Incorporating Sources:

An In-Text Citation has 3 Parts

• An introduction to the quote
• the quote or paraphrased text itself,
• and an additional piece of information that would help the reader find the quote.

Three Parts Known As...

• as a head
• a body
• and a tail

For example, the Head

• introduction to the quote—should cue the reader as to the purpose of the quote,
• to shape the reader's perception of the quote
• or even to shape the reader's perception of the writer

Adjusting In-Text Citations

Purpose/Emphasizing the Source

• To draw a reader’s attention to the credibility of the source
• This method explains why the type of source confirms the relevance of the information. The head, then, explains why the source is valid, the body indicated exactly what the information from the source is, and the tail includes the complete in-text citation.

Head

• Andres Martin (2000), a child psychologist who has studied the reasons why teenagers sometimes get tattoos, explains that

Body

• “Adolescents and their parents are often at odds over the acquisition of bodily decorations. For the adolescent, piercing or tattoos may be seen as personal and beautifying statements, while parents may construe them as oppositional and enraging affronts to their authority”

Tail

• (p. 143).

Complete Quote

Andres Martin (2000), a child psychologist who has studied the reasons why teenagers sometimes get tattoos, explains that “Adolescents and their parents are often at odds over the acquisition of bodily decorations. For the adolescent, piercing or tattoos may be seen as personal and beautifying statements, while parents may construe them as oppositional and enraging affronts to their authority” (p. 143).

Example

• College English instructor Petty (2015) wrote that it is best to “use a topic sentence that states the main point of the paragraph (p. 45).

Purpose/Emphasize the Relevance

• To emphasize the type of research in the article and its relevance to the author’s argument

This method works best with a direct quotation and an author’s name. For the head, you can mention the author’s last name, followed by the year in parentheses, and then you can explain why the author is qualified. This will help you directly transition into the body, which consists of a direct quotation. The tail in this method is simply the remainder of the in-text citation, which should include the page or paragraph number in parentheses.

Head

• An anecdotal study by a child psychiatrist included

Body

• the stories of two teenagers, “A” and “B,” who had spent significant amounts of time planning for tattoos and thinking about the meaning they hoped to communicate with them

Tail

• (Martin, 2000, pp. 143-144).

Complete Quote

An anecdotal study by a child psychiatrist included the stories of two teenagers, “A” and “B,” who had spent significant amounts of time planning for tattoos and thinking about the meaning they hoped to communicate with them (Martin, 2000, pp. 143-144).

Example

• The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), a leading authority on ADHD, suggests that "children between the ages of 6 and 11" should combine medication with behavioral therapy (Smith, 2011).

Purpose/Critique the Source

• To critique or disagree with the source
• The head in this method typically starts with a qualifying word like “although” or “despite.” The body will explain the information that you disagree with, and the tail will include an explanation of why you disagree, along with the in-text citation.

Head

• Although Andres Martin (2000) argued that

Body

• “relatively reversible [markings], such as piercings, can at a later time scaffold toward the more radical commitment of a permanent tattoo”

Tail

• (p. 144), one may be hard-pressed to prove that a decision to get piercings can lead to later decisions to get tattoos.

Complete Quote

Although Andres Martin (2000) argued that “relatively reversible [markings], such as piercings, can at a later time scaffold toward the more radical commitment of a permanent tattoo” (p. 144), one may be hard-pressed to prove that a decision to get piercings can lead to later decisions to get tattoos.

Example

• Although the CDC states that only "5.4% of girls ages 3-17 have ADHD," girls often display different symptoms than boys, which raises concerns of possible under-diagnosis (“Summary Health Statistics,” 2012).

When incorporating sources into prose,

• a writer needs to include an introduction to the quote or paraphrase
• the quote or paraphrased text itself
• and an additional piece of information that would help the reader find the quote

Introducing Quotations

To guarantee that your audience understands

• Introduce your quotes with a signal phrase or marker verb rather than simply plopping the quote down
• Avoid hit and run quoting

Quote without any sort of introduction,

• the audience may not understand how the quote connects to your paragraph even if it makes sense to you (think of it as a similar to a random thought in a conversation).

Signal Phrases

• According to… • In her article… • In the opinion of … • (Author’s name) shows that… • (Author’s name) argues that… • (Author’s name) + (a marker verb from the right)

Marker Verbs

Acknowledges
Agrees
Believes
Compares
Denies
Endorses
Implies
Observes
Refutes
Responds

Marker Verbs

Writes
Adds
Argues
Claims
Confirms
disputes
Grants
Insists
Points out
Rejects
Suggests

Marker Verbs

Admits
Asserts
Comments
Declares
Emphasizes
Illustrates
Notes
Reasons
Reports
Thinks

Examples
Dwight Bolinger notes that “in a society where women and farmers are regarded as sex differences and occupational differences become class differences” (99).

Malcolm X writes,“ I was so fascinated that I went on...(89).

Elizabeth Wong comments that “The Language was a source of embarrassment...” (291).