How to properly quote a book?

There are different styles you can use, such as APA, MLA, or Chicago, when quoting a book. 

Steps to Properly Quote a Book

1. Choose the Relevant Passage: Select the exact text you wish to quote.
2. Introduce the Quote: Provide context or an introduction to the quote in your text.
3. Quote the Text: Use quotation marks around the quoted passage.
4. Cite the Source: Include a citation immediately following the quote or at the end of the sentence.

APA Style

In-Text Citation: Include the author's last name, year of publication, and page number(s).

Example:

• "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world" (Mandela, 1994, p. 67).

Reference List:

• Mandela, N. (1994). Long walk to freedom: The autobiography of Nelson Mandela. Little, Brown and Company.

MLA Style

In-Text Citation: Include the author's last name and page number(s).

Example:

• "To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment" (Emerson 45).

Works Cited:

• Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Self-Reliance and Other Essays. Dover Publications, 1993.

Chicago Style

In-Text Citation (Footnote or Endnote):

• Include a superscript number at the end of the quote, which corresponds to a footnote or endnote.

Example:

• "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."¹

Footnote:

• ¹Martin Luther King Jr., A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King Jr. (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1986), 53.

Bibliography:

• King, Martin Luther Jr. A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King Jr. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1986.

Formatting Long Quotes

For longer quotes (more than 40 words in APA, or four lines in MLA), use a block quote format:

• Omit quotation marks.
• Indent the entire quote one inch from the left margin (APA and MLA) or as per specific guidelines (Chicago).
• Double-space the quote (APA and MLA).

Example of a Block Quote in APA:

According to Smith (2020):

Longer quotations are formatted differently. They are set off from the main text and do not use quotation marks. The entire quote is indented and double-spaced. This format is used to clearly distinguish the quoted material from the writer’s own words. (p. 123)

Paraphrasing

If you paraphrase a passage rather than quoting it directly, you still need to cite the source.

APA Example:

• According to Mandela (1994), education is a powerful tool for change (p. 67).

MLA Example:

• Emerson argues that being true to oneself is a significant achievement (45).

Chicago Example:

• Martin Luther King Jr. highlights the importance of remembering the silence of friends rather than the words of enemies.²

²Martin Luther King Jr., A Testament of Hope, 53.