, “As I discussed in a previous paper. . .” Again, you would include both an in-text and reference citation like you would for any other source in your paper.

One word of caution: You do not want to cite yourself citing someone else. If you want to reuse a quotation or a source from a previous paper, you need to cite that original source again. For example, let’s say you found a scholarly, peer-reviewed resource from an expert in the field, a Dr. Pickle, and you quoted Dr. Pickle in a paper. If you want to reuse that quote, don’t cite yourself, cite Dr. Pickle, who is the expert. This might mean that you have to go find that article again, but it is a best practice to cite—as best as one can—only original sources.

One final reminder: Keep in mind that if you choose self-citation, you should do so to build upon your ideas from a previous paper, not simply reuse the same content in another context. Got it? Good. Oh, I would be remiss if I didn’t also say that when citing yourself, it is wise to consult the course syllabus and/or your professor beforehand just to make sure citing yourself will be ok.

In closing, I want to give special thanks to Melody Pickle, yes the Dr. Pickle from the example; she is real and an expert and her help on this script has been significant.

Happy writing, everyone!

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A direct quotation reproduces words verbatim from another work or from your own previously published work. It is best to paraphrase sources rather than directly quoting them because paraphrasing allows you to fit material to the context of your paper and writing style.

Use direct quotations rather than paraphrasing:

when reproducing an exact definition (see Section 6.22 of the Publication Manual ),
when an author has said something memorably or succinctly, or
when you want to respond to exact wording (e.g., something someone said).

Instructors, programs, editors, and publishers may establish limits on the use of direct quotations. Consult your instructor or editor if you are concerned that you may have too much quoted material in your paper.

This page addresses how to format short quotations and block quotations. Additional information is available about how to:

include page numbers for quotations
cite quotations from material without page numbers
cite quotations that include errors
indicate changes to quotations
present quotations from research participants

Quotations are covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Sections 8.25 to 8.35 and the Concise Guide Sections 8.25 to 8.34

Related handout

In-Text Citation Checklist (PDF, 227KB)

Short quotations (fewer than 40 words)

For quotations of fewer than 40 words, add quotation marks around the words and incorporate the quote into your own text—there is no additional formatting needed. Do not insert an ellipsis at the beginning and/or end of a quotation unless the original source includes an ellipsis.

Effective teams can be difficult to describe because “high performance along one domain does not translate to high performance along another” (Ervin et al., 2018, p. 470).

For a direct quotation, always include a full citation ( parenthetical or narrative ) in the same sentence as the quotation, including the page number (or other location information, e.g., paragraph number).

Place a parenthetical citation either immediately after the quotation or at the end of the sentence.
For a narrative citation, include the author and year in the sentence and then place the page number or other location information in parentheses after the quotation.
If the quotation precedes the narrative citation, put the page number or location information after the year and a comma.
If the citation appears at the end of a sentence, put the end punctuation after the closing parenthesis for the citation.
If the quotation includes citations, see Section 8.32 of the Publication Manual .
If the quotation includes material already in quotation marks, see Section 8.33 of the Publication Manual .
Place periods and commas within closing single or double quotation marks. Place other punctuation marks inside quotation marks only when they are part of the quoted material.

Block quotations (40 words or more)

Format quotations of 40 words or more as block quotations:

Do not use quotation marks to enclose a block quotation.
Start a block quotation on a new line and indent the whole block 0.5 in. from the left margin.
Double-space the entire block quotation.
Do not add extra space before or after it.
If there are additional paragraphs within the quotation, indent the first line of each subsequent paragraph an additional 0.5 in. See an example in Section 8.27 of the Publication Manual .
Either (a) cite the source in parentheses after the quotation’s final punctuation or (b) cite the author and year in the narrative before the quotation and place only the page number in parentheses after the quotation’s final punctuation.
Do not add a period after the closing parenthesis in either case.

Block quotation with parenthetical citation:

Researchers have studied how people talk to themselves:

Inner speech is a paradoxical phenomenon. It is an experience that is central to many people’s everyday lives, and yet it presents considerable challenges to any effort to study it scientifically. Nevertheless, a wide range of methodologies and approaches have combined to shed light on the subjective experience of inner speech and its cognitive and neural underpinnings. (Alderson-Day & Fernyhough, 2015, p. 957)

Block quotation with narrative citation:

Flores et al. (2018) described how they addressed potential researcher bias when working with an intersectional community of transgender people of color:

Everyone on the research team belonged to a stigmatized group but also held privileged identities. Throughout the research process, we attended to the ways in which our privileged and oppressed identities may have influenced the research process, findings, and presentation of results. (p. 311)

Citing Your Own Work

Select style:
Archive material
Chapter of an edited book
Conference proceedings
Dictionary entry
Dissertation
DVD, video, or film
E-book or PDF
Edited book
Encyclopedia article
Government publication
Music or recording
Online image or video
Presentation
Press release
Religious text

Have you ever been given an assignment and thought, “I’ve written a paper like this before…”? If yes, then you might’ve considered re-using content from that previous paper for your new one. If it’s still relevant and the result of your own work, so why not?

Doing so, however, should be treated with extreme caution, and if done incorrectly can lead to something called “self-plagiarism.” Let’s review how you can self-plagiarism when using work you’ve written before for a new assignment.

What is self plagiarism?

Self-plagiarism is defined as incorrectly citing (or not citing) a piece of your own work in another work you are writing.

There are a few different types of self-plagiarism:

Word-for-word

The most common type of self-plagiarism occurs is when you copy word-for-word a paper you have already written and insert it into a new assignment. If you take any direct material from an old paper of yours, you must create a citation for the older paper. This applies even when your assignments are for different instructors or courses.

Salami-slicing

Another type of self-plagiarism is known as, “salami-slicing,” happens when the author of a study separates aspects of the study and publishes it in more than one publication, depending on what the goal of each published article is. Salami-slicing is considered unethical since it doesn’t present a whole, complete presentation of a research study. Segmenting the data into many “slices” could lead to misinterpretations.

Perhaps the most well-known outcome of self-plagiarism is “copyright infringement.” This is when an author publishes work that is copyrighted, only for that writer to take that copyrighted material and publish it elsewhere without citing the original work. Even if the writer was the original author of the copyrighted material, proper referencing to the original is still needed.

How to avoid self-plagiarism

There are a few simple steps a writer can take to avoid committing self-plagiarism:

Conduct further research

If a new paper assignment you’ve been given is similar to one you have already written, consider conducting further research on the topic. Doing this may open up new concepts and avenues of writing that you had not considered before.

Consult your old class notes

Instead of copying directly from your old paper, check any old notes or outlines that you created for that class and try to come up with unique ideas to write about, or perhaps a slightly different angle than the one you previously chose.

Cite your previous work

If you wish to use an older paper you have written on a topic as a source for a new paper, you can cite yourself, just as you would cite any other source you use in your research. Here is how you would do this in some of the most popular citation formats:

Harvard referencing style:

Your Last Name, First Initial. (Year) ‘Title of your paper’. School Name. Unpublished essay.

Harvard example:

Lu, P. (2017) ‘George Washington in early American paintings’. Southern New Hampshire University. Unpublished essay.

APA citation format :

Your Last Name, First Initial. (Year). Title of paper. Unpublished manuscript, University Name.

APA example:

Lu, P. (2017). George Washington in early American paintings. Unpublished manuscript, Southern New Hampshire University.

MLA citation format:

Your Last Name, Your First Name. “Title of Your Paper .” Year written. Your School’s Name, unpublished paper.

MLA example:

Lu, Patricia. “George Washington in Early American Paintings .” 2017. Southern New Hampshire U, unpublished paper.

Looking for more styles or citing guides? Visit Cite This For Me to access a Chicago citation generator , a guide on how to do an in-text citation , an example of an annotated bibliography , and more!

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Q. How should I cite myself in APA Style?

I previously wrote an essay that I want to quote from - how do I cite myself?

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Answered By: Jonathan Faerber (he/him/his) Last Updated: Nov 04, 2021 Views: 4623

If you are quoting a section of text that you wrote for a previous assignment, you must consider that information to have already been published because you made it public, though not in a recoverable form that is widely available. Accordingly, please use the format for personal communication to cite yourself e.g, (A. Lastname, personal communication, Month day, year).

If your text was previously published in a recoverable form (e.g., a blog post or journal article ), please cite the source according to the APA Style rules for that resource type. Before using previously-submitted work, please check with your instructor to ensure that she or he will accept the work as part of your new project.

For more information on referencing a specific resource type, please search WriteAnswers by typing a significant keyword in the search field above.

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Rambling Academic

Nuts and bolts of research. Plus some rambling.

How to Cite Yourself

In my last post, I offered some guidelines on choosing citations. The very first guideline was to avoid conflicts of interest, which generally refers to citing yourself (but also applies to your close collaborators). Now, I’m going to describe how to cite yourself. I’m not changing my mind on this topic, but I believe that there are scenarios when self-citations are justified. Here, I’m going to list when it’s ok to cite yourself and how you should do it.

To re-iterate, by default you shouldn’t cite your own work, since this creates a conflict of interest. Readers (especially reviewers!) will legitimately ask if you’re citing yourself just to pad your citation count. Of course, your intent is probably not that malicious. Consider these two more innocent (but still not great) reasons:

You want to build your credibility . What better way to establish that you know what you’re talking about if you’ve already written on the subject?
You know your work . You’re most likely to cite the papers that you know best. Whose work do you know better than your own?

Nevertheless, you should apply greater scrutiny to citing your work than citing anyone else.

Valid Reasons to Cite Yourself

Here is my list of valid reasons to self-cite, in decreasing order of legitimacy:

You are re-using your own result . This could be an equation, algorithm, figure, system model, or anything else concrete that would be blatant self-plagiarism if you didn’t cite it.
Your new work is a direct continuation of your previous work . By direct, I don’t mean just on the same topic, but an extension of the earlier work. For example, this could be the journal version of a conference paper, or a paper that addresses the weaknesses that were identified in the earlier work.
You are repeating an argument that you already made . Let’s say you made a non-trivial assumption in an earlier paper and you gave a detailed justification. If you need to make the same assumption in a new paper, then you should be able to cite the earlier work without needing to repeat all of the details.
You need to avoid confusion . If you have similar previous work, and a reader might be legitimately confused about how the novelty in the new paper, then you should cite and clarify the differences. You need to be very careful in this case and not just use this as an opportunity to promote your own work.

How to Cite Yourself

Ok, let’s say that you have a legitimate reason to cite yourself. Fortunately, that was the hard part. But you should still make a self-citation professional.

Make it clear that you’re self-citing . Don’t make it appear that you’re actually citing someone else, or bury your self-citation in the middle of a long group of references; I’ve seen both of these and it doesn’t appear professional. Disclose what you did. Besides, if the citation is legitimate, then you are building your credibility.
Stay modest . It’s one thing to acknowledge your previous contributions, but another to promote it like an advertisement. Avoid subjective language. You can claim to be the first to have done something, but to say how amazing it was is probably too far. Leave the accolades to other authors.

Here are some quick examples that make it clear that you’re self-citing and avoid subjective language:

In our previous work in [XX], we established that [DESCRIBE RELEVANT CONTRIBUTIONS]. Here, we now consider that [DESCRIBE WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS TO THOSE CONTRIBUTIONS] We are studying the system model that we introduced in [XX], where [SUMMARIZE MODEL WITH NECESSARY DETAILS] We previously solved this equation as [XX, Eq. YY] (then re-write the equation) As in [XX], we will assume that [ASSUMPTION WITH BRIEF MOTIVATION] Summary

That’s all that I have to say on self-citations. I think that the natural tendency is to include as many self-citations as you can, but it’s important to resist that urge to maintain academic integrity. If you have legitimately objective reasons, then I believe that you can credibly cite your own work.

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My name is Adam Noel. I'm an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Memorial University, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada View all posts by adam

How do I cite myself in APA format?

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Answered By: Laurie Bastien Last Updated: Aug 27, 2020 Views: 1372

If you are using information from a previous paper you've written or from a project you've completed in a past assignment or class, it is appropriate to self-cite in order to avoid self-plagiarism. To cite or quote from a previous work you've created, follow examples for citing an unpublished work.

On a related note, please review school policies on reusing work and contact your instructor with any questions. Links to school policies are also below.

Links & Files

Academic Writer: Sample of an Unpublished Manuscript Citation
Student Conduct: Coursework Resubmission Policy
Purdue Global Student Coursework Resubmission, Repurposing, and Reworking Policy Resource

Unpublished or Informally Published Reference

Learn how to format references for unpublished or informally published works, including unpublished manuscripts, manuscripts submitted for publication, and self-archived work.

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Answered By: Paul Lai Last Updated: Jul 17, 2023 Views: 63693

Walden and APA allow for certain circumstances where you may need to cite yourself in your text. However, reusing your own work without proper citation can be considered self-plagiarism.

Self-citation format

If you find a circumstance in which you need to cite yourself, you will want to be sure to use the following reference entry format, referring to your coursework as an unpublished manuscript and giving the university name in your reference entry:

Grammer, R. (2013). APA’s hidden secrets to a better writing life [Unpublished manuscript]. Walden University.

Then, your in-text citation would include the author's (your) surname and the year of publication, just like other in-text citations.

To reuse work for a different purpose

Get your instructor's approval (generally reused work is not accepted).

See the Walden University Student Handbook Code of Conduct on students’ misuse of their own scholarly work.

To reuse work that builds on itself

Use each incremental section of your work (those sections that are building toward your doctoral capstone study) to build on itself.

Check with your faculty member if you are uncertain whether or not you should be reusing work.

Additional Resources:

For more tips, see the Writing Center's webpage on citing yourself .

Further Questions?

Would you like a current or future assignment to be reviewed by the Writing Center? If so please visit the Writing Center's Paper Reviews webpage and make an appointment with us!

Do you have other general writing questions? Ask OASIS !

Other questions about your doctoral capstone or the form and style review? Email the form and style editors at [email protected] .

Want to peruse other writing resources? Go to the Writing Center’s home page .

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How to Quote | Citing Quotes in Harvard & APA

How to Quote | Citing Quotes in Harvard & APA

Published on 15 April 2022 by Shona McCombes and Jack Caulfield. Revised on 3 September 2022.

Quoting means copying a passage of someone else’s words and crediting the source. To quote a source, you must ensure:

The quoted text is enclosed in quotation marks (usually single quotation marks in UK English, though double is acceptable as long as you’re consistent) or formatted as a block quote
The original author is correctly cited
The text is identical to the original

The exact format of a quote depends on its length and on which citation style you are using. Quoting and citing correctly is essential to avoid plagiarism , which is easy to detect with a good plagiarism checker .

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How to cite a quote in harvard and apa style, introducing quotes, quotes within quotes, shortening or altering a quote, block quotes, when should i use quotes, frequently asked questions about quoting sources.

Every time you quote, you must cite the source correctly . This looks slightly different depending on the citation style you’re using.

Citing a quote in Harvard style

When you include a quote in Harvard style, you must add a Harvard in-text citation giving the author’s last name, the year of publication, and a page number if available. Any full stop or comma appears after the citation, not within the quotation marks.

Citations can be parenthetical or narrative. In a parenthetical citation , you place all the information in brackets after the quote. In a narrative citation , you name the author in your sentence (followed by the year), and place the page number after the quote.

Evolution is a gradual process that ‘can act only by very short and slow steps’ (Darwin, 1859, p. 510) . Darwin (1859) explains that evolution ‘can act only by very short and slow steps’ (p. 510) .

Complete guide to Harvard style

Citing a quote in APA Style

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

An APA in-text citation can be parenthetical or narrative. In a parenthetical citation , you place all the information in parentheses after the quote. In a narrative citation , you name the author in your sentence (followed by the year), and place the page number after the quote.

Punctuation marks such as full stops and commas are placed after the citation, not within the quotation marks.

Evolution is a gradual process that ‘can act only by very short and slow steps’ (Darwin, 1859, p. 510) .
Darwin (1859) explains that evolution ‘can act only by very short and slow steps’ (p. 510) .

Complete guide to APA

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Make sure you integrate quotes properly into your text by introducing them in your own words, showing the reader why you’re including the quote and providing any context necessary to understand it. Don’t present quotations as stand-alone sentences.

There are three main strategies you can use to introduce quotes in a grammatically correct way:

Add an introductory sentence
Use an introductory signal phrase
Integrate the quote into your own sentence

The following examples use APA Style citations, but these strategies can be used in all styles.

Introductory sentence

Introduce the quote with a full sentence ending in a colon . Don’t use a colon if the text before the quote isn’t a full sentence.

If you name the author in your sentence, you may use present-tense verbs, such as “states’, ‘argues’, ‘explains’, ‘writes’, or ‘reports’, to describe the content of the quote.

In Denmark, a recent poll shows that: ‘A membership referendum held today would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters’ (Levring, 2018, p. 3).
In Denmark, a recent poll shows that support for the EU has grown since the Brexit vote: ‘A membership referendum held today would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters’ (Levring, 2018, p. 3).
Levring (2018) reports that support for the EU has grown since the Brexit vote: ‘A membership referendum held today would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters’ (p. 3).

Introductory signal phrase

You can also use a signal phrase that mentions the author or source but doesn’t form a full sentence. In this case, you follow the phrase with a comma instead of a colon.

According to a recent poll, ‘A membership referendum held today would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters’ (Levring, 2018, p. 3).
As Levring (2018) explains, ‘A membership referendum held today would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters’ (p. 3).

Integrated into your own sentence

To quote a phrase that doesn’t form a full sentence, you can also integrate it as part of your sentence, without any extra punctuation.

A recent poll suggests that EU membership ‘would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters’ in a referendum (Levring, 2018, p. 3).
Levring (2018) reports that EU membership ‘would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters’ in a referendum (p. 3).

When you quote text that itself contains another quote, this is called a nested quotation or a quote within a quote. It may occur, for example, when quoting dialogue from a novel.

To distinguish this quote from the surrounding quote, you enclose it in double (instead of single) quotation marks (even if this involves changing the punctuation from the original text). Make sure to close both sets of quotation marks at the appropriate moments.

Note that if you only quote the nested quotation itself, and not the surrounding text, you can just use single quotation marks.

Carraway introduces his narrative by quoting his father: ‘ ‘ Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, ‘ he told me, ‘ just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had ‘ ‘ (Fitzgerald 1).
Carraway introduces his narrative by quoting his father: ‘”Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,” he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had “ (Fitzgerald 1).
Carraway introduces his narrative by quoting his father: ‘“Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,” he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had”’ (Fitzgerald 1).
Carraway begins by quoting his father’s invocation to ‘remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had’ (Fitzgerald 1).

Note: When the quoted text in the source comes from another source, it’s best to just find that original source in order to quote it directly. If you can’t find the original source, you can instead cite it indirectly .

Often, incorporating a quote smoothly into your text requires you to make some changes to the original text. It’s fine to do this, as long as you clearly mark the changes you’ve made to the quote.

Shortening a quote

If some parts of a passage are redundant or irrelevant, you can shorten the quote by removing words, phrases, or sentences and replacing them with an ellipsis (…). Put a space before and after the ellipsis.

Be careful that removing the words doesn’t change the meaning. The ellipsis indicates that some text has been removed, but the shortened quote should still accurately represent the author’s point.

Altering a quote

You can add or replace words in a quote when necessary. This might be because the original text doesn’t fit grammatically with your sentence (e.g., it’s in a different tense), or because extra information is needed to clarify the quote’s meaning.

Use brackets to distinguish words that you have added from words that were present in the original text.

The Latin term ‘ sic ‘ is used to indicate a (factual or grammatical) mistake in a quotation. It shows the reader that the mistake is from the quoted material, not a typo of your own.

In some cases, it can be useful to italicise part of a quotation to add emphasis, showing the reader that this is the key part to pay attention to. Use the phrase ’emphasis added’ to show that the italics were not part of the original text.

You usually don’t need to use brackets to indicate minor changes to punctuation or capitalisation made to ensure the quote fits the style of your text.

If you quote more than a few lines from a source, you must format it as a block quote . Instead of using quotation marks, you set the quote on a new line and indent it so that it forms a separate block of text.

Block quotes are cited just like regular quotes, except that if the quote ends with a full stop, the citation appears after the full stop.

To the end of his days Bilbo could never remember how he found himself outside, without a hat, a walking-stick or any money, or anything that he usually took when he went out; leaving his second breakfast half-finished and quite unwashed-up, pushing his keys into Gandalf’s hands, and running as fast as his furry feet could carry him down the lane, past the great Mill, across The Water, and then on for a mile or more. (16)

Avoid relying too heavily on quotes in academic writing . To integrate a source , it’s often best to paraphrase , which means putting the passage into your own words. This helps you integrate information smoothly and keeps your own voice dominant.

However, there are some situations in which quotes are more appropriate.

When focusing on language

If you want to comment on how the author uses language (for example, in literary analysis ), it’s necessary to quote so that the reader can see the exact passage you are referring to.

When giving evidence

To convince the reader of your argument, interpretation or position on a topic, it’s often helpful to include quotes that support your point. Quotes from primary sources (for example, interview transcripts or historical documents) are especially credible as evidence.

When presenting an author’s position or definition

When you’re referring to secondary sources such as scholarly books and journal articles, try to put others’ ideas in your own words when possible.

But if a passage does a great job at expressing, explaining, or defining something, and it would be very difficult to paraphrase without changing the meaning or losing the weakening the idea’s impact, it’s worth quoting directly.

A quote is an exact copy of someone else’s words, usually enclosed in quotation marks and credited to the original author or speaker.

To present information from other sources in academic writing , it’s best to paraphrase in most cases. This shows that you’ve understood the ideas you’re discussing and incorporates them into your text smoothly.

It’s appropriate to quote when:

Changing the phrasing would distort the meaning of the original text
You want to discuss the author’s language choices (e.g., in literary analysis )
You’re presenting a precise definition
You’re looking in depth at a specific claim

Every time you quote a source , you must include a correctly formatted in-text citation . This looks slightly different depending on the citation style .

For example, a direct quote in APA is cited like this: ‘This is a quote’ (Streefkerk, 2020, p. 5).

Every in-text citation should also correspond to a full reference at the end of your paper.

In scientific subjects, the information itself is more important than how it was expressed, so quoting should generally be kept to a minimum. In the arts and humanities, however, well-chosen quotes are often essential to a good paper.

In social sciences, it varies. If your research is mainly quantitative , you won’t include many quotes, but if it’s more qualitative , you may need to quote from the data you collected .

As a general guideline, quotes should take up no more than 5–10% of your paper. If in doubt, check with your instructor or supervisor how much quoting is appropriate in your field.

If you’re quoting from a text that paraphrases or summarises other sources and cites them in parentheses , APA recommends retaining the citations as part of the quote:

Smith states that ‘the literature on this topic (Jones, 2015; Sill, 2019; Paulson, 2020) shows no clear consensus’ (Smith, 2019, p. 4).

Footnote or endnote numbers that appear within quoted text should be omitted.

If you want to cite an indirect source (one you’ve only seen quoted in another source), either locate the original source or use the phrase ‘as cited in’ in your citation.

A block quote is a long quote formatted as a separate ‘block’ of text. Instead of using quotation marks , you place the quote on a new line, and indent the entire quote to mark it apart from your own words.

APA uses block quotes for quotes that are 40 words or longer.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.

McCombes, S. & Caulfield, J. (2022, September 03). How to Quote | Citing Quotes in Harvard & APA. Scribbr. Retrieved 3 September 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/working-sources/quoting/

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APA 7th Edition Citation Guide Previous Coursework

How to cite yourself.

When citing a paper that you wrote for a previous class, consider yourself as the author and your previous course work as an unpublished paper. Include [Unpublished manuscript] in brackets after the title.

Reference Page Format:

Author, (year written). Title [Unpublished manuscript]. Institution.

Reference Page Example:

O’Toole, T. (2019). An analysis of pre-WWII leaders [Unpublished manuscript]. Concordia University, St. Paul.

In-text Citation Examples:

According to O’Toole (2019)... ...(O’Toole, 2019). ...(O’Toole, 2019, p. 4).

Blackboard Lectures and PowerPoints

Sources on Blackboard, such as recorded lectures and PowerPoints, are not available to people outside of your institution. If the audience of your paper is your professor and/or classmates who have access to the content, use the following examples.

If your audience is not enrolled in your course or part of your institution and therefore does not have access to the content, cite the content as a Personal Communication .

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title [Format]. Blackboard@CSP. https://csp.blackboard.com/

Neilson, J. (2022, September 1). What the library can do for you [PowerPoint Slides]. Blackboard@CSP. https://csp.blackboard.com/

According to Neilson (2022)... ...(Neilson, 2022).

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Chicago Footnote Referencing - Theology students: Citing yourself and AI

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Citing yourself and AI

Citing Yourself

In very rare cases you might need to quote a short section (no more than 2 sentences) of an assignment you have previously submitted. if this is the case, you should treat the quotation as you would any other source and correctly cite it.* you may also wish to refer to something you have published..

Note: if you have a required number of texts for a Bibliography, your own work does not contribute to this requirement.

First name Family Name, "Title of Essay or Summary of Essay Question" (UNIT CODE Essay, Morling College, Year of assignment).

Bibliography

Family Name, First name. "Title of Essay or Summary of Essay Question." UNIT CODE Essay, Morling College, Year of assignment.

*If you are using EndNote, you will need to create a citation for material that is not formally published. Use “Thesis” as your Reference Type and fill in the appropriate Fields:

Title (this could be the Assignment Question or a summary of the question)
University (this will most likely be Morling College but could be another institution)
Thesis Type (include the Unit Code [e.g. OT001] and the type of assignment [Essay, Reflection, Tutorial Paper, Book review etc.])

Citing AI-Generated Content

When citing information generated with the assistance of AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Smart Copy), be transparent about the involvement of AI in the work: provide credit to the source just as you would with other types of information.

For student papers and research articles, cite contributions from AI-generated tools in footnote form. You can also make reference in the body of your assignment text. You will need to include:

the creator of the content (e.g., ChatGPT, Smart Copy)
the text prompt you used to generate the content in quotation marks (if you included the prompt in the body of your text, you are not required to repeat the prompt in the footnote)
the organization or developer that created the tool (e.g., OpenAI, Unbounce)
the date the content was generated
if you have edited the AI-generated text, indicate this in either your footnote or the body of your text

At present (June 2023), the Chicago Manual of Style instructs you to cite content created by AI generative tools in the text of your assignment and/or in footnote form only (not in your bibliography).

In the case of ChatGPT, the URL provided within the footnote should be the unique URL created by a request to share the conversation that you had, including all of your requests and all of the ChatGPT response. If you initiated more than one conversation thread, the unique URL for each conversation thread should be provided.

If you obtained AI-enabled editorial assistance through a platform that does not provide the option of creating a URL to share a log of your interaction(s) with the site, you should still acknowledge your use of the application via a footnote at an appropriate point in the assignment, and retain a copy of the pre-edited draft of the assignment that you can provide, if requested, for comparison purposes.

In some cases, it may be appropriate to include a transcript of an AI chat or prompt situation in an appendix. If you are not sure about using AI in an assignment, please contact your lecturer.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in assignments Guidelines on using AI-generated content in assignments.

Originator of the communication, medium, Day Month, Year: URL [where available]

1 OpenAI's ChatGPT AI language model, responses to questions from author, 28 June, 2023: https://chat.openai.com/share/c2f86c07-43a9-4326-ac9e-a95d9834568b

The following recipe for vegetarian pakoras was generated by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, June 2, 2023.

When asked to list three key marketing strategies for websites, Unbounce’s AI-generator, Smart Copy, indicated that the use of SEO, understanding user experience, and social media engagement were all important methods (edited for style and content).

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AI in action
AI in the enterprise
Humans of AI

Words at work

Inside Writer
Content strategy
Inspiration

– 10 min read

A detailed guide to quoting

Jessica Malnik

Quotations have the power to elevate your written work when used correctly. But in order to use a quote properly, you must give full credit to the original source.

Before you can learn how to properly include quoted material, you need to have a firm understanding of what a quotation is, the purpose for using one, and the difference between quoting and paraphrasing.

What is a quotation in writing?

Quotations serve multiple purposes in writing. Students and professionals alike can benefit from using quotations in their work. Whether you’re writing a research paper or a blog article, you’ll likely find yourself needing to use them at some point. Quoting can add perspective, validation, and evidence to your piece.

What do you mean by quoting?

Quoting is a technique that allows you to include an original passage from a source in your work as a direct quote. You do this by framing or surrounding the quote in quotation marks like this, “This is an example of a sentence framed by quotation marks.”

However, you can’t just add quotation marks and call it a day. You also need proper attribution for your source.

Keep in mind that there is a difference between direct quoting and indirect quoting. With direct quoting, you include the source’s exact words framed within quotation marks.

With indirect quoting, you can paraphrase what the person or text said in your own words instead of copying it verbatim. Indirect quoting, also known as indirect speech or discourse, is mostly used to summarize what someone said in a talk or interview. Indirect quotations are never placed within quotation marks.

How do you properly quote?

To properly quote someone, you’ll need to follow some general quoting rules along with properly citing your source using your preferred MLA, APA, or Chicago style guide.

For example, many people incorrectly use punctuation with quotation marks. Do you know whether or not to include punctuation inside the quotation marks?

Here’s how to handle punctuation marks with quotes, as well as a few more rules to consider when including quotations in your work:

Punctuation

As a good rule of thumb, periods and commas should go inside quotation marks. On the other hand, colons, semicolons, and dashes go outside of the quotation marks.

However, exclamation points and question marks aren’t set in stone. While these tend to go on the inside of quotation marks, in some instances, you might place them outside of the marks.

Here are a few examples to illustrate how this would work in practice:

“ You should keep commas inside the quotation marks, ” he explained.

She wanted to help, so she said, “ I’m happy to explain it ” ; they needed a thorough explanation, and she loved to teach her students.

It gets a little trickier with exclamation marks and question marks when quoting. These can be either inside the quotation marks or outside of them, depending on the situation. Keep question and exclamation marks inside the quotations if they apply to the quoted passage. If they apply to your sentence instead of the quote, you’ll want to keep them outside. Here’s an example:

He asked the students, “ Do you know how to use quotation marks? ”

Did the students hear the teacher when he said, “ I will show you how to use quotation marks ”?

Closing quotations

Once you start using a quotation mark, you have to close it. This means that you can’t leave a quote open like the example below because the reader wouldn’t know when the quote is over.

Capitalization

The rule of capitalization changes depending on the context.

For example, if you quote a complete sentence, then you should capitalize the first word in the sentence. However, if you are quoting a piece of a sentence or phrase, then you wouldn’t need to start with capitalization, like this:

She said, “ Here’s an example of a sentence that should start with a capital letter. ”

He said it was “ a good example of a sentence where capitalization isn’t necessary. ”

Sometimes, you’ll want to split a quote. You don’t need to capitalize the second half of the quote that’s divided by a parenthetical. Here’s an example to show you what that would look like:

“ Here is an example of a quote, ” she told her students, “ that doesn’t need capitalization in the second part . ”

What is the purpose of quoting?

As stated above, quotations can serve multiple purposes in a written piece. Quotes can signify direct passages or titles of works. Here are a few of the reasons to include a quote within your written work:

These intentions can apply whether you’ve interviewed your source or are taking a quote from an existing, published piece.

However, before you use a quote, you’ll want to understand how it can strengthen your work and when you should use one. We’ll discuss when you should use quotes and how to properly cite them using different style guides in the next section.

When you should use quotes

Quotations should be used strategically, no matter what type of writing you’re doing. For instance, if you’re a professional copywriter crafting a white paper or a student writing a research paper, you’ll likely want to include as much proof as possible in your work. However, stuffing your paper with a ton of quotations can do more harm than good because the piece needs to represent your ideas and interpretations of the source, not just good quotes.

That being said, quoting reputable sources in your work is an excellent way to prove your points and add credibility to the piece. Use quotations in your work when you want to share accurate ideas and passages from source materials.

You should also use quotes when you want to add emphasis to a source on the topic you’re covering.

For example, if you’re writing a research paper, then it would be beneficial to add quotes from a professor involved in the study you’re referring to in your piece.

How to cite a quote in MLA, APA, and Chicago

MLA, APA, and Chicago are three of the most common citation styles. It’s a standardized way of crediting the sources that you quote. Depending on your assignment, you may need to use a specific one when citing your sources.

This section shares how to cite your quotes in these three popular citation styles, along with several examples of each.

Modern Language Association (MLA) is most often associated with academics in English or philosophic fields. With this style of citation, you’ll need to include quotes word-for-word. It’s fine to use only phrases or pieces from a specific quote, but you’ll need to keep the spelling and punctuation the same.

Here are some other criteria to keep in mind when citing using MLA style:

• If the quote goes longer than four lines, you must use a blockquote. Do not indent at the start of the quote block.

• Start quotes on the next line, ½ inch from the left margin of the paper.

• Quotes must be double spaced like the rest of the paper.

• Only use quotations when quotation marks are a part of the source.

• Include in-text citations next to the blockquote.

• If a blockquote is longer than a paragraph, you must start the next paragraph with the same indent.

• Don’t include a number in the parenthetical quotation if the source doesn’t use page numbers.

Here’s an example of a short, direct quote with MLA using a website resource without page numbers:

She always wanted to be a writer. “ I knew from a young age that I wanted to write a novel . ” (Smith)

And an example of a blockquote from page 2 of the source:

John Doe shares his experience getting his book published in the prologue:

I never expected so many people to be willing to help me publish this book. I had a lot of support along the way. My friends and colleagues always encouraged me to keep going. Some helped me edit, and others reminded me why I started in the first place. One of my good friends even brought me dinner when she knew I was going to be working late. (2)

With MLA, the reader can reference the full sources at the end in the Work Cited section. For this example, it could look like this:

Works Cited

Smith, J. (2021). Example Blog Post. Retrieved 2021, from www.example.com

Doe, J. (2021). Book Title One (1st ed., Vol. 1). Example, TX: Example Publishing.

See this article for more information on MLA style citations.

American Psychological Association (APA) is used often in psychology, education, and criminal justice fields. It often requires a cover page and abstract.

Here are a few points to consider when using APA style to cite your sources:

• Citation pages should be double spaced.

• All citations in a paper must have a full reference in the reference list.

• All references must have a hanging indent.

• Sources must be listed in alphabetical order, typically by the last name.

Using the same source examples as we did with MLA above, here is how they would be cited in APA:

Doe, Jane. Example Blog Post . 2021, www.example.com.

Doe, John. Book Title One . 1st ed., vol. 1, Example Publishing, 2021.

See this article for more information on APA style citations.

Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) is commonly used in history and humanities fields. It was created to help researchers. Here are a few points to keep in mind for Chicago Style:

• There are 2 types of referencing styles:

→ Notes and Bibliography

→ Author-Date

• The list of bibliography must be single-spaced.

• The text should be double spaced, except for block quotations, tables, notes, and bibliographies.

• The second line should be indented for sources.

•Author last names must be arranged alphabetically.

Here’s how the same example sources used above would be cited using Chicago style:

Doe, Jane. “Example Blog Post,” 2021. www.example.com.

Doe, John. Book Title One . 1. 1st ed. Vol. 1. Example, TX: Example Publishing, 2021.

See this article for more information on Chicago style citations.

Types of quotes and examples

There are two main types of quotes: direct and indirect.

Whenever you want to use someone’s statement word-for-word in your text, you’ll need to include properly cited, direct quotations. However, if you want to paraphrase someone’s words then indirect quotes could be more appropriate.

For example, say that you’re writing a press release for a company. You could interview different people within the company’s staff and paraphrase their quotes. This is particularly useful if the direct quote wouldn’t work well within your piece. For instance, you could change this direct quote example into an indirect quote that would more succinctly represent the speech:

Direct quote:

Indirect quote:

Keep in mind when using quotations that you should aim for using as few words as necessary. You don’t want to quote an entire paragraph when only one sentence contains the key information you want to share. If you need to add context, do so in your words. It’ll make for a much more interesting piece if you’re using quotes to support your stance alongside your interpretation instead of just repeating what’s already been said.

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May Habib CEO, Writer.com

Here’s what else you should know about Ascending.

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How to paraphrase (including examples)

The Writing Center • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

What this handout is about

Used effectively, quotations can provide important pieces of evidence and lend fresh voices and perspectives to your narrative. Used ineffectively, however, quotations can clutter your text and interrupt the flow of your argument. This handout will help you decide when and how to quote like a pro.

When should I quote?

Use quotations at strategically selected moments. You have probably been told by teachers to provide as much evidence as possible in support of your thesis. But packing your paper with quotations will not necessarily strengthen your argument. The majority of your paper should still be your original ideas in your own words (after all, it’s your paper). And quotations are only one type of evidence: well-balanced papers may also make use of paraphrases, data, and statistics. The types of evidence you use will depend in part on the conventions of the discipline or audience for which you are writing. For example, papers analyzing literature may rely heavily on direct quotations of the text, while papers in the social sciences may have more paraphrasing, data, and statistics than quotations.

Discussing specific arguments or ideas

Sometimes, in order to have a clear, accurate discussion of the ideas of others, you need to quote those ideas word for word. Suppose you want to challenge the following statement made by John Doe, a well-known historian:

“At the beginning of World War Two, almost all Americans assumed the war would end quickly.”

If it is especially important that you formulate a counterargument to this claim, then you might wish to quote the part of the statement that you find questionable and establish a dialogue between yourself and John Doe:

Historian John Doe has argued that in 1941 “almost all Americans assumed the war would end quickly” (Doe 223). Yet during the first six months of U.S. involvement, the wives and mothers of soldiers often noted in their diaries their fear that the war would drag on for years.

Giving added emphasis to a particularly authoritative source on your topic.

There will be times when you want to highlight the words of a particularly important and authoritative source on your topic. For example, suppose you were writing an essay about the differences between the lives of male and female slaves in the U.S. South. One of your most provocative sources is a narrative written by a former slave, Harriet Jacobs. It would then be appropriate to quote some of Jacobs’s words:

Harriet Jacobs, a former slave from North Carolina, published an autobiographical slave narrative in 1861. She exposed the hardships of both male and female slaves but ultimately concluded that “slavery is terrible for men; but it is far more terrible for women.”

In this particular example, Jacobs is providing a crucial first-hand perspective on slavery. Thus, her words deserve more exposure than a paraphrase could provide.

Jacobs is quoted in Harriet A. Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, ed. Jean Fagan Yellin (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1987).

Analyzing how others use language.

This scenario is probably most common in literature and linguistics courses, but you might also find yourself writing about the use of language in history and social science classes. If the use of language is your primary topic, then you will obviously need to quote users of that language.

Examples of topics that might require the frequent use of quotations include:

Southern colloquial expressions in William Faulkner’s Light in August

Ms. and the creation of a language of female empowerment

A comparison of three British poets and their use of rhyme

Spicing up your prose.

In order to lend variety to your prose, you may wish to quote a source with particularly vivid language. All quotations, however, must closely relate to your topic and arguments. Do not insert a quotation solely for its literary merits.

One example of a quotation that adds flair:

President Calvin Coolidge’s tendency to fall asleep became legendary. As H. L. Mencken commented in the American Mercury in 1933, “Nero fiddled, but Coolidge only snored.”

How do I set up and follow up a quotation?

Once you’ve carefully selected the quotations that you want to use, your next job is to weave those quotations into your text. The words that precede and follow a quotation are just as important as the quotation itself. You can think of each quote as the filling in a sandwich: it may be tasty on its own, but it’s messy to eat without some bread on either side of it. Your words can serve as the “bread” that helps readers digest each quote easily. Below are four guidelines for setting up and following up quotations.

In illustrating these four steps, we’ll use as our example, Franklin Roosevelt’s famous quotation, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

1. Provide context for each quotation.

Do not rely on quotations to tell your story for you. It is your responsibility to provide your reader with context for the quotation. The context should set the basic scene for when, possibly where, and under what circumstances the quotation was spoken or written. So, in providing context for our above example, you might write:

When Franklin Roosevelt gave his inaugural speech on March 4, 1933, he addressed a nation weakened and demoralized by economic depression.

2. Attribute each quotation to its source.

Tell your reader who is speaking. Here is a good test: try reading your text aloud. Could your reader determine without looking at your paper where your quotations begin? If not, you need to attribute the quote more noticeably.

Avoid getting into the “they said” attribution rut! There are many other ways to attribute quotes besides this construction. Here are a few alternative verbs, usually followed by “that”:

add	remark	exclaim
announce	reply	state
comment	respond	estimate
write	point out	predict
argue	suggest	propose
declare	criticize	proclaim
note	complain	opine
observe	think	note

Different reporting verbs are preferred by different disciplines, so pay special attention to these in your disciplinary reading. If you’re unfamiliar with the meanings of any of these words or others you find in your reading, consult a dictionary before using them.

3. Explain the significance of the quotation.

Once you’ve inserted your quotation, along with its context and attribution, don’t stop! Your reader still needs your assessment of why the quotation holds significance for your paper. Using our Roosevelt example, if you were writing a paper on the first one-hundred days of FDR’s administration, you might follow the quotation by linking it to that topic:

With that message of hope and confidence, the new president set the stage for his next one-hundred days in office and helped restore the faith of the American people in their government.

4. Provide a citation for the quotation.

All quotations, just like all paraphrases, require a formal citation. For more details about particular citation formats, see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . In general, you should remember one rule of thumb: Place the parenthetical reference or footnote/endnote number after—not within—the closed quotation mark.

Roosevelt declared, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” (Roosevelt, Public Papers, 11).

Roosevelt declared, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”1

How do I embed a quotation into a sentence?

In general, avoid leaving quotes as sentences unto themselves. Even if you have provided some context for the quote, a quote standing alone can disrupt your flow. Take a look at this example:

Hamlet denies Rosencrantz’s claim that thwarted ambition caused his depression. “I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space” (Hamlet 2.2).

Standing by itself, the quote’s connection to the preceding sentence is unclear. There are several ways to incorporate a quote more smoothly:

Lead into the quote with a colon.

Hamlet denies Rosencrantz’s claim that thwarted ambition caused his depression: “I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space” (Hamlet 2.2).

The colon announces that a quote will follow to provide evidence for the sentence’s claim.

Introduce or conclude the quote by attributing it to the speaker. If your attribution precedes the quote, you will need to use a comma after the verb.

Hamlet denies Rosencrantz’s claim that thwarted ambition caused his depression. He states, “I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space” (Hamlet 2.2).

When faced with a twelve-foot mountain troll, Ron gathers his courage, shouting, “Wingardium Leviosa!” (Rowling, p. 176).

The Pirate King sees an element of regality in their impoverished and dishonest life. “It is, it is a glorious thing/To be a pirate king,” he declares (Pirates of Penzance, 1983).

Interrupt the quote with an attribution to the speaker. Again, you will need to use a comma after the verb, as well as a comma leading into the attribution.

“There is nothing either good or bad,” Hamlet argues, “but thinking makes it so” (Hamlet 2.2).

“And death shall be no more,” Donne writes, “Death thou shalt die” (“Death, Be Not Proud,” l. 14).

Dividing the quote may highlight a particular nuance of the quote’s meaning. In the first example, the division calls attention to the two parts of Hamlet’s claim. The first phrase states that nothing is inherently good or bad; the second phrase suggests that our perspective causes things to become good or bad. In the second example, the isolation of “Death thou shalt die” at the end of the sentence draws a reader’s attention to that phrase in particular. As you decide whether or not you want to break up a quote, you should consider the shift in emphasis that the division might create.

Use the words of the quote grammatically within your own sentence.

When Hamlet tells Rosencrantz that he “could be bounded in a nutshell and count [him]self a king of infinite space” (Hamlet 2.2), he implies that thwarted ambition did not cause his depression.

Ultimately, death holds no power over Donne since in the afterlife, “death shall be no more” (“Death, Be Not Proud,” l. 14).

Note that when you use “that” after the verb that introduces the quote, you no longer need a comma.

The Pirate King argues that “it is, it is a glorious thing/to be a pirate king” (Pirates of Penzance, 1983).

How much should I quote?

As few words as possible. Remember, your paper should primarily contain your own words, so quote only the most pithy and memorable parts of sources. Here are guidelines for selecting quoted material judiciously:

Excerpt fragments.

Sometimes, you should quote short fragments, rather than whole sentences. Suppose you interviewed Jane Doe about her reaction to John F. Kennedy’s assassination. She commented:

“I couldn’t believe it. It was just unreal and so sad. It was just unbelievable. I had never experienced such denial. I don’t know why I felt so strongly. Perhaps it was because JFK was more to me than a president. He represented the hopes of young people everywhere.”

You could quote all of Jane’s comments, but her first three sentences are fairly redundant. You might instead want to quote Jane when she arrives at the ultimate reason for her strong emotions:

Jane Doe grappled with grief and disbelief. She had viewed JFK, not just as a national figurehead, but as someone who “represented the hopes of young people everywhere.”

Excerpt those fragments carefully!

Quoting the words of others carries a big responsibility. Misquoting misrepresents the ideas of others. Here’s a classic example of a misquote:

John Adams has often been quoted as having said: “This would be the best of all possible worlds if there were no religion in it.”

John Adams did, in fact, write the above words. But if you see those words in context, the meaning changes entirely. Here’s the rest of the quotation:

Twenty times, in the course of my late reading, have I been on the point of breaking out, ‘this would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it!!!!’ But in this exclamation, I should have been as fanatical as Bryant or Cleverly. Without religion, this world would be something not fit to be mentioned in public company—I mean hell.

As you can see from this example, context matters!

This example is from Paul F. Boller, Jr. and John George, They Never Said It: A Book of Fake Quotes, Misquotes, and Misleading Attributions (Oxford University Press, 1989).

Use block quotations sparingly.

There may be times when you need to quote long passages. However, you should use block quotations only when you fear that omitting any words will destroy the integrity of the passage. If that passage exceeds four lines (some sources say five), then set it off as a block quotation.

Be sure you are handling block quotes correctly in papers for different academic disciplines–check the index of the citation style guide you are using. Here are a few general tips for setting off your block quotations:

Set up a block quotation with your own words followed by a colon.
Indent. You normally indent 4-5 spaces for the start of a paragraph. When setting up a block quotation, indent the entire paragraph once from the left-hand margin.
Single space or double space within the block quotation, depending on the style guidelines of your discipline (MLA, CSE, APA, Chicago, etc.).
Do not use quotation marks at the beginning or end of the block quote—the indentation is what indicates that it’s a quote.
Place parenthetical citation according to your style guide (usually after the period following the last sentence of the quote).
Follow up a block quotation with your own words.

So, using the above example from John Adams, here’s how you might include a block quotation:

After reading several doctrinally rigid tracts, John Adams recalled the zealous ranting of his former teacher, Joseph Cleverly, and minister, Lemuel Bryant. He expressed his ambivalence toward religion in an 1817 letter to Thomas Jefferson:

Adams clearly appreciated religion, even if he often questioned its promotion.

How do I combine quotation marks with other punctuation marks?

It can be confusing when you start combining quotation marks with other punctuation marks. You should consult a style manual for complicated situations, but the following two rules apply to most cases:

Keep periods and commas within quotation marks.

So, for example:

According to Professor Poe, werewolves “represent anxiety about the separation between human and animal,” and werewolf movies often “interrogate those boundaries.”

In the above example, both the comma and period were enclosed in the quotation marks. The main exception to this rule involves the use of internal citations, which always precede the last period of the sentence. For example:

According to Professor Poe, werewolves “represent anxiety about the separation between human and animal,” and werewolf movies often “interrogate those boundaries” (Poe 167).

Note, however, that the period remains inside the quotation marks when your citation style involves superscript footnotes or endnotes. For example:

According to Professor Poe, werewolves “represent anxiety about the separation between human and animal,” and werewolf movies often “interrogate those boundaries.” 2

Place all other punctuation marks (colons, semicolons, exclamation marks, question marks) outside the quotation marks, except when they were part of the original quotation.

Take a look at the following examples:

I couldn’t believe it when my friend passed me a note in the cafe saying the management “started charging $15 per hour for parking”!

The coach yelled, “Run!”

In the first example, the author placed the exclamation point outside the quotation mark because she added it herself to emphasize the outrageous nature of the parking price change. The original note had not included an exclamation mark. In the second example, the exclamation mark remains within the quotation mark because it is indicating the excited tone in which the coach yelled the command. Thus, the exclamation mark is considered to be part of the original quotation.

How do I indicate quotations within quotations?

If you are quoting a passage that contains a quotation, then you use single quotation marks for the internal quotation. Quite rarely, you quote a passage that has a quotation within a quotation. In that rare instance, you would use double quotation marks for the second internal quotation.

Here’s an example of a quotation within a quotation:

In “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” Hans Christian Andersen wrote, “‘But the Emperor has nothing on at all!’ cried a little child.”

Remember to consult your style guide to determine how to properly cite a quote within a quote.

When do I use those three dots ( . . . )?

Whenever you want to leave out material from within a quotation, you need to use an ellipsis, which is a series of three periods, each of which should be preceded and followed by a space. So, an ellipsis in this sentence would look like . . . this. There are a few rules to follow when using ellipses:

Be sure that you don’t fundamentally change the meaning of the quotation by omitting material.

Take a look at the following example:

“The Writing Center is located on the UNC campus and serves the entire UNC community.”

“The Writing Center . . . serves the entire UNC community.”

The reader’s understanding of the Writing Center’s mission to serve the UNC community is not affected by omitting the information about its location.

Do not use ellipses at the beginning or ending of quotations, unless it’s important for the reader to know that the quotation was truncated.

For example, using the above example, you would NOT need an ellipsis in either of these situations:

“The Writing Center is located on the UNC campus . . .”

The Writing Center ” . . . serves the entire UNC community.”

Use punctuation marks in combination with ellipses when removing material from the end of sentences or clauses.

For example, if you take material from the end of a sentence, keep the period in as usual.

“The boys ran to school, forgetting their lunches and books. Even though they were out of breath, they made it on time.”

“The boys ran to school. . . . Even though they were out of breath, they made it on time.”

Likewise, if you excerpt material at the end of clause that ends in a comma, retain the comma.

“The red car came to a screeching halt that was heard by nearby pedestrians, but no one was hurt.”

“The red car came to a screeching halt . . . , but no one was hurt.”

Is it ever okay to insert my own words or change words in a quotation?

Sometimes it is necessary for clarity and flow to alter a word or words within a quotation. You should make such changes rarely. In order to alert your reader to the changes you’ve made, you should always bracket the altered words. Here are a few examples of situations when you might need brackets:

Changing verb tense or pronouns in order to be consistent with the rest of the sentence.

Suppose you were quoting a woman who, when asked about her experiences immigrating to the United States, commented “nobody understood me.” You might write:

Esther Hansen felt that when she came to the United States “nobody understood [her].”

In the above example, you’ve changed “me” to “her” in order to keep the entire passage in third person. However, you could avoid the need for this change by simply rephrasing:

“Nobody understood me,” recalled Danish immigrant Esther Hansen.

Including supplemental information that your reader needs in order to understand the quotation.

For example, if you were quoting someone’s nickname, you might want to let your reader know the full name of that person in brackets.

“The principal of the school told Billy [William Smith] that his contract would be terminated.”

Similarly, if a quotation referenced an event with which the reader might be unfamiliar, you could identify that event in brackets.

“We completely revised our political strategies after the strike [of 1934].”

Indicating the use of nonstandard grammar or spelling.

In rare situations, you may quote from a text that has nonstandard grammar, spelling, or word choice. In such cases, you may want to insert [sic], which means “thus” or “so” in Latin. Using [sic] alerts your reader to the fact that this nonstandard language is not the result of a typo on your part. Always italicize “sic” and enclose it in brackets. There is no need to put a period at the end. Here’s an example of when you might use [sic]:

Twelve-year-old Betsy Smith wrote in her diary, “Father is afraid that he will be guilty of beach [sic] of contract.”

Here [sic] indicates that the original author wrote “beach of contract,” not breach of contract, which is the accepted terminology.

Do not overuse brackets!

For example, it is not necessary to bracket capitalization changes that you make at the beginning of sentences. For example, suppose you were going to use part of this quotation:

“The colors scintillated curiously over a hard carapace, and the beetle’s tiny antennae made gentle waving motions as though saying hello.”

If you wanted to begin a sentence with an excerpt from the middle of this quotation, there would be no need to bracket your capitalization changes.

“The beetle’s tiny antennae made gentle waving motions as though saying hello,” said Dr. Grace Farley, remembering a defining moment on her journey to becoming an entomologist.

Not: “[T]he beetle’s tiny antennae made gentle waving motions as though saying hello,” said Dr. Grace Farley, remembering a defining moment on her journey to becoming an entomologist.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Barzun, Jacques, and Henry F. Graff. 2012. The Modern Researcher , 6th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Booth, Wayne C., Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup, and William T. FitzGerald. 2016. The Craft of Research , 4th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Gibaldi, Joseph. 2009. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers , 7th ed. New York: The Modern Language Association of America.

Turabian, Kate. 2018. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, Dissertations , 9th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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How to Begin Your Essay with a Powerful Quote

Updated 03 Sep 2024

Quotations are phrases or short passages borrowed from texts or speeches of other authors. Oftentimes, these are famous remarks of various celebrities, either from the present or from humanity’s distant past, and they play a crucial role in academic writing. Most famous quotes are highly valuable since they represent concentrated pieces of wisdom, knowledge, life experience, and wit, all of which can be magnified by the circumstances in which these have been made or by the life and contribution of people they belong to. This explains why they represent powerful tools in essay writing.

Hence, knowing how to start an essay with a quote is an important skill that allows students to make the best of their written assignments or speeches. This is particularly crucial for students who need to write essays as part of their academic requirements.

Simple Tips for Starting College Essay with Quotes

When considering how to start with a quote, some tips would undoubtedly prove useful:

Choose an appropriate quote that fits your purpose . When looking for them, stick to your aim – is it to inspire, prove a point, alert, invite action, prove the complexity or delicate nature of an issue, create a good mood by using some humor, etc.? Obviously, picking quotes to match your purpose precisely is fairly challenging, but at least think about whether selected quotations work toward your overall message or whether they accomplish what was intended.
Use quotation marks correctly . It is essential to enclose direct quotations within quotation marks to clearly distinguish them from your own words. Providing context for the quote can enhance the credibility and engagement of your essay.
Consider your target audience . Quotation should be in tune with the audience. For instance, its belonging to professionals in a given narrow discipline would normally be intelligible only for people with studies in this same field. In this case, select quotes that are neither obvious nor too complex. Other aspects could count as well, such as an audience’s age, its experience, gender, interests, familiarity with US history (immigrants or foreigners might be less familiar), etc.
Connect to your point . Be certain to explain in your own words how the quotation supports your argument or thesis or how it relates to your topic, how it highlights a problem, or portrays a situation. This is important in case the link is not immediately visible as you risk having an out of context quote that won’t be of great value.
Acknowledge the source . Given that quotations are remarks or thoughts of other authors, these must be acknowledged appropriately. When mentioning quotes in an essay, depending on the citation format, more details might be mandatory, such as the exact page, line, or paragraph numbers, etc. – the purpose of this is to help reliably locate information and avoid plagiarism suspicions. Given how seriously we academic institutions and society treat plagiarism, be very careful with this aspect, if anticipating significant public outreach.

Key Things You Should Know When Picking the Right Quote for Your Thesis Statement

When searching for a suitable quote at the beginning of an essay, always prioritize content over authority. In other words, a quote’s quality, contained idea, thought, and message should always be more important than the figure behind it. Besides giving more freedom, this would spare you from the risk of not being original by citing the same famous personalities as everyone else.

Note that it might be often opportune to describe the context in which these quotes were made, i.e., the circumstances that made authors say or write these words. This helps readers better imagine what internal struggles authors faced when formulating them. Describing context should be effective if quotes come from authors who confronted extreme events, phenomena, life circumstances, dilemmas, etc. Describing the context in which quotes were made is an important part of the writing process, as it ensures that the quotes are integrated meaningfully into your essay.

Although searching for quotes might be time-consuming, students should know that there are multiple methods that facilitate this process. Thus, good books contain collections of quotes split into different categories listed alphabetically – this should be efficient for general topics. Alternatively, employ online search engines with carefully formulated queries, which are much more flexible tools. Yet another approach is picking relevant sources directly and looking for a relevant passage.

Our academic assistance service, Edubirdie, helps with finding direct quotations or with any other writing issue experienced by you. Whether you wonder how to write an editorial , research paper, speech, lab report, doing coursework, or how to write about yourself , we handle anything you can imagine – check out with our operators and place your order.

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How to Integrate Quotes Seamlessly into Your Essay

Integrating quotes into your essay effectively is crucial for maintaining the flow of your writing and ensuring that the quotes enhance your argument rather than disrupt it. Here are key strategies to help you do this seamlessly:

Introduce the Quote : Provide context before presenting the quote. This could include introducing the author, explaining the relevance of the quote, or setting up the argument you are about to support.
Embed the Quote : Incorporate the quote naturally within your sentence structure. Avoid dropping quotes abruptly into your text; instead, weave them into your own words.
Explain the Quote : After presenting the quote, analyze or interpret it. Explain how it supports your argument or relates to your thesis. This step ensures that the quote is not left hanging and that its relevance is clear to the reader.
Cite Properly : Always follow the appropriate citation style (APA, MLA, etc.) to give credit to the original author and avoid plagiarism.
Introduction : As Shakespeare once said, "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves."
Integration : In this context, Shakespeare emphasizes personal responsibility, suggesting that we hold the power to shape our destinies, a theme central to the argument that individual actions, rather than fate, determine outcomes.
Explanation : This quote underlines the essay's thesis that success is more dependent on personal effort than on external circumstances.

By following these steps, you can ensure that your quotes are effectively integrated, enhancing the quality and persuasiveness of your essay.

Pros And Cons of Starting Essays with Quotes

Starting an essay with a quote can make a strong impression, and if you’re struggling with your introduction, you might consider paying for essay services to ensure your paper begins powerfully. Also, starting an essay with a quote comes with several advantages and disadvantages, as presented below.

Quotations help set a proper tone when you quote correctly . They may contain very condensed information that often appeals to emotions or states truths that resonate with readers. Consequently, there aren’t many other means of engaging readers in a deep discussion so suddenly.
They help capture attention . Powerful quotations are very good at capturing attention, especially if they are somewhat shocking, humorous, controversial, or reveal deep truths. Learning how to use a quote as a hook guarantees a smoother introduction and greater chances that your paper will generate interest.
They recruit the authority of the original authors to your service . Having Newton, Tesla, or another authority by your side definitely makes it harder for readers to argue against your claims, provided these are properly connected with the quotes.
Engaging Hook : A well-chosen quote can serve as an engaging hook that draws the reader in right from the start.
Captures Reader's Attention : Powerful quotations are very good at capturing the reader's attention, especially if they are somewhat shocking, humorous, controversial, or reveal deep truths.
Sets the Tone : A quote can set the tone for the rest of the essay, providing a thematic foundation that the rest of the paper can build upon.
They are cliché – this is normally not an issue if the quote is strong and strictly to the point. However, this beginning excludes other approaches to starting an essay, for instance, one in which you could describe shocking or remarkable situations or events that would portray the problem you are talking about.
Identifying powerful and ideally matching block quotations could be enormously time-consuming . As a student does not have the freedom to alter these quotes even slightly, each word needs to match.
They rush the culmination . A good quotation can be the most intensive sentence in your whole paper, hence, it could be wiser to avoid using it as the very first sentence and rather, putting it aside for when the momentum would reach its highest value.
Overused Technique : Starting with a quote can be seen as a cliché if not done thoughtfully.
Misinterpretation : There is a risk that the reader might misinterpret the quote or its relevance to the essay.
Thesis Statement Support : A good quotation can be the most intensive sentence in your whole paper. Hence, it could be wiser to avoid using it as the very first sentence and rather put it aside for when the momentum reaches its highest value, supporting your thesis statement.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Using Quotes in Your Essay

While using quotes can strengthen your essay, certain mistakes can undermine their effectiveness. Here are common pitfalls to avoid:

Overusing Quotes : Relying too heavily on quotes can overshadow your voice. Use quotes sparingly and ensure your analysis is the primary focus.
Dropping Quotes Without Introduction : Inserting quotes without context or explanation disrupts the flow of your writing. Always introduce and explain the relevance of the quote.
Ignoring Proper Citation : Failing to cite quotes properly can lead to plagiarism. Always follow the correct citation style to give proper credit.
Using Irrelevant Quotes : Ensure the quote directly supports your argument. Irrelevant quotes can confuse readers and weaken your thesis.

Avoid these mistakes to ensure that quotes enhance rather than detract from your essay’s effectiveness.

How to Begin an Essay with a Quote Example to Capture the Reader's Attention

Example 1 – an introductory paragraph for an essay on the environmental “legacy” of current generations “If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace; and this single reflection, well applied, is sufficient to awaken every man to duty.” (Paine, The American Crisis, 1776). This quote by our Founding Father Thomas Paine is a constant reminder that this Earth also belongs to our descendants. One implication of these words is that it is our duty to do everything to address current problems if we want our generations to live in a normal world. This is relevant for current environmental problems which represent a civilizational threat.

Example 2 – In an academic paper on self-sufficiency, both humor and depth are employed “The best definition of man is: a being that goes on two legs and is ungrateful” (Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Notes from Underground, 1864). Seems like human nature is a constant. What if Dostoyevsky had the chance to witness the abundance in our societies as compared to the one he lived in and regardless of this abundance, so much unhappiness and so many ungrateful people.

Summing Up and Conclusion

Summing up your essay effectively is crucial for reinforcing your main arguments and leaving a lasting impression on the reader. In this final section, restate your thesis in light of the evidence you've presented, tying together the key points discussed throughout the essay. This not only reinforces your argument but also demonstrates how your ideas connect.

In your conclusion, avoid introducing new information. Instead, focus on synthesizing the content, providing a final reflection, or suggesting implications for further thought. A well-crafted conclusion should bring closure to your essay while leaving the reader with something to ponder, whether it’s a provocative question, a call to action, or a reflection on the broader significance of your topic.

By carefully summing up your arguments and crafting a thoughtful conclusion, you ensure that your essay resonates with readers long after they’ve finished reading.

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How to Cite an Interview | APA, MLA & Chicago Style

How to Cite an Interview | APA, MLA & Chicago Style

Published on March 31, 2021 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on June 28, 2022.

To cite a published interview from a newspaper , you need an in-text citation and a corresponding reference listing the interviewer’s name, the publication date, the interview title, the name of the newspaper, and a URL if the article was consulted online.

The exact format varies across the different citation styles: APA , MLA , and Chicago style .

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Citing an interview in apa style, citing an interview in mla style, citing an interview in chicago style, frequently asked questions about citations.

In an APA Style reference for an interview published in a newspaper , the interviewer is listed as author in the reference entry and the APA in-text citation.

APA format	Interviewer last name, Initials. (Year, Month Day). Interview title. . Page number(s). or URL
	Allardice, L. (2021, February 20). Kazuo Ishiguro: “AI, gene-editing, big data … I worry we are not in control of these things any more.” . https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/feb/20/kazuo-ishiguro-klara-and-the-sun-interview
	(Allardice, 2021)

Because the name of the interviewer appears in the in-text citation, it won’t always be clear whom you’re quoting. It’s important to clarify in the sentence when you’re quoting the interviewee’s words.

For interviews published in other source types (e.g. books , journal articles , podcasts , videos ), follow the relevant format, listing the interviewer as the author in each case.

Participant interviews

In APA Style, a participant interview is one you conducted yourself as an explicit part of your research methodology. Since these are your own work and not previously published, they should not be cited.

Instead, describe where the information comes from the first time you quote or paraphrase the interviews.

If the interviews themselves are included in an appendix , you can point this out to the reader with a parenthetical statement like “(see Appendix A)” the first time you quote them.

Personal interviews

When you refer to something someone said to you privately, outside of the context of a formal interview, this is cited informally in the text as a personal communication .

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In an MLA Works Cited entry for an interview published in a newspaper , you list the interviewee in the author element. Clarify who conducted the interview after the title, and use the interviewee’s name in the MLA in-text citation.

MLA format	Interviewee last name, First name. “Interview Title.” Interview by Interviewer first name Last name. , Day Month Year, URL. or p. Page number(s).
	Ishiguro, Kazuo. “Kazuo Ishiguro: ‘AI, Gene-Editing, Big Data … I Worry We Are Not in Control of These Things Any More.’” Interview by Lisa Allardice. , 20 Feb. 2021, https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/feb/20/kazuo-ishiguro-klara-and-the-sun-interview.
	(Ishiguro)

Works Cited entries for interviews published in other source types should follow the relevant format (e.g. book , video , podcast , journal article ).

Interviews you conducted

When referring to an interview you conducted yourself, keep the interviewee in the author position, and list your own name and the date when you conducted the interview later. These interviews are usually untitled; just write “Interview” in plain text in the title position.

MLA format	Interviewee last name, First name. Interview. Conducted by Your first name Last name, Day Month Year.
	Smith, Emma. Interview. Conducted by Jack Caulfield, 31 Mar. 2021.
	(Smith)

A Chicago style bibliography entry for an interview published in a newspaper lists the interviewee in the author position, mentioning the interviewer later.

In the Chicago footnote, the interviewee name may be omitted if it’s already part of the title.

Chicago format	Interviewee last name, First name. “Interview Title.” Interview by Interviewer first name Last name. . Month Day, Year. URL.
	Ishiguro, Kazuo. “Kazuo Ishiguro: ‘AI, Gene-Editing, Big Data … I Worry We Are Not in Control of These Things Any More.’” Interview by Lisa Allardice. . February 20, 2021. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/feb/20/kazuo-ishiguro-klara-and-the-sun-interview.
	1. “Kazuo Ishiguro: ‘AI, Gene-Editing, Big Data … I Worry We Are Not in Control of These Things Any More,'” interview by Lisa Allardice, , February 20, 2021, https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/feb/20/kazuo-ishiguro-klara-and-the-sun-interview. 2. Ishiguro, “‘AI, Gene-Editing, Big Data.’”

Chicago format

Interviewee last name, First name. “Interview Title.” Interview by Interviewer first name Last name. . Month Day, Year. URL.

Ishiguro, Kazuo. “Kazuo Ishiguro: ‘AI, Gene-Editing, Big Data … I Worry We Are Not in Control of These Things Any More.’” Interview by Lisa Allardice. . February 20, 2021. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/feb/20/kazuo-ishiguro-klara-and-the-sun-interview.

1. “Kazuo Ishiguro: ‘AI, Gene-Editing, Big Data … I Worry We Are Not in Control of These Things Any More,'” interview by Lisa Allardice, , February 20, 2021, https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/feb/20/kazuo-ishiguro-klara-and-the-sun-interview.

2. Ishiguro, “‘AI, Gene-Editing, Big Data.’”

For interviews published in other source types, follow the relevant format (e.g. book , video , journal article ), always listing the interviewee as the author.

When referring to an interview you conducted yourself , Chicago recommends against including it in the bibliography. Instead, just refer to the interview in a footnote when you first quote or paraphrase it. You can refer to yourself as “author” in this context.

The main elements included in a newspaper interview citation across APA , MLA , and Chicago style are the names of the interviewer and interviewee, the interview title, the publication date, the name of the newspaper, and a URL (for online sources).

The information is presented differently in different citation styles. One key difference is that APA advises listing the interviewer in the author position, while MLA and Chicago advise listing the interviewee first.

For a published interview (whether in video , audio, or print form ), you should always include a citation , just as you would for any other source.

For an interview you conducted yourself , formally or informally, you often don’t need a citation and can just refer to it in the text or in a footnote , since the reader won’t be able to look them up anyway. MLA , however, still recommends including citations for your own interviews.

Untitled sources (e.g. some images ) are usually cited using a short descriptive text in place of the title. In APA Style , this description appears in brackets: [Chair of stained oak]. In MLA and Chicago styles, no brackets are used: Chair of stained oak.

For social media posts, which are usually untitled, quote the initial words of the post in place of the title: the first 160 characters in Chicago , or the first 20 words in APA . E.g. Biden, J. [@JoeBiden]. “The American Rescue Plan means a $7,000 check for a single mom of four. It means more support to safely.”

MLA recommends quoting the full post for something short like a tweet, and just describing the post if it’s longer.

Check if your university or course guidelines specify which citation style to use. If the choice is left up to you, consider which style is most commonly used in your field.

APA Style is the most popular citation style, widely used in the social and behavioral sciences.
MLA style is the second most popular, used mainly in the humanities.
Chicago notes and bibliography style is also popular in the humanities, especially history.
Chicago author-date style tends to be used in the sciences.

Other more specialized styles exist for certain fields, such as Bluebook and OSCOLA for law.

The most important thing is to choose one style and use it consistently throughout your text.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2022, June 28). How to Cite an Interview | APA, MLA & Chicago Style. Scribbr. Retrieved September 3, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/citing-sources/cite-an-interview/

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Reusing Your Work and Citing Yourself
If you cite or quote your previous work, treat yourself as the author and your own written document as the source. For example, if Marie Briggs wanted to cite a paper she wrote at Walden in 2022, her citation might look like this: ... The Northwest Passage, or Why You Should Cite Yourself Only Sparingly (blog post) To Cite Yourself or Not Cite ...
How should I cite my own work?
If you want to re-use portions of a paper you wrote for a previous assignment or course, you need to take care to avoid self-plagiarism. The APA Manual (7th edition, p. 21) defines self-plagiarism as "the act of presenting one's own previously published work as original." This includes entire papers, and also slightly altered work.
How to Cite Yourself
How to Cite Yourself. There's not much difference between citing your work and citing someone else's work in most style guides. As a general rule, you cite your previous work in the same way you cite a similar work by another author. Let's say you wrote and published a novel. Under most style guides, if you wanted to quote or reference a ...
How to Quote in an Essay: A Step-by-Step Guide with Examples
Here are some tips to effectively accomplish this: 1. Provide context and analysis: Introduce the quote by briefly explaining the background or the source; Analyze the quote by breaking it down and examining its key elements; Discuss the implications or interpretations of the quote within the context of your topic. 2.
Self-Citation
Generally, you can use small portions of your previous work if you cite it properly. This is called self-citation. The citation is required because it must be clear that this work or writing exists somewhere else and that the words or ideas are not original to the current paper or production. If you quote or paraphrase your ideas from a ...
How to Quote
Citing a quote in APA Style. To cite a direct quote in APA, you must include the author's last name, the year, and a page number, all separated by commas. If the quote appears on a single page, use "p."; if it spans a page range, use "pp.". An APA in-text citation can be parenthetical or narrative.
"Me, Me, Me": How to Talk About Yourself in an APA Style Paper
General Use of I or We. It is totally acceptable to write in the first person in an APA Style paper. If you did something, say, "I did it"—there's no reason to hide your own agency by saying "the author [meaning you] did X" or to convolute things by using the passive "X was done [meaning done by you].". If you're writing a ...
Quotations
when an author has said something memorably or succinctly, or. when you want to respond to exact wording (e.g., something someone said). Instructors, programs, editors, and publishers may establish limits on the use of direct quotations. Consult your instructor or editor if you are concerned that you may have too much quoted material in your paper.
Citing Your Own Work
Self-plagiarism is defined as incorrectly citing (or not citing) a piece of your own work in another work you are writing. There are a few different types of self-plagiarism: Word-for-word. The most common type of self-plagiarism occurs is when you copy word-for-word a paper you have already written and insert it into a new assignment.
When do I need to cite myself?
If you are reusing content or data you used in a previous assignment, make sure to cite yourself. You can cite yourself just as you would cite any other source: simply follow the directions for that source type in the citation style you are using. Keep in mind that reusing your previous work can be considered self-plagiarism, so make sure you ...
Q. How should I cite myself in APA Style?
Accordingly, please use the format for personal communication to cite yourself e.g, (A. Lastname, personal communication, Month day, year). If your text was previously published in a recoverable form (e.g., a blog post or journal article), please cite the source according to the APA Style rules for that resource type.
How to Cite Yourself
Besides, if the citation is legitimate, then you are building your credibility. Stay modest. It's one thing to acknowledge your previous contributions, but another to promote it like an advertisement. Avoid subjective language. You can claim to be the first to have done something, but to say how amazing it was is probably too far.
How to Cite Sources
To quote a source, copy a short piece of text word for word and put it inside quotation marks. To paraphrase a source, put the text into your own words. It's important that the paraphrase is not too close to the original wording. You can use the paraphrasing tool if you don't want to do this manually.
How do I cite myself in APA format?
Aug 27, 2020 1367. If you are using information from a previous paper you've written or from a project you've completed in a past assignment or class, it is appropriate to self-cite in order to avoid self-plagiarism. To cite or quote from a previous work you've created, follow examples for citing an unpublished work.
How can I cite myself?
If you find a circumstance in which you need to cite yourself, you will want to be sure to use the following reference entry format, referring to your coursework as an unpublished manuscript and giving the university name in your reference entry: Grammer, R. (2013). APA's hidden secrets to a better writing life [Unpublished manuscript ...
The Basics of In-Text Citation
At college level, you must properly cite your sources in all essays, research papers, and other academic texts (except exams and in-class exercises). Add a citation whenever you quote, paraphrase, or summarize information or ideas from a source. You should also give full source details in a bibliography or reference list at the end of your text.
How to Quote
Citing a quote in APA Style. To cite a direct quote in APA, you must include the author's last name, the year, and a page number, all separated by commas. If the quote appears on a single page, use 'p.'; if it spans a page range, use 'pp.'. An APA in-text citation can be parenthetical or narrative.
APA 7th Edition Citation Guide
How to Cite Yourself. When citing a paper that you wrote for a previous class, consider yourself as the author and your previous course work as an unpublished paper. Include [Unpublished manuscript] in brackets after the title. Reference Page Format: Author, (year written).
Citing yourself and AI
Thesis Type (include the Unit Code [e.g. OT001] and the type of assignment [Essay, Reflection, Tutorial Paper, Book review etc.]) Citing AI-Generated Content When citing information generated with the assistance of AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Smart Copy), be transparent about the involvement of AI in the work: provide credit to the source just ...
A detailed guide to quoting
Do not indent at the start of the quote block. • Start quotes on the next line, ½ inch from the left margin of the paper. • Quotes must be double spaced like the rest of the paper. • Only use quotations when quotation marks are a part of the source. • Include in-text citations next to the blockquote.
Quotations
Below are four guidelines for setting up and following up quotations. In illustrating these four steps, we'll use as our example, Franklin Roosevelt's famous quotation, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.". 1. Provide context for each quotation. Do not rely on quotations to tell your story for you.
How to Write About Yourself in a College Essay
Focus on a specific moment, and describe the scene using your five senses. Mention objects that have special significance to you. Instead of following a common story arc, include a surprising twist or insight. Your unique voice can shed new perspective on a common human experience while also revealing your personality.
How to Start an Essay with a Quote: Tips & Examples
Starting an essay with a quote can make a strong impression, and if you're struggling with your introduction, you might consider paying for essay services to ensure your paper begins powerfully. Also, starting an essay with a quote comes with several advantages and disadvantages, as presented below. Pros: Quotations help set a proper tone ...
How to Cite an Interview
How to Cite an Interview | APA, MLA & Chicago Style

Reusing Your Work and Citing Yourself: Reusing Your Work and Citing Yourself

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Self-Citation

Self-Citation Podcast

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Short quotations (fewer than 40 words)

Block quotations (40 words or more)

Block quotation with parenthetical citation:

Block quotation with narrative citation:

Citing Your Own Work

What is self plagiarism?

How to avoid self-plagiarism

Harvard referencing style:

APA citation format :

MLA citation format:

Q. How should I cite myself in APA Style?

Answered By: Jonathan Faerber (he/him/his) Last Updated: Nov 04, 2021 Views: 4623

How to Cite Yourself

Valid Reasons to Cite Yourself

How to Cite Yourself

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