Written by Dr. Hannes Nel
Do you think your study leader or lecturer will accept it if you develop your own way of writing quotations?
And rather than to explain concepts, procedures, philosophies and so on, you illustrate your arguments by submitting artefacts?
And you describe the context of your research by means of works of art?
Well, it is my experience that many professors are open minded and flexible enough to give you credit for your innovative ideas.
Perhaps one should not go too far with this kind of maverick attitude, though.
I discuss the requirements for quotations in this article.
Quotations must observe the grammatical structure of the sentence of which they are part. This means that verbs must agree in person, number and tense, and pronouns must observe the grammatical structure of the whole. Some universities require that quotations be written on a line lower than the paragraph in which it is used, indented from both sides and written in Italics. Others have different requirements, which can best be explained by means of examples.
Example 1. It would probably be artificial and lead to confusion if data collection and the analysis of data are discussed separately. As Glaser and Strauss (2006: 73) put it:
“The continual intermeshing of data collection and analysis bears directly on how the data collection is brought to close. A researcher can always try to collect more data by checking hypotheses or for generating new properties, categories and hypotheses.”
In the instance of this research, however, additional information on certain aspects were needed to “complete the puzzle”, and to confirm statements that are often perceptions rather than facts, hence there is greater ‘coverage’ than warranted.
Example 2. It would probably be artificial and lead to confusion if data collection and the analysis of data are discussed separately. As Glaser and Strauss (2006: 73) put it:
The continual intermeshing of data collection and analysis bears directly on how the data collection is brought to close. A researcher can always try to collect more data by checking hypotheses or for generating new properties, categories and hypotheses.
In the instance of this research, however, additional information on certain aspects were needed to “complete the puzzle”, and to confirm statements that are often perceptions rather than facts, hence there is greater ‘coverage’ than warranted.
Example 3. It would probably be artificial and lead to confusion if data collection and the analysis of data are discussed separately. As Glaser and Strauss (2006: 73) put it:
“The continual intermeshing of data collection and analysis bears directly on how the data collection is brought to close. A researcher can always try to collect more data by checking hypotheses or for generating new properties, categories and hypotheses.”
In the instance of this research, however, additional information on certain aspects were needed to “complete the puzzle”, and to confirm statements that are often perceptions rather than facts, hence there is greater ‘coverage’ than warranted.
Your own discussion and the quotation of something that a different author wrote can also be integrated into one paragraph.
Example 4. It would probably be artificial and lead to confusion if data collection and the analysis of data are discussed separately. As Glaser and Strauss (2006: 73) put it: “The continual intermeshing of data collection and analysis bears directly on how the data collection is brought to close. A researcher can always try to collect more data by checking hypotheses or for generating new properties, categories and hypotheses.”
In the instance of this research, however, additional information on certain aspects were needed to “complete the puzzle”, and to confirm statements that are often perceptions rather than facts, hence there is greater ‘coverage’ than warranted.
Quotations can be written in a smaller size and different type of font from your own writing.
Example 5. It would probably be artificial and lead to confusion if data collection and the analysis of data are discussed separately. As Glaser and Strauss (2006: 73) put it:
“The continual intermeshing of data collection and analysis bears directly on how the data collection is brought to close. A researcher can always try to collect more data by checking hypotheses or for generating new properties, categories and hypotheses.”
In the instance of this research, however, additional information on certain aspects were needed to “complete the puzzle”, and to confirm statements that are often perceptions rather than facts, hence there is greater ‘coverage’ than warranted.
Some universities feel that a long (indented) quoted extract not embodied in the structure of a paragraph should not be placed in quotation marks unless the original is either in direct speech, or in quotation marks for some other reason. A space should be left between the paragraph and the beginning of the quotation. The quotation should be indented and typed in single line spacing, and another space left before the paragraph continues, or a new paragraph starts.
Quotations at the end of a sentence take a full-stop outside the closing inverted comma.
Example:
R.K. Yin does not refer to the term generalisation as if its meaning is totally limited to ‘statistical generalisation’.
Where the quotation forms a complete sentence on its own, or is isolated by a colon or dash from the main sentence structure, the closing stop comes inside the closing quotation mark.
Maree (2011: 172) wrote: “It is usually impossible to include the entire population in your study, the two main restrictions being time and cost.”
Where a quotation is broken by the omission of a phrase, three dots should be inserted to indicate the break.
Example:
“As the theory grows … the analyst becomes committed to it.”
Where a complete sentence or series of sentences is omitted, four dots should indicate the break.
Example:
“A key strength of the case study method is the use of multiple sources and techniques in the data collection process…. Data collection is largely qualitative, but may also include quantitative data.”
Where a long, indented quotation is started in the middle of a sentence, three dots should precede the first word to indicate the omission of the first part of the sentence.
Example:
“… starting and examining rival explanations will greatly strengthen any claimed generalisations.”
Where the last part of a long, indented, quoted sentence is omitted the last word should be followed by four dots: three to indicate the omission of the words, the fourth to indicate the full stop at the end of the omitted part.
Example:
“Given all these conditions, if a study only uses structured interviews, the study is most likely to be a survey or poll ….”
Where possible, short quoted phrases and single lines should be embodied in the paragraph, and indentations left for longer quotations. Long quotations need not always be separated from the paragraph, for example if they form an integral part of the structure of the paragraph.
Summary
Quotations must observe the grammatical structure of the sentence of which they are part.
Quotations can be written in many ways, although the differences are mostly subtle and a matter of taste.
The differences mostly hinge around the following:
- If there is an open line between the paragraph and the quotation or if the quotation is typed as if it is an integral part of the paragraph.
- If there is an open line between the quotation and the next paragraph.
- If the quotation is indented on both sides or on the left side only.
- If the quotation is typed in italics or a smaller font size than the paragraph.
- If single line spacing is used or the same spacing as the paragraph with which the quotation goes.
- If the quotation is encapsulated in quotation marks or not.
Other requirements that some universities have include:
- The position of the closing full-stop after the sentence and quotation.
- The use of three or four dots where a sentence or quotation is broken.
- Embodying short quotes in a sentence of paragraph.
Close
As for typing formats in general, the requirements for quotations need not be rigid.
The most important requirement is consistency.
Your study leader or lecturer will probably accept the way in which you type quotations, if you do it consistently the same throughout your thesis or dissertation.
Enjoy your studies.
Thank you.