- What is a verbatim quote?
- Why quote?
- What is cited?
- How to make a verbatim quote?
- Examples of verbatim quotes
We explain what a verbatim quote is, how to do it, what is cited and why. Also, examples of quotes in different formats.
What is a verbatim quote?
A textual quotation or direct quotation is the legitimate inclusion of a fragment of the text by another author, within a text of our authorship. In simpler terms, it is a way of mentioning what is said by third parties within their own text, without altering the original in the least (which would be a paraphrase), or violate the rules of authorship (plagiarism).
There are different ways of citing, that is, of making verbatim quotes. They vary according to the methodological model, that is, the agreement between professionals and the academies of a specific area, which in order to coordinate the way of presenting their work and avoid discrepancies, propose Models "Universals" of the area. Among the best known are the APA (American Psychological Association) and the MLA (Modern Languages Association).
In addition, the mode of citation can be more or less free depending on the formality of the case. Peer-reviewed academic journals, for example, or thesis degree, they are usually very rigorous about it. Instead, the publications informative or commercial can be less rigid, and settle for certain minimum requirements to be met.
In any case, the important thing is that the text borrowed is never confused with the rest of the body of our writing, and also that if a reader is interested enough to want to look for the original, they can count on the information necessary to do so. In that sense, references and the bibliography they are always indispensable.
Why quote?
The reasons for properly citing can be summarized as follows:
- To “borrow” a sentence or a paragraph (or even several of them) that serve as a demonstration, accompaniment or evidence of what we say ourselves.
- Make it clear where those ideas that support our text come from, differentiating what is foreign and what is our own so that both things stand out.
- Provide the reader with enough information regarding the origin of the quote, so that he can search for it himself if he wishes.
- Show that our text is the result of a research documentary film, or that at least we handle certain references on the subject.
What is cited?
In principle, any type of text or speech can be cited. The most common is always to cite books, magazines or articles, and even websites, when not fragments or passages of them. But we can also quote movies, song lyrics, lectures, speeches and practically any type of textual information support.
Obviously, only one passage is cited that is of particular relevance to the text we are developing. The important thing is that, whatever we cite, we must endeavor to find the original and gather the data minimums that then allow third parties to go to the source.
How to make a verbatim quote?
Before proceeding to cite, it is convenient to choose very well which is the text that we should cite. In principle, it should be something that does not contradict our arguments, that comes from a prestigious, respected source, in the area, or in any case from a context in which it serves as evidence or support for what we are trying to prove.
It is also important to think about how we will introduce the quote in our text. Usually it is preceded by a phrase such as "In the words of ..." or "As he says ..." or "In this regard, he affirms ..." and then the name of the person wave institution cited, so that the reader can move fluently from our writing to the cited writing, knowing what is going to read and because. It is important not to modify a single letter of the original.
Subsequently, according to methodological criteria of the APA (American Psychological Association), we will proceed depending on the size of the cited text:
- When it is less than 40 words. We must quote it and leave it as a prayer more of our text, that is, without distancing it by means of spaces, or giving it special treatment within the page. Once the closing quotation mark has been placed, we will place the parenthetical reference in parentheses: Last name of the author, year of the consulted publication and page number (if applicable). With these data, the reader will be able to search the bibliography for which original it is.
- When it is greater than 40 words. Instead, we will have to give it a particular treatment: we will place it in a separate paragraph, separated by a space from our text, and with a double tab (5 spaces) indentation, so that it is aligned to the right. Thus we will place the entire quote without adding quotation marks of any kind, and after the end point of the quote, we will place the parenthetical reference, just like the previous one: author, year and page.
We must take into account what is the most elegant way to do it so as not to repeat information already provided. For example, if in my text I introduce the citation announcing the author to which it belongs, it will not be necessary to put the last name in parentheses, since we have already given it, but the year and the page will be. On the other hand, if we introduce the citation emphasizing other aspects, we cannot stop placing the author's last name.
Examples of verbatim quotes
A couple of examples of the above are as follows:
- Example 1: Quote of less than 40 words
As we have been saying in this work, the South American pineapples or pineapple enjoy enormous acceptance in the European markets, to the point that, in his annual conference before the European Union, the Austrian Secretary of Commerce Wölfgang Amadeus Mozart described them as “a gift indispensable for the harsh German palate, and a nod to the Mediterranean stomach ”(2018, p. 140). That is why imports do not stop despite the global economic crisis.
- Example 2: Quote longer than 40 words
As we have been saying in this work, South American pineapples or pineapple enjoy enormous acceptance in European markets, to the point that, in his annual conference before the European Union in 2018, the Austrian Secretary of Commerce described them as:
… A flagrant attack against the German palate, which has been produced with the Mediterranean permission, thus setting a gastronomic precedent that has not been observed since the years of the WWIIwhen Scandinavian raspberries invaded the Bavarian confectionery market. South American pineapples represent the death of the blueberry and the strawberry. (Mozart, p. 140)
Despite that warning, European pineapple imports are not stopping in the contemporary trade landscape.