A Comprehensive Guide

Citing quotes and sources are vital if you are to avoid any accusations of plagiarism.

Sources are also important if you are to clearly and concisely guide readers and examiners through the main body of your essay.

Sources will ultimately inform and enrich your own argument; after all, no essay exists in a void and you are ultimately contributing to a debate.

There are a number of different referencing systems used by different universities and institutions.

This means that, before you start writing, you will need to ensure you know which referencing system you are working with.

Each referencing system will have different guidelines with regards to footnotes, bibliographies and endnotes.

Before you worry about the referencing, you will need to ensure you understand what it is you are writing about.

Setting the terms of the debate is, of course, essential before you start out.

The best essay will engage with its source material in a fresh, innovative and original way.

There is no definitive ‘right’ answer to this question, as every essay will have to call on different sources.

What is vital is that your referencing system is clear, concise and consistent. This means that, whatever the type of source used, it should be carefully referenced.

You should be using sources that are varied and reputable at all times.

It always helps the strength and validity of your argument if you make sure that your essay utilises primary & secondary sources.

Primary sources are usually going to be the pieces of evidence that your essay will be engaging with; e.g. a novel, poem, historical document.

Secondary sources will most comprise other academics and the body of work already written around your chosen topic.

Quotes will make up a significant portion of your essay, so it is important to deploy them correctly.

This means that quotations need to be integrated organically and in a relevant fashion.

Your essay needs to guide your reader as it goes along. Quotes are an important part of this signposting.

You should use quotes tactically in the course of the essay and make sure you are leading in to them.

For example:

John F. Kennedy’s assertion that “those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future” was just one the signposts in the development of his New Frontier doctrine.

This quote is used to make a broader point which links back to the thesis of the essay.

Longer quotations need to be more clearly indented, and should be set apart from the main body of the essay.

Longer quotations also need to be strategically deployed however.

Don’t be afraid to paraphrase, it shows that you have a true grasp of the source material.

Paraphrasing is another way of effectively using sources to signpost your essay.

Summarising and paraphrasing is a key skill when it comes to the conclusion of your thesis, so demonstrating a mastery of your sources is a key skill.

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