Optimizing the Impact of Quotations in Academic Essays

Introduction to Sources: Framing Quotations Complete & Upload to Blackboard by Friday 4/1 Features of Effective Quotations: Relevance: The quotations you choose should relate to your argument. They can provide support to help you prove a point, or they could serve as an “opposing viewpoint” to which you are responding. Framing: Be sure to introduce the quotations that you include to provide your reader with context. Where is this quotation coming from? What does it mean in the context of the author’s work? Explanation: Follow the quotation with an explanation of its meaning. How does this relate to your argument? Why did you quote it? What does it mean, in your own words? “Quotation Sandwich” Introduce Quotation Quotation Explain Quotation I. Introducing Quotations X states, “__________.” As the prominent philosopher X puts it, “__________.” According to X, “__________.” X herself writes, “__________.” In her book, __________, X maintains that “__________.” Writing in the journal __________, X complains that “__________.” In X’s view, “__________.” X dis/agrees when she writes, “__________.” X complicates matters further when he writes, “__________.” II. Explaining Quotations Basically, X is saying __________. In other words, X believes __________. In making this comment, X urges us to __________. X is corroborating the age-old adage that __________. X’s point is that __________. The essence of X’s argument is that __________. EXERCISE Below is a selection of quotations from the article “The Mission of the University” by Robert Solomon & Jon Solomon. For each quotation, construct a “quotation sandwich”: Use a variation of a template from section I to introduce the quotation. Include the quotation (or an excerpt) After the quotation, use a variation of a template from section II & explain the meaning of the quotation. You do not have to use all the quotation. You can excerpt the part of it that is most important and exclude the