In This Chapter
The five-paragraph essay you may have learned back in high school probably taught you that sources or evidence were necessary for your writing. You may have learned to cite those sources clearly and correctly. If you had a particularly good teacher, they might have instructed you to introduce the quote.
For college-level academic writing, it is not enough to simply provide a parenthetical citation. Instead, sources must be effectively integrated into the text. The use of any source (quote, paraphrase, or summary) must be rhetorically effective for the situation–the audience, context, and purpose of the argument.
There are some general mistakes that FYC students tend to make when using sources in their writing. Paying attention to these possible annoying ways to use sources can help you write a more effective essay.
Armadillo Roadkill:
Dropping in a Quotation without Introducing it First
Everyone in the car hears it: buh-BUMP. The driver insists to the passengers, “But that armadillo—I didn’t see it! It just came out of nowhere!” Sadly, a poorly introduced quotation can lead readers to a similar exclamation: “It just came out of nowhere!” And though readers probably won’t experience the same level of grief and regret when surprised by a quotation as opposed to an armadillo, I submit that there’s a kinship between the experiences: both involve anormal, pleasant activity (driving; reading) stopped suddenly short by an unexpected barrier (a sudden armadillo; a sudden quotation). Here’s an example of what I’m talking about:
We should all be prepared with a backup plan if a zombie invasion occurs. “Unlike its human counterparts, an army of zombies is completely independent of support” (Brooks 155). Preparations should be made in the following areas. . . .
Did you notice how the quotation is dropped in without any kind of warning? (Buh-BUMP.)
In the above example, that could be done by introducing the quotation with something like this (new text bolded):
We should all be prepared with a backup plan if a zombie invasion occurs. Max Brooks suggests a number of ways to prepare for zombies’ particular traits, though he underestimates the ability of humans to survive in harsh environments. For example, he writes, “Unlike its human counterparts, an army of zombies is completely independent of support” (155). His shortsightedness could have a number of consequences. . . .
In this version, I know a quotation is coming (“For example”), I know it’s going to be written by Max Brooks, and I know I’m being asked to read the quote rather skeptically (“he underestimates”). The sentence with the quotation itself also now begins with a “signal phrase” that eases us into it (“he writes”).
Here’s an actual example from Alexsandra. Notice the way she builds up to the quotation and then explains it:
In the first two paragraphs, the author takes a defensive position when explaining the perception that the public has about scientists by saying that “there is a