I’m a writer blog

Guidelines for writing Poems, Stories and Tales

Can I use a quote from a fictional character in a scientific essay?

Asked by: Seth Citizen

If you quote a few lines from a copyrighted work in an academic paper, that will almost always qualify as Fair Use: The purpose of the work is academic, not-for-profit, and educational. You are not copying the piece in its entirety, but merely quoting a few lines from it.

How do you quote a fictional character in an essay?

If you quote something a character says, use double quotation marks on the outside ends of the quotation to indicate that you are quoting a portion of the text. Use single quotation marks inside the double quotation marks to indicate that someone is speaking.

Do I quote the author or the character?

If you are quoting the aphorism of a character in a work of fiction, you should attribute the quotation to the author as a quotation, but make it clear that the aphorism is the aphorism of the character, not the author.

How do you reference characters in an essay?

Style the name of a fictional character just as you would the name of a person: capitalize the initial letter of each name. Do not put a fictional name in italics or in quotation marks: In an interview, the writer Stephen King said that one of his favorite books features a character named Margaret Ridpath.

How do you incorporate a quote into an essay?

The following general steps address how to properly integrate a quotation into an essay.

  1. Step 1: Introduce the Author of the Quotation. …
  2. Step 2: State the Quotation. …
  3. Step 3: Summarize the Quotation. …
  4. Step 4: Analyze the Quotation. …
  5. Step 5: State the Quotation’s Relevance to Your Argument.

How do I cite a fiction quote?

TWO WORKS OF FICTION BY THE SAME AUTHOR: Author’s Name. Title of Work. Publisher, Year. Title of Work.

How do you cite a quote from a novel in an essay?

In-text citations include the last name of the author followed by a page number enclosed in parentheses. “Here’s a direct quote” (Smith 8). If the author’s name is not given, then use the first word or words of the title. Follow the same formatting that was used in the works cited list, such as quotation marks.

How do you cite a quote from a person?

When making reference to the spoken words of someone other than the author recorded in a text, cite the name of the person and the name of the author, date and page reference of the work in which the quote or reference appears.

How do you quote someone’s words?

Use quotation marks only when quoting someone’s exact words, either spoken or written. This is called a direct quotation. “I prefer my cherries chocolate covered,” joked Alyssa. Jackie kept repeating, “Good dog, good dog!”

How do you quote someone in an essay MLA?

Using In-text Citation

MLA in-text citation style uses the author’s last name and the page number from which the quotation or paraphrase is taken, for example: (Smith 163). If the source does not use page numbers, do not include a number in the parenthetical citation: (Smith).



How do you quote in a research paper?

If you are directly quoting from a work, you will need to include the author, year of publication, and page number for the reference (preceded by “p.”). Introduce the quotation with a signal phrase that includes the author’s last name followed by the date of publication in parentheses.

When you put a direct quote into your own words and cite it in your work what are you doing?

Paraphrasing is a way for you to start processing the information from your source. When you take a quote and put it into your own words, you are already working to better understand, and better explain, the information. The more you can change the quote without changing the original meaning, the better.

What is an example of a direct quote?

A direct quotation is a report of the exact words of an author or speaker and is placed inside quotation marks in a written work. For example, Dr. King said, “I have a dream.”

When should a direct quote be used in your research paper?

If you cannot state an idea in your own words, you should use the direct quotation. Ideally, papers will contain a good balance of direct quotations, paraphrasing and your own thoughts.

How do you correctly quote?

To quote a source, you must ensure: The quoted text is enclosed in quotation marks or formatted as a block quote. The original author is correctly cited.
Introducing quotes



  1. Add an introductory sentence.
  2. Use an introductory signal phrase.
  3. Integrate the quote into your own sentence.

When would you use a direct quote?

Use direct quotations rather than paraphrasing:

  • when reproducing an exact definition (see Section 6.22 of the Publication Manual),
  • when an author has said something memorably or succinctly, or.
  • when you want to respond to exact wording (e.g., something someone said).

What are the 3 rules for using quotations?

Quotation Marks

  • Rule 1. Use double quotation marks to set off a direct (word-for-word) quotation. …
  • Rule 2a. Always capitalize the first word in a complete quotation, even midsentence. …
  • Rule 2b. Do not capitalize quoted material that continues a sentence. …
  • Rule 3a. …
  • Rule 3b. …
  • Rule 3c. …
  • Rule 4. …
  • Rule 5a.

Are direct quotations The only thing you need to reference?

Not all evidence needs to be presented in the form of direct quotation. Often, you can convey information more efficiently and integrate it more smoothly into your own writing by paraphrasing, rather than using direct quotation.



When should you paraphrase instead of using a direct quote?

Choose to paraphrase or summarize rather than to quote directly when the meaning is more important than the particular language the author used and you don’t need to use the author’s preeminent authority to bolster your argument at the moment.

Is it OK to paraphrase a quote?

When you use your own words to convey information from an original source, you are paraphrasing. While paraphrases do not require quotation marks, they do require citations. Be sure to change both the words and word order of the original source in order to avoid plagiarism.

What is a quote bomb?

A quotation that is all by itself as a complete sentence is called a “quote bomb” because it is. disconnected from your analysis and disrupts your writing.