Using Someone Else's Words
I. Four words (some instructors may say fewer) in a row borrowed from any source comprise a quote and must be marked and cited at the end of the quote. The APA citation form is (Author, date, page). If the author’s name is used in the sentence leading into the quotation, the citation can be moved to that location and the author’s name is omitted within the parentheses. There are five exceptions (see this page for one more):
II. Use of someone else’s words that form a complete idea or a substantial part of a complete idea is a quote and must be cited, no matter how short.
III. More than three words in continuous flow borrowed from any source amount to a quote and must be cited even if they:
IV. Use of uniquely coined terms or phrases not in common usage must be cited.
V. Use of alternate grammatical forms does not alter the fact that you have borrowed the words, thus, it still requires a citation.
Examples:
- Actual names; for example, “The Society of the Sons of St. Tammany” is an actual name and does not need to be treated as a quotation.
- Common phrases that could occur without being found in a source document; for example, “the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the federal government” is a frequently used common phrase. Uncommon phrases require citation.
- Happenstance use of words that are found in a text are not a quote; however, except in structured situations (such as some sorts of test answers) it is extremely unlikely this will occur with noticeable frequency.
- Use of mandatory words such as a formula sentence or words appearing on a form.
- The actual words of your properly formatted bibliography.
- Example (where citation is required): “Bureaucracies are not such rigid structures as is popularly assumed” (Blau, 1956, 56). It is a quote even for: Peter Blau (1956, 56) said, “Bureaucracies are not … rigid structures.”
II. Use of someone else’s words that form a complete idea or a substantial part of a complete idea is a quote and must be cited, no matter how short.
- Example: Bureaucratic organizations are not the “rigid structures” that many people think (Blau, 1956, 56).
III. More than three words in continuous flow borrowed from any source amount to a quote and must be cited even if they:
- Are separated by bracketed [your own] words within the quote,
- Include ellipses (words are omitted, signified by three dots, “…”), or
- Include both bracketed words and ellipses.
- Example: “Bureaucracies are not [as] rigid … as is popularly assumed” (Blau, 1956, 56).
IV. Use of uniquely coined terms or phrases not in common usage must be cited.
- Example: The tendency to promote employees beyond their ability to perform is known as the Peter Principle (Peter and Hull, 1969). [“Peter Principle” is the unique term.]
V. Use of alternate grammatical forms does not alter the fact that you have borrowed the words, thus, it still requires a citation.
Examples:
- Incorrect: Blau said that bureaucracies are not such rigid structures as people might think.
- Correct: Blau (1956, 56) said, “Bureaucracies are not such rigid structures as [people might think].”