Quoting Effectively

I have always been confused when it came to analyzing and explaining direct
quotations, I feel like everyone always tells you the basic information of just paraphrasing or
making it into your own words. But nobody ever talks about the complexity of it. What I
mean by this is that rephrasing it or making it into your own words is not the only step that
needs to be put into when it comes to explaining direct quotes from sources. There is so much
more behind it such as making sure to get the bigger picture of the quote and not just simply
restating it. Listening to all these authors, I was able to get a deeper sense of what it is to
analyze, break down, restate, quote, build on, and infer. All these authors had their own
opinions when it came to being able to effectively restate using either direct quotes or simply
paraphrasing. I personally believe that it does not matter as long as your are explaining
afterwards and drawing connections.
One of the first authors I listened to was a group of individuals. David H. Weaver,
W. Wat Hopkins, William H. BIllings, and Richard R. Cole. They were talking to me about
how quotes and paraphrases in writing made a difference to readers. By the end of our
conversation with each other, I was able to understand how both made a difference in
audience/reader comprehending material. We were all discussing how both paraphrasing
and direct quotes were in the end pretty much similar and not much significant differences.
They performed an experiment to determine which was better and shared their results with
me. There was not much change on how successful information was retained when either or
was used. They explained to me that, “direct quotations and paraphrases made little overall
difference in compre- hension and retention of factual material from the stories. Both were
able to evoke accuracy, get the objective across, be informative, and interesting.”(Weaver et
al, 1974). Being able to talk to this specific group of people allowed me to believe that there is
not much difference in the way you choose to restate information. All that matters is that
you make sure the information you're trying to convey is explained correctly depending on
whether it's an essay, newspaper, and etc.
I went on to talk and listen to Amy Lombardi talking about intertextuality in
university writing. We had a conversation on how directing quotations and citation
phraseology are involved with the writer itself. Amy Lombardi in a way agrees with the
previous group I talked about in the sense of it depends on certain factors, but she goes on to
talk about how it depends on the writer's level and what exactly they are restating. Amy
went on to show me statistical data regarding verb frequency, quote length, and phrasal
quotes. She was analyzing all these factors and comparing them to an essay rubric. Toward
the end of our conversation, she explained to me that the usage of paraphrasing and quoting
was different for every person because everyone is at different levels with their vocabulary,
language knowledge, and experience with writing. Since everyone is at different levels of
writing, the usage of paraphrasing and direct quoting can vary because not everyone has
the same knowledge or information when it comes to that. One might struggle more because
they have less experience than someone else. I personally feel that as time goes on, you
eventually get better at everything and essentially “level” up. Writing is very personal and
unique to each person.
I wanted to see if I could get a different perspective, so I talked to an assistant
professor in the English language and literature department. Barbara Schneider was strongly
emphasizing how the purpose of quotation marks allows one to achieve rhetorical
advantage. Schneider mentions various other authors throughout our talk and how each
thinks similarly when it comes to using quotation marks for any referencing and citing. She
mentions how quotation marks allow us to cite almost anything due to the fact that it is not
directly coming from us. Nonstandar quotes are able to be used aswell as an emphasis on
only a specific piece of textual evidence thanks to the quotation marks. We are able to
broaden information given out by elaborating and discussing them after direct quotations.
Barbara mentioned, “....they can broaden the audience they are helping construct by claiming
disciplinary terms and contesting them, mobilizing them.” (Schneider, 2002). Direct quotation
allows us to define and describe specific concepts. It gives us the opportunity to summarize
much more and have a stronger impact.
After these conversations, I had a few more very short ones with several other
authors. They all went on and on, but there was a very specific point they each emphasized
and felt so strongly about. One of them being Frank J. D’Angelo. D’Angelo was mentioning
the art of paraphrasing. He was very strong, passionate, and straightforward when it came
to paraphrasing literally any piece of work. He mentioned several exercises and methods to
effectively paraphrase and make sure it was very valuable. He gave me some examples of
different ways to paraphrase. In the end, he gave me a mini lecture on paraphrasing. He
said, “The ability to paraphrase then can offer a number of benefits to the student writer. It
can acquaint the writer with a wide range of stylistic alternatives. It can make difficult or
obscure thoughts easier to understand. And finally it can be a means of helping the writer to
acquire fluency and copiousness of language” (D’angelo, 1979). He is really strong when it
comes to communicating effectively.
In connection to paraphrasing, I talked to Alan Hirvela on the importance of
paraphrasing. He was explaining how it was vital when it came to covering areas of
writing and reading. He was talking about how we had to make sure to identify
information that is most useful when it comes to incorporating into paraphrasing.
Paraphrasing exercise can help a lot so we can learn from a different point of view and
paraphrase differently and effectively. Hirvela said, “Such findings can also contribute to our
growing understanding of important plagiarism-related issues” (Hirvela, 2013). This sentence
simply allowed me to see how we need to make sure to direct paraphrase in accordance
with guidelines to make sure we don't take anyone's work.
All of the conversations I had with these wonderful people allowed me to be able to
make connections and insights when it came to questions I had in regards to getting a point
across successfully. They allowed me to interpret different perspectives of getting information
out and which was the best to use. Having been able to discuss the importance and impact
both quoting and paraphrasing bring allowed me to decide which was better for me. I
personally love being able to direct quotes simply because I feel like I have the ability to
build on what I’m trying to say. The direct quotes in a way help as a guidance. All in all, I
think it is up to one to decide which is better for themselves.
 Bibliography

‌D’Angelo, Frank J. 1979. “The Art of Paraphrase.” College Composition and Communication
30 (3): 255. https://doi.org/10.2307/356389.

‌Hirvela, Alan, and Qian Du. 2013. “‘Why Am I Paraphrasing?’: Undergraduate ESL Writers’
Engagement with Source-Based Academic Writing and Reading.” Journal of English for
Academic Purposes 12 (2): 87–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2012.11.005.

‌Jordan, Michael P. 1994. “Toward Plain Language: A Guide to Paraphrasing Complex Noun
Phrases.” Journal of Technical Writing and Communication 24 (1): 77–96.
https://doi.org/10.2190/fhed-rmjg-y03y-y4uj.

‌Lombardi, Amy. 2021. “More Is More: Explicit Intertextuality in University Writing

Placement Exam Essays.” Journal of English for Academic Purposes 50 (March): 100955.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2020.100955.

‌Schneider, Barbara. 2002. “Nonstandard Quotes: Superimpositions and Cultural Maps.”

College Composition and Communication 54 (2): 188. https://doi.org/10.2307/1512145.

Weaver, David H., W. Wat Hopkins, William H. Billings, and Richard R. Cole. 1974. “Quotes
vs. Paraphrases in Writing: Does It Make a Difference to Readers?” Journalism Quarterly 51
(3): 400–404. https://doi.org/10.1177/107769907405100302.