by Thomas Mejtoft, PhD

Writing is refined thinking.

Stephen King^*

Quotes are effective when crafting powerful texts while giving the original author(s) the appropriate credit. Using quotes to describe your results also makes your writings come to life. Nevertheless, it is tricky to navigate the dos and don’ts of writing quotes.

Here is some useful information about how to master the art of writing quotes:

How to use quotes
When to use quotes
The dos and don’ts of quotes
How to master the references when using quotes
Getting your quotes and references correct using LaTeX and BibTeX

These guidelines are loosely based on the following sources:

Changes in quotations by APA Style
What is a direct quotation by University of Queensland
IEEE Editorial Style Manual by IEEE

Hope you find this material useful!
If you are looking for other resources around writing to use, here is a page with resources and material. If you are looking for how to use and cite figures, screenshots, code etc. please refer to the following documents: How to use and cite figures from other sources, How to cite screenshots, References to secondary sources and review articles, Writing references to personal communication, Writing references to programming code, and Citing content created by generative AI. Regarding quotes and visualizing data, please read the following documents: Master quotes in writing and How to visualize your data in an understandable way.

How to use quotes

There are many different ways of using other sources as references, most commonly used are direct quotes and paraphrasing. Direct quotes are when you copy the exact words of the original text using quotation marks and paraphrasing is when you rephrase and shorten the original text into your own words without using quotation marks. In both cases you make the appropriate reference to the original source. When writing a quote, you also include the page number.

Examples:

Paraphrasing (APA Style/name, year):
The authors used a list that did not include all commercial printing firms in Sweden (Mejtoft, 2010).

Paraphrasing (ACM Style/number system):
The authors used a list that did not include all commercial printing firms in Sweden [12].

Direct quote (APA Style/name, year):
According to the authors, “the members list used in the quantitative survey study does not include all commercial printing firms in Sweden” (Mejtoft, 2010, p. 608).

Direct quote (ACM-Style/number system):
According to the authors, “the members list used in the quantitative survey study does not include all commercial printing firms in Sweden” [12, p. 608].

Original source:

Here you can find a link to the original source: Mejtoft (2010, p. 608)

When to use quotes

Quotes are usually used to define, clarify, or substantiate a claim and create credibility of your writing. It can also be a unique way of expression e.g., a situation, results, or something else, that makes the use of a quote the best choice. This is most often done in e.g., the introduction, theory, or the method section of a report.

A quote can serve as a tool for defining, describing, or explaining something that is of importance in your writing. For example, if you need to define a concept mentioned in your text, you can use a quotation.

Examples (number-system):

Here you can find a link to the original source: Mejtoft et al. (2023, p. 185)

In this example the definition of “deceptive design” is taken from reference [4] and written as a quote in the text.

A quote can be used to substantiate a discussion or a claim.

Here you can find a link to the original source: Mejtoft (2011, p. 673)

In this example the discussion about the concept of creative destruction is substantiated with quotes from several different sources.

A best practice is to use quotes to illustrated results from research studies, e.g., qualitative data. This can be results from open-ended questions in a survey or (more commonly) from interviews. This makes the results come to life and might make them more understandable and illustrative. Furthermore, in some cases the respondents have expressed themselves in a way that is hard to replicate without a quote. It can be for example using value words that only seem credible if they are in a quote and not if you, as the author, write the words or sentence.

Examples:

Here you can find a link to the original source: Mejtoft, Hale & Söderström (2019, p. 43)

In this example quotes from an open-ended question in a survey are used to show potential behavior among users.

Here you can find a link to the original source: Mejtoft (2006, p. 65)

In this example the frustration of the respondent of Company E has been illustrated with a quote.

Please observe that that single quotations marks are used in the example above.

Here you can find a link to the original source: Mejtoft (2010, p. 605)

In this example a quote has been used to illustrate how Printing Firm 1 acts in a certain situation. The quote gives the reasoning regarding the collaboration a more human touch.

Here you can find a link to the original source: Mejtoft (2014, p. 53)

In this example the words of the respondents in the study are used to describe how ad agencies work with different channels in campaigns.

Here you can find a link to the original source: Mejtoft (2006, p. 65)

In this example the quote is used because the respondent expressed a frustration in value words (“a blood bath”) that is hard to recreate without using a quote. By using a quote, the respondent’s frustration shows clearly in the text.

In the examples above, two different ways of structuring results or a discussion when using quotes are exemplified. One way is to clearly state which respondent said what by defining dem as e.g., Respondent A, Respondent B etc. or Company A, Company B etc., if it is important. The other way is just to state in the text that it comes from the respondents.

The dos and don’ts of quotes

The golden rule is that you cannot change a quote. It should be just as it is in the original source. However, there are some (common) general exceptions where you can change a quote without making a note about it, e.g., leading capital letter, and changing the punctuation mark at the end. Furthermore, there are strict rules on how adding and removing text from quotes should be denoted.

You can change the leading letter in a quote to lower case or upper case.

Example (name, year):
According to the authors, “the members list used in the quantitative survey study does not include all commercial printing firms in Sweden” (Mejtoft, 2010, p. 608).

In the example above the leading “T” have been changed from upper case to lower case.

Original source:

Here you can find a link to the original source: Mejtoft (2010, p. 608)

The punctuation mark at the end of a quotation can be changed (e.g., removed or added) to fit the sentence in which the quotation appears. However, the meaning of the quote cannot be altered, which makes it important to take care if there is e.g., a question mark at the end of the sentence.

In this case the best practice is to include the reference either at the beginning of the sentence (e.g., after authors), at the end of the quote, or at the end of the sentence. In the example below the reference have been included at the end of the sentence and one might argue that in this case this increases the readability.

Example (name, year):
According to the authors, “vertically the guide embraces 10 different themes” and there are different activities under these themes (Mejtoft et al., 2022, p. 916).

The period mark at the end of the sentence used for the quote has been omitted to create a sentence involving both the quote and other information.

Original source:

Here you can find a link to the original source: Mejtoft et al. (2022, p. 916)

A double quotation mark ( “ ” ) can be changed to a single quotation mark ( ‘ ’ ) and vice versa without it being noted in the text. This is especially useful when there is a double quote in the phrase that are going to be quoted. In general, it is recommended that only single quotation marks appear within double quotation marks, i.e. quotes within quotes.

Example (number-system):

In the example above the words value added has double quotation marks in the original text (to the right) and single quotation in the quote (above).

Here you can find a link to the original source: Mejtoft (2011, p. 672)

Original source:

Here you can find a link to the original source: Drucker (1973, 647)

Word for explanation can be added to a quote by using brackets (if it doesn’t change the meaning of the quote).

Example (name, year):
According to the authors, “vertically the [Medtech Innovation] guide embraces 10 different themes” (Mejtoft et al., 2022, p. 916).

In the example above the name of the guide have been included in the quote to make the quote understandable.

Original source:

Here you can find a link to the original source: Mejtoft et al. (2022, p. 916)

If you chose to emphasize a word (italics, bold etc.), this needs to be explained within brackets directly after the emphasized word by using [emphasis added].

Example (name, year):
According to the authors, “the members list used in the quantitative survey study does not [emphasis added] include all commercial printing firms in Sweden” (Mejtoft, 2010, p. 608).

In the example above the word “not” has been changes to italics, which is indicated right after with “[emphasis added]”.

Original source:

Here you can find a link to the original source: Mejtoft (2010, p. 608)

To shorten a quote, an ellipsis (…) should be used. If the shortened quote contains an omitted sentence break, a period mark plus an ellipsis (. …) should be used to how that the quote come from different sentences.

Example (name, year):
According to the authors, “the innovation guide has been tested and evaluated by involving potential users . … [and] the iterative development process … have been structured and methodical” (Mejtoft, et al., 2022, p. 920).

In the example above ". …” and "…" have been used to denote omitted information. Brackets have been used to show an added word.

Original source:

Here you can find a link to the original source: Mejtoft et al. (2022, p. 920)

If there is an error in the original text you are citing, the error must also be in the quote. However, to show that it is an error from the original source, and not your error, the error is marked with "[sic]".

Example (name, year):

In the example above that is taken from Evans (1991, p. 85), there is an spelling error in the original source (see below). The quote in the example above is letter by letter according to the original source and, hence, contains the error. However, this is marked with [sic], to indicate that this was an intentional thing and not an error induced when writing the quote.

Here you can find a link to the source of the text above: Mejtoft et al. (2007, p. 328)

Original source:

This is the original source, where the spelling error can be noted. If this sentence had been paraphrased instead of quoted, the spelling error should not be mentioned at all.

Here you can find a link to the original source: Evans (1991, p. 85)

Example (name-year):
According to Mejtoft (2010, p. 608), it is “important to balance the backward integration into content creation and project management”.

Example (number-system):
According to Mejtoft [12, p. 608], it is “important to balance the backward integration into content creation and project management”.

Example (name-year):
Competitive advantage is kept based on the “trend of more printing firms collaborating in networks” (Mejtoft, 2010, p. 607).

Example (number-system):
Competitive advantage is kept based on the “trend of more printing firms collaborating in networks” [12, p. 607].

Examples (name-year):

(quote on one single page)
According to Mejtoft (2010, p. 608), it is “important to balance the backward integration into content creation and project management”".

(quote on multiple, consecutive, pages)
According to Mejtoft (2010, pp. 607–608), “printing firms perform only simpler [content creation] jobs ... [or] isolate content creation in a separate firm”.

(quote on multiple, discontinuous, pages)
According to Mejtoft et al. (2022, pp. 914, 916), “the evaluation was focused on the structure, content and usability of the model and web application”.

Examples (number-system):

(quote on one single page)
According to Mejtoft [12, p. 608], it is “important to balance the backward integration into content creation and project management”.

(quote on multiple, consecutive, pages)
According to Mejtoft [12, pp. 607–608], “printing firms perform only simpler [content creation] jobs ... [or] isolate content creation in a separate firm”.

(quote on multiple, discontinuous, pages)
According to Mejtoft et al. [17, pp. 914, 916], “the evaluation was focused on the structure, content and usability of the model and web application”.

LaTeX commands:
\cite[p. 89]{citekey}       % For reference to one page in the source
\cite[pp. 89--90]{citekey}  % For reference to a range of pages in the source
\cite[pp. 89, 90]{citekey}  % For reference to multiple, discontinuous, pages in the source

--                          % en-dash (–) (sv: tankstreck) is e.g., used for a range of pages.
\ldots                      % Ellipsis (…) is e.g., used when omitting information in a quote

``                          % Double directed starting (left) quotation mark (“)
''                          % Double directed ending (right) quotation mark (”)
`                           % Single directed starting (left) quotation mark (‘)
'                           % Single directed ending (right) quotation mark (’)

LaTeX code:
According to Mejtoft \cite[p. 608]{Mejtoft:2010}, it is ``makes it important to balance the backward integration into content creation and project management''.

Output:
According to Mejtoft (2010, p. 608), it is “makes it important to balance the backward integration into content creation and project management".

According to Mejtoft \cite[p. 607--608]{Mejtoft:2010}, ``printing firms perform only simpler jobs \ldots [or] isolate content creation in a separate firm''.

According to Mejtoft (2010, pp. 607–608), “printing firms perform only simpler jobs … [or] isolate content creation in a separate firm".

According to Mejtoft et al. \cite[p. 914, 916]{Mejtoft:2022}, ``the evaluation was focused on the structure, content and usability of the model and web application''.

According to Mejtoft et al. (2022, pp. 914, 916), “the evaluation was focused on the structure, content and usability of the model and web application".

Find the papers quoted in the example above here. If you cannot get access to the paper written by Mejtoft, place contact me for complementary copies.

References (APA Style)

Drucker, P. F. (1973). Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices. New York, NY, USA: Harper & Row Publishers.

Evans, J. S. (1991). Strategic flexibility for high technology maneuvers: A conceptual framework. Journal of Management Studies, 28(1), pp. 69-89. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.1991.tb00271.x
Download @ Wiley

Mejtoft, T. (2006). Strategies for successful digital printing. Journal of Media Business Studies, 3(1), 53–74. https://doi.org/10.1080/16522354.2006.11073469
Download @ Taylor & Francis Online

Mejtoft, T. (2010). Moving closer to the customers: Effects of vertical integration in the Swedish commercial printing industry. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 18(7), 599–611. https://doi.org/10.1080/0965254X.2010.529153
Download @ Taylor & Francis Online

Mejtoft, T. (2011). Internet of things and co-creation of value. In F. Xia, Z. Chen, G. Pan, L. T. Yang & J. Ma (Eds.), 2011 IEEE International Conferences on Internet of Things, and Cyber, Physical and Social Computing (pp. 672–677). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/iThings/CPSCom.2011.75
Download @ IEEE Xplore

Mejtoft, T. (2014). Building relationships for survival: Coping media industry dynamics. In A. G. Woodside, R. Marshall & H. Pattinson (Eds.), Field Guide to Case Study Research in Business-to-Business Marketing and Purchasing. Advances in business marketing and purchasing, Volume 21 (pp. 39–59). Bingley, UK: Emerald Group Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1069-096420140000021000
Download @ Emerald insight

Mejtoft, T., Hale, S., & Söderström, U. (2019). Design Friction: How intentionally added friction affect users level of satisfaction. In M. Mulvenna & R. Bond (Eds.), Proceedings of the 31st European Conference on Cognitive Ergonomics (pp. 41–44). New York, NY: ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/3335082.3335106
(isbn: 978-1-4503-7166-7)
Download @ ACM Digital Library

Mejtoft, T., Lindahl, O., Öhberg, F., Pommer, L., Jonzén, K., Andersson, B. M., Eklund, A., Wåhlin, A., & Hallberg, P. (2022). Medtech Innovation Guide: An empiric model to support medical technology innovation. Health and Technology, 12(5), 911–922. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12553-022-00689-0
Download @ SpringerLink

Mejtoft, T., Parsjö, E., Norberg, O., & Söderström, U. (2023). Design friction and digital nudging: The impact on the human decision-making process. In 2023 5^th International Conference on Image, Video and Signal Processing (IVSP 2023) (pp. 183–190). New York, NY: ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/3591156.3591183
Download @ ACM Digital Library

Mejtoft, T., & Viström, M. (2007). Positioning in the printing industry – Differentiation in terms of price, lead time, print quality and flexibility. In N. Enlund & M. Lovrecek (Eds.), Advances in Printing and Media Technology, Vol. XXXIV (pp. 327–336). Zagreb, Croatia: Acta Graphica Publishers.
Download @ Iarigai

^*Quote from On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (King, 2000, p. 131).
King, S. (2000). On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. New York, NY, USA: Scribner.

Cite this page as (APA style):

Mejtoft, T. (2024). Master quotes in writing. Notes on (scientific) writing, no 8. Retrieved from https://www.mejtoft.se/thomas/education/academic-writing/quotes-in-writing/

(First published by Thomas Mejtoft: 2024-03-05; Last updated: 2024-11-24)