How to Quote a Book

Reviewed by Gerald Posner

Last Updated: December 25, 2023 References

When you’re writing an essay, using a quote can help validate your argument and make your writing stronger. Whether your paper is required to be in MLA or APA format, it’s easy to quote and cite a book the right way.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Incorporating Quotations into Your Text

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1
Be clear why you are using a quotation. A quotation should provide a new point of view, or bolster a point you are trying to make. Elaborate on the quoted text, provide context, and explain why it supports your argument.^{[1]
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- Quotations are often used to support ideas that might be disputed or are not common knowledge. An idea like, “Most people never live to see 100,” doesn’t need to be backed up by a quotation, but something like, “Many writers have described the power of fiction,” should probably be supported with quotations.
- One can sometimes emphasize a particular point by backing it up with a quotation from a particularly impressive author.
- Quotations can also add stylistic flare to your prose. For example, a sentence like, “When Shakespeare “shuffled off this mortal coil,” he likely had no idea the impact his work would make on Western culture” is a bit more interesting than if the same sentence started simply, “When Shakespeare died…”
2
Work them into your text so they read like normal sentences. To do this, you will usually use a signal phrase like, “According to the author,” or something to that effect. Thus, “Nick Caraway describes humans as, “boats against the current,”” works, while “Nick Caraway has a sad view of people, “boats against the current,”” does not.^{[2]
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- If you are having trouble deciding if you’ve incorporated a quotation correctly, try reading it aloud to yourself. It can be easier to tell if a sentence works when you speak it.
- Some examples of verbs used in signal phrases are claims, adds, writes, argues, asserts, confirms, points out, admits, concludes, observes, and implies.^{[3]
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3
Use brackets and ellipses to add or subtract words. Sometimes a quotation will support your argument perfectly, but be impossible to work into your text without making changes. In such cases, you will need to use brackets or ellipses.^{[4]
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- Insert new words into quotations by putting them inside brackets.
- Remove existing words by replacing them with an ellipsis.
- Note that this is only appropriate if you maintain the basic meaning of the quotation. It should not be used to twist an author’s words into something other than what she intended.
- As an example, one could change the Nabokov quotation, “…art--not an "escape" (which is only a cleaner cell on a quieter floor), but relief from the itch of being,” into the sentence, “…art [is] not an “escape”…but relief from the itch of being.”

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Quoting Books in MLA Format

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A quotation shorter than four lines of prose or three lines of verse does not need to be its own freestanding block of text. It can simply be incorporated into the paragraph in which you are using it. It should begin and end with double quotation marks.^{[5]
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2
Make long quotations into freestanding blocks of text. When quoting an excerpt longer than four lines of prose or three lines of verse, start by writing a signal phrase introducing the quotation, as you would with a shorter one. Begin the quotation on a new line below this.^{[6]
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- Indent the whole quotation one inch from the left.
- Double-space it (in an MLA style research paper, everything should be double spaced).
- Do not use quotation marks.
3
Include an in-text citation after the quotation. The author’s last name and the page on which the quotation can be found should be included in parenthesis at the end of the quotation, before the next punctuation mark. This is called a parenthetical citation, and will help your reader locate the full citation in your bibliography or works cited page.^{[7]
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- For example: "Maybe the best definition of art is simply “beauty plus pity” (Nabokov 251)."
- If you reference the author’s name before the quotation, you don’t need to repeat it in the parenthesis following the quote. For example: "Nabokov defined art as “beauty plus pity” (251)."
4
Make a Works Cited page. This should begin on a separate page at the end of your research paper or essay. Label it “Works Cited,” in centered, non-italic text (without the quotation marks) at the top of the page.^{[8]
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- Double-space the page, but do not skip spaces between citations.
- Do not indent the first line of each citation, but indent all subsequent lines by 0.5 inches from the left.
5
Put the full citation in your Works Cited page. Order your citations alphabetically by the authors’ last names. The basic format of an MLA style book citation is: Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. City of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication.^{[9]
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- There are many variations on this basic format based on factors like how many authors the book has, and whether it is something like anthology, an ebook, or a self-published book. If the book you are quoting does not fit neatly into this formula, consult a resource like The Purdue Online Writing Lab.^{[10]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Quoting Books in APA Format

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A quotation shorter than forty words does not need to be its own freestanding block of text. It can simply be incorporated into the paragraph in which you are using it. It should begin and end with double quotation marks.^{[11]
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2
Make long quotations into freestanding blocks of text. When quoting an excerpt longer than forty words, start by writing a signal phrase introducing the quotation, as you would with a shorter one. Begin the quotation on a new line below this.^{[12]
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- Indent the whole quotation 1/2 inch from the left.
- Double-space it (in an APA style paper, everything should be double spaced).
- Do not use quotation marks.
3
Use a parenthetical citation. You need to cite the author, year of publication, and page number (preceded by “p.”) The best way to do this is to use a signal phrase with the author’s name in it, followed by the date of publication and the page number in parenthesis. For example: “Smith (2011) insists that, “Quoting books is not difficult, but it can take time to get the hang of” (p. 15).”^{[13]
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- If the author’s name is not included in the signal phrase, include the author’s last name, the year of publication, and the page number (all separated by commas) in the parenthetical citation following the quotation. For example: “He insists that “Quoting books is not difficult, but it can take time to get the hang of” (Smith, 2011, p. 15).”
4
Make a reference list. This should begin on a separate page at the end of your research paper or essay. Label it “References,” in centered text (it should not be bold, italicized, underlined, or in quotation marks) at the top of the page.^{[14]
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- Double-space the page, like the rest of the paper, but do not skip spaces between citations.
- Do not indent the first line of each citation, but indent all subsequent lines by 0.5 inches from the left.
5
Put the full citation in your reference list. Order your citations alphabetically by the authors’ last names. The basic format of an APA style book citation is: Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work. Location: Publisher.^{[15]
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- There are many variations on this basic format based on factors like how many authors the book has, and whether it is something like anthology, an ebook, or a self-published book. If the book you are quoting does not fit neatly into this formula, consult a resource like The Purdue Online Writing Lab.^{[16]
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Are book titles supposed to be underlined?

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No because book titles are italicized, not underlined.

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Question

If you leave out portions of a sentence and couple it to another sentence as an abstract, how do you show the missing portion?

Donagan

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Substitute an ellipsis for the missing words.

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Where do I put a period in quotes ending with ellipses?

Donagan

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The ellipsis takes the place of the final period.

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