Any direct quote you take from a book, article, or Web site must be enclosed in quotation marks and the source cited.

Direct quotations should be used sparingly, and only when:

• The author's language is especially eloquent or vivid;
• You intend to analyze the quotation in detail; or
• A summary or paraphrase of the passage would be misinterpreted.

Quotations (especially lengthy ones) cannot stand on their own. You must explain how the quote relates to your argument. For example, if you use a direct quote that is 50 words long, you should match that with 50 words of commentary or analysis or a reaction to the quotation.

To make your writing more interesting, use direct quotes as suggested in the examples below. The in-text citations follow the MLA format.

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

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

Note: The article used in the example was taken from EBSCOHost's Academic Search Premier periodical index database: