Avoiding the Plop

How to Frame Every Quotation

Goals of this lesson:

I can
1.
2.
3.

Choose quotes wisely from my research

Frame my quotes (What they say)
Connecting what they say with what I say

Choosing the best and relevant quotes

Ask yourself when choosing a quote:

What do I want to do with this quote?

How will it support my claim at this particular point?
How is this quote relevant to my argument?

Framing EVERY Quote - Avoiding the Plop

Quotations do not speak for themselves, you

need to build a frame around them in which you
do that speaking for them. (Graff & Berkenstein,
41)

Quotation Sandwich
Introduce the quote

Quote it

Explain the quote

Introducing Quotations

Explain who is speaking

X states, ______
According to X, _______
X himself writes, _______
Writing in the journal Commentary, X
maintains that ________
In Xs view, _______
Be sure your language accurately reflects
the spirit of the quoted passage.

And

Set up what the quotation

says

In other words, avoid loaded language such as:

X complains. (unless the source is truly

complaining about a topic)

Other words than said

add

remark

exclaim

announce

reply

state

comment

respond

estimate

write

point out

predict

argue

suggest

propose

declare

criticize

proclaim

note

complain

opine

observe

think

note

Explain Your Quote (Dont Hit and Run)

After you have introduced
your quote and inserted
your quote, now you need
to follow with why the quote
is important and/or your
interpretation of the quote.

Basically, X is saying
In other words, X believes....
In making this comment, X argues that
X is insisting that
Xs point is that
The essence of Xs argument is that

Remember, the goal of using others words is to

build a bridge to set up and support your own
claim in your argument.

Final Thoughts - Not All Quotes are Created Equal

More framing is needed when:

Your quotation is had for readers to

process/understand;
Long and complex quotations
Filled with jargon (slang or technical
language a specific field uses)
Contains hidden complexities that the
reader wont understand unless it is in
context.

Rules:

There are no hard fast rules

Just Do It! Go for it, even if you run the
risk of over explaining what the quote
means (never assume your audience
understands)
Readers want YOUR interpretation of the
quotes - it is YOUR argument after all.

Review - Dos and Donts

Do
Frame your quotes:
Whose words
What the quote
means
How the quotation
relates to your claim.

Dont

Plop Quotes (think sandwhich)

Set up a quote with:

X asserts and idea that

A quote by X says
(This is redundant)

Dont mislead - know who you are quoting.

Sometimes you are quoting someone else
other than the author of the piece (i.e. X
asserts in a study by Battle et al that)

Example
My quote: ...31 states passed laws expanding sentencing
options; 47 states modified confidentiality provisions for
juvenile courts; and 22 states passed laws increasing the
victim's role in juvenile court processing. (Child or Adult: A
Century Long View)
My Claim: States got tough on Juvenile crime.

Introduce the Quote:

According to a series on Juvenile Justice from
PBS and Frontline, In the 1990s,
The quote:
...31 states passed laws expanding sentencing options; 47
states modified confidentiality provisions for juvenile courts;
and 22 states passed laws increasing the victim's role in
juvenile court processing. (Child or Adult: A Century Long
View)

Explain the Quote: In other word, the 1990s

began to usher in an era of tough on crime
policies that extended to the Juvenile Justice
system, leaving an increasing number of
children incarcerated with adults.

The quote sandwich

According to a series on Juvenile Justice from PBS and Frontline,
In the 1990s, ...31 states passed laws expanding sentencing
options; 47 states modified confidentiality provisions for juvenile
courts; and 22 states passed laws increasing the victim's role in
juvenile court processing (Child or Adult: A Century Long
View).In other word, the 1990s began to usher in an era of tough
on crime policies that extended to the Juvenile Justice system,
leaving an increasing number of children incarcerated with adults.