The when, why and how of

ATTRIBUTION

Defense Information School

Journalism Division
Fort George G. Meade, Md.
Revised April 2000
Introduction
 N o on e obj ects i f a r epor ter wr ites Chr istm a s is in
D e c e m b e r, th e E arth rot a tes ea stwa r d on its a xis, or the
To r o n t o B l u e J ay s won the 1993 W or ld Ser ies. Such
s t a t e m e nts are easi l y verif ia ble f a cts, common knowledge or
h i s t o r i c a l l y tru e.
O n th e oth er h an d, r epor ter s who wr ite men a r e sma r ter
t h a n w o men , th e D efen se I nf or m a tion School is the best of its
k i n d i n th e worl d, or M arines a r e tougher tha n soldier s would
h a v e s o m e seri ou s arg ume nt on their ha nds. Those sta tem ents
a r e o p i ni on s an d requ i re the r epor ter to cite a n a uthor ity ;
o t h e r w i se, read ers wi l l p er ceive them a s the opinions of the
r e p o r t e r or as th e n ewspaper 's "cor por a te position. "
S o m eti mes th e l i n e between f a ct a nd opinion is clea r -cut .
S o m e t i mes i t' s n ot. B y using pr oper a ttr ibution, the jour na list
a l l o w s t h e reader to deci de whether a n opinion ha s mer it or
w h e t h e r facts i n a story com e f r om a n a uthor ita tive sour ce.

What is attribution?
Attribution names a source for opinions or facts that are not common
knowledge. It takes the writer "off the hook." Attribution lets the reader
know who is responsible for a statement, and, in general, keeps the reader
from having to ask, "Who says?"
The best attribution identifies the source by name and title. For
example: "There will be no tax increase this year," Mayor Richard L. Longley
said Friday. But don't get the impression only direct quotations – the
speaker's exact words – require attribution. Attribute even when you
paraphrase the speaker's words: Mayor Richard L. Longley pledged today
that taxes would not go up this year.
Vague or weak attribution does not clearly name the source: "There
will be no tax increase this year," a city official said Friday. That narrows the
statement down to a relatively small segment of the city's population, but
forces the reader to guess who said it. A specific job title (the mayor) is
better than a generic term (a city official). But, if you have the source's
name, use it.
Let's say you're researching a story about your base's steam lines
being replaced. You may find the original steam lines are made of a
material that will not break down, the project will take six months to
complete, and traffic patterns will be disrupted. Although these are all
facts, your readers don't view you, the newspaper writer, as a subject-
matter expert. They will expect you to tell them what the experts have to
say. Therefore, you would attribute all that information to your sources.

2
Exercise
1 . P l ac e a c h e c k m ar k by t h e st at e m e n t t h at h as t h e
w e a k e st at t r i but i o n .

_ _ _ _ _ a. M ost w omen ca nnot per f or m comba t missions, sa i d

N o r ma T. Wi l son , di rect or of the Eq ua l Rights Committee.

_ _ _ _ _ b . Th e p ost excha nge must incr ea se pr ices to br ea k

e v e n , th e PX man ag er s a id.

_ _ _ _ _ c. "I f n ecessary , we'll f a ll ba ck on our r eser ves, " a

D e f e n se D ep artmen t spokesma n sa id.

_ _ _ _ _ d . "Th e open h ouse wa s a huge success, " a

r e p r e sen tati ve sai d.

2. In your own words, define attribution.

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

3
Answers
1. D

I t e m A con tai n s complete a ttr ibution, identif ying the

s p e a k e r b y n ame an d j ob t itle. Ther e ca n be no m ista king the
s o u r c e of th e i n formati on .

I t e m B i den ti fi es th e sour ce by job title only. The

s e n t e n c e attri bu tes th e i n f or m a tion to the PX ma na ger ,
i m p l y i n g th ere' s on l y on e. So, a side f r om the om ission of the
m a n a ge r' s n ame, th e attri bution is specif ic. But, since the
s o u r c e ' s n ame was avai l able to the wr iter , it should ha ve been
used.

I t e m C ' s attri b u ti on i s less specif ic beca use the sour ce is

a De f e n s e D ep artmen t spo kesma n – a wor d tha t implies m or e
t h a n o n e person h ol ds th at title. As a ttr ibution goes, it's
b e t t e r t h an n oth i n g , bu t i t 's not a s specif ic a s it should be.
Th e w r i ter mu st h ave k n own which spokesma n a nd should
h a v e i n cl u ded th e i n format ion.

I n item D , "a rep resenta tive" is too va gue; it isn't even a

j o b t i t l e -- a represen tati ve of wha t or whom? W ha t is his or
h e r a u t h ori ty ? I f th e sour ce wa s the open house pr oject
o f f i c e r , t h e statemen t w ou ld ha ve cr edibility, a nd ther e would
b e n o g ood reason for th e wr iter to r ef r a in f r om identif ying the
s o u r c e by n ame an d ti tl e. W ithout specif ic a ttr ibution, the
r e a d e r c an on l y g u ess w h o thought the open house wa s a gr ea t
s u c c e s s an d may even th i nk the wr iter sim ply ma de up the
s t a t e m e nt. R eaders h ave the r ight to know wher e inf or m a tion
c o m e s f rom. L et th em make up their own m inds a s to whether
t h e s o u rce can b e b el i eved.

2. A t t ri bu ti on i den ti fi es the sour ce of inf or m a tion pr esented

i n a s t o r y . I t l ets th e reader know who is r esponsible f or a
s t a t e m e nt an d , i n g en eral , pr events the r ea der f r om a sking,
" S a ys w ho? "

4
When is attribution not needed?
Th ere i s n o h ard a nd f a st r ule a s to when a ttr ibution is
n e c e ssary . I t' s a j udgment ca ll. Although it's impossible t o
c o v e r every si tuati on wher e a ttr ibution is needed, ther e ar e
c e r t a i n ru l es of th u mb .

N o at t r i but i o n i s n e e d e d f o r f ac t s t h at c an be e asi l y
v e r i f i e d . Veri fi abl e fac ts a r e those tha t a r e a ma tter of r ec or d
o r c l earl y are sel f-evi dent:
Sgt. H o me r T . Noodleton today was named the post' s
S o l d ier o f th e Y e ar. N o a ttr ibution is needed f or tha t f a ct; it ' s
a m a tter of record, an d the inf or m a tion is r ea dily a va ila ble t o
a n y o ne wh o ask s. H owever , only a mem ber of the select ion
b o a r d kn ow s w h at th e decisive f a ctor s wer e, so those det ails
w o u l d requi re attri bu ti on.
T hre e D INFOS s tudents were killed and f our were inju r ed
in a two -c ar ac c ide nt on Mapes R oad here T hursday. Th e s e
b a s i c facts are a matt er of r ecor d a t the post hospita l, t h e
p r o v ost marsh al ' s office or the loca l police depa r tme n t .
H o w ever, sp eci fi c med i ca l inf or m a tion, such a s ca uses of de at h
a n d con d i ti on s of th e i njur ed, needs a ttr ibution beca use expe r t
k n o w l ed g e w as requi red to ma ke those deter m ina tions.
A ne w traf f ic light was installed Friday at the L lewe llyn
Av e n ue c ro s s walk in f ront of the post theater. No a ttr ibution is
n e e d e d b ecause th e fact is self -evident. Ever yone ca n see it ,
a n d e very on e w h o d ri ve s on Llewellyn Avenue a lr ea dy knows it .
B u t y ou ' d n eed to attr ibute the r ea sons f or the lig h t ' s
i n s t a l l ati on . Th at i n for m a tion ma y not be a s obvious to y ou r
r e a d ers, man y of wh om m ight need to be convinced the ligh t
w a s n ecessary . Th ey ' l l wa nt a tr a f f ic sa f ety exper t to tell th e m
w h y t h ey h ave to w ai t for a nother r ed light. Your opinion as a
p o s t n ew sp ap er wri ter doesn't hold wa ter , but the r ea s on s
w o u l d seem l i k e y ou r opinion without a ttr ibution.
N o at t r i but i o n i s n e e d e d f o r f ac t s t h at ar e t r ue
h i s t o r i c al l y . H i stori ca l f a cts -- even those in the ver y r ec e n t
p a s t -- th at are g en er a lly a nd r ea sona bly a ccepted a s t r u e
n e e d n o attri b u ti on :
T he b attle o f Ge ttysburg was f ought in 1863. This is an
a c c e pted h i stori cal fac t. Attr ibuting it to some histor ic al
d o c u men t w ou l dn ' t give the inf or ma tion m or e va lue or
c r e d i b i l i ty .

5
 Gr o und was b ro k e n Monday f or a new f amily support
cen te r in the main h o us ing area here. I t just ha ppened, but it's
n o w h i s t ori cal l y tru e.
T h e N atio n al Se c urity A ct of 1947 established the A ir Force
as a s e p arate s e rv ic e . Tha t's the wa y it ha ppened. The
i n f o r m a t i on i s avai l ab l e fr om innum er a ble sour ces, so citing
j u s t o n e i sn ' t n ecessary . I n f a ct, to do so might imply that
o n l y yo u r s o urc e say s it ha ppened tha t wa y, but other
h i s t o r i c a l d ocumen ts say something else.
B e carefu l , th ou g h. Histor ica l f a cts don't need
a t t r i b u t ion , bu t th ey do ha ve to be a ccur a te. Don't ta ke
s o u r c e s at th ei r word, f or exa m ple, tha t som ething is
h a p p e n i ng for th e fi rst or la st time. You a nd your sour ce wil l
l o o k b a d i f a reader d i spr oves the sta tement. V e r i f y al l
i n f o r m a t i o n , even i f y ou don't ha ve to use a ttr ibution.
A t t r i but i o n i s n o t n e e d e d f o r f ac t s t h at ar e c o m m o n
k n o w l e d g e o r ar e n o t subj e c t t o d i sp ut e . I f no contr over sy is
p o s s i b l e , or i f th e statement r eq uir es no specif ic exper tise to
m a k e i t ri n g true for th e re a der , no a ttr ibution is necessa r y:
T h e Co mmand P layers theater group is scheduled to
p r e s e n t " H amle t" at 7: 30 p .m. Saturday at the post theater. The
s h o w i s pl an n ed , an d the sta tement does not a r ouse
c o n t r o v ersy . B u t i f th e dir ector sa ys the thea ter gr oup ha s
w o r k e d h ard er on th i s p r oduction tha n on a ny other , you'd
h a v e t o attri bu te th at statement. Ever yone f a m ilia r with the
t h e a t e r g rou p mi g h t not a gr ee, so a ttr ibution pla ces
r e s p o n s ib i l i ty w h ere i t bel ongs -- with the dir ector .
W inte rs in no rth e rn Maine are extremely cold, with several
s n owf al ls o f a f o o t o r mo re. I t's ha r d to im a gine a nyone not
k n o w i n g th at. B ut w h en you pr esent f igur es to expa nd on that
s t a t e m e nt, attri b u te th em to your sour ce. I t gives cr edibility
t o t h e n umb ers. M ost people know Ma ine is cold a nd snowy in
w i n t e r , bu t n ot man y kn ow how cold or how snowy. W hen you
s t a r t g e tti n g speci fi c, l et the exper ts do the ta lking.
K e ep i n mi n d th at fr om the r epor ter /wr iter 's sta ndpoint ,
it's n ev e r wro ng to inc lu de attrib ution. I t's ea sy to elimina te
a t t r i b u t i on i f th e edi tor believes it's not needed. However , i f
t h e e d i t or comes across a sta tement tha t needs a ttr ibution but
i s n o t a ttri bu ted, h e or she m ust stop copy editing a nd tr y to
f i n d o u t wh ere th e i n form a tion ca me f r om . So the r ule o f
t h u m b for attri b u ti on th at will ser ve you best is " Wh e n i n
d o ubt , at t r i but e ! "

6
Exercise
1 . T h e f o l l o w i n g st at e m e n t s c o n t ai n at t r i but i o n . P l ac e a
c h e c k m ar k be si d e t h o se y o u f e e l d o n o t n e e d at t r i but i o n .

_____ a. Th e n ew post excha nge’s gr a nd opening was

S a t u rd ay , sai d J oh n W. Ma r ks, PX m a na ger .

_____ b. Fort G eorge G. Mea de is loca ted ea st of t h e

i n t e r s ecti on of state highwa ys 198 a nd 32, a ccor ding to t h e
1 9 9 7 R an d-M cN al l y Road Atla s.

_ _ _ _ _ c. Th e comman d br ief ing is scheduled f or 9 a . m . Fr i day

i n t h e p ost h eadquarter s conf er ence r oom, the post a djut an t
said.

_ _ _ _ _ d . B ecause th e youth center must buy new helmets t o

meet stri cter safety r eq uir ements, the youth f oot ball
r e gi s t rati on fee wi l l go up $10 per pla yer next yea r , s aid
M i c h ael P. M cR an ey , ba se youth spor ts dir ector .

7
 Answers
1 . A , B a n d C d o n ot requ i re a ttr ibution.

I t e m A i s h i stori cal l y cor r ect.

I t e m B i s easi l y ve r if ia ble. I t's a f a ct tha t ca n't be

d i s p u t e d, an d th e i n forma tion is a va ila ble f r om a ny num ber o f
sources.

I t e m C i s a p l an n ed event, a nd the sta tem ent would not

a r o u s e con troversy .

I t e m D requi res attri bution. The youth center could r a ise

f e e s f o r vari ous reason s or f or no r ea son a t a ll. Attr ibution
l e t s r e a ders kn ow th e i n for ma tion ca m e f r om a n a uthor ita tive
s o u r c e . I f th ey h ave a pr oblem with the sta tem ent, they'll go
t o t h e you th sp orts d i rector , not you.

8
When is attribution needed?
Even i f a statement seems to meet the cr iter ia for
i n f o r mati on th at d oes not need a ttr ibution, som etim es the be s t
c o u r s e i s to attri bu te it a nywa y. I f , ba sed on the ma te r ial
p r e s en ted i n th e previous section, your impulse is to le t a
s t a t e men t stan d w i thout a ttr ibution, r un it thr ough t h e
f o l l o wi n g cri teri a fi rst:
Attri b u ti on i s re q uir ed f or policy cha nge sta tem e n t s .
A l t h ou g h most pol i cy cha nge sta tem ents ca n be ver ifie d,
p e o p le th ey affect w ant to know immedia tely wher e t h e
i n f o r mati on came from, especia lly if the cha nge a f f ects th e m
n e g a ti vel y :
Be c aus e o f wo rk lost to snow days in January, Brig. G en.
T h o mas L. Sac k , 1 s t Fighter W ing commander, announced tod ay
h e is us ing h is auth o rity under A ir Force R egulation 100- 1 to
mak e P re s ide nts D ay a normal working day f or people assigned
to th e wing. Th e attribution a nswer s the r ea der 's inevita ble
q u e s t i on – "S ay s wh o?" – a nd esta blishes the com m a nd e r ' s
a u t h ori ty to make people wor k on the holida y. People still may
n o t l i k e i t, b u t th ey won't get wr a pped up in q uestioning whos e
i d e a it w as or wh eth er the a ction is lega l.
T h e p o s t laundro mat will close permanently if vand als
con tinu e damagin g th e washers and dryers, according to Coll een
D . D udds , p o s t e x c hange manager. This is a str ong polic y
s t a t e men t; someon e h a s to ma ke a judgm ent ca ll. Rea d e r s
s h o u l d b e tol d w h o made the decision.
A t t r i but i o n i s n e e d e d f o r d i r e c t an d i n d i r e c t q uo t e s.
Th e exact words of a per son (dir ect q uotes) or the pa r a phr as e d
w o r d s of a person ( i n d i r ect q uotes) a lwa ys need a ttr ibution:
" Be c aus e o f an increase in shoplif ting, two new stor e
d e tec tiv e s will b e gin p atrolling the main post exchange Monday,"
s aid Gary L. M e ie r, P X manager. W hen using q uota tion ma r ks ,
w h i c h i d en ti fy a speaker 's exa ct wor ds, you m ust tell you r
r e a d ers w h ose w ord s they a r e.
In c re as e d s ho p lif ting has led to the hiring of two mor e
s tor e de te c tiv e s at the post exchange, said Gary L . Meier, PX
man age r. A l th oug h this ver sion does not use Meier 's ex ac t
w o r d s , i t p arap h rases wha t he sa id on the subject. Ther efor e ,
y o u mu st attri b u te th e sta tement.
A t t r i but i o n i s n e e d e d f o r o p i n i o n s o r f ac t s t h at ar e n o t
c o m m o n k n o w l e d g e o r c an n o t e asi l y be v e r i f i e d . Cit in g

9
s o u r c e s al l ows readers to eva lua te the cr edibility of the
s o u r c e s an d th e i n formati on:
J ob p e rf o rmanc e is the most important f actor when
p r o mo tio n b o ards lo o k at senior NCOs' records, the chief master
s e r g ean t o f the Air F o rc e s aid. Given the sour ce, the sta tement
c a r r i e s some wei g h t, b u t it's still a n opinion. Some m ight
disagree.
M emb e rs o f th e div ision are in top physical cond ition, L t.
Ge n . R uf u s T . Butte rwo rth, the commanding general, said. A t
d i v i s i o n l evel , th e C G i s pr oba bly the per son in the bes t
p o s i t i o n to make th at assessm ent a nd cer ta inly is the m ost
a u t h o r i t ati ve source. A t the com pa ny level, the sta tem ent
w o u l d be most cred i bl e coming f r om the compa ny com m a nder
o r f i r s t serg ean t. I n an y event, it's a n opinion, a nd it needs
a t t r i b u t ion .
M ore than 2 00 s o ldiers were treated f or sunburn at the
p o s t cl in ic las t ye ar, ac cording to Maj. Carl O. Durkee, the
cl in ic's s taf f de rmato lo gis t. This is a f a ct, but it's not com m on
k n o w l e d g e. Al th oug h th e inf or m a tion is histor ica lly cor r ect
a n d m i g h t be easi l y veri f ia ble, a nother r ule of thum b ta kes
p r e f e r e n ce: A l w ay s at t r i but e m e d i c al i n f o r m at i o n .
Ad din g a te as p o o n o f salt to a pot of water will make the
wate r co me to a b o il f as ter, said Chief Petty Of f icer Justin T .
W il so n , a me s s s p e c ialis t at the Naval T raining Center. This is
a f a c t , but even man y exper ienced cooks might not know it .
R e a d e r s mi g h t d oubt th e inf or ma tion's r elia bility wer e it not
a t t r i b u t e d to a credi bl e sour ce.
W h en l ocal i z i n g a pr ess r elea se, ma ke sur e you use
p r o p e r attri b u ti on , i n th e f or m of a t a g line a t the end of the
s t o r y, for th at i n forma tion. You will a lso use pr oper
a t t r i b u t ion , i n th e form of f ull identif ica tion, f or the
i n f o r m a t i on y ou g ath ered loca lly. I t is not necessa r y to
a t t r i b u t e to th e p oi n t of conta ct listed on the r elea se, nor is it
u s u a l l y n ecessary to l i st the da te of the pr ess r elea se, unless
i t h a s a di rect con n ecti on to the inf or ma tion.
I f someon e i s qu oted dir ectly or indir ectly in the r elea se ,
a t t r i b u t e to th at person . At the end of your stor y put a ta g
l i n e . F o r examp l e: ( In forma tion f r om a n Air For ce Pr int News
r e l e a s e was used i n th i s st or y. )

E x a m p l e s o f attri b u ti o n :
. . . , s a i d D r. S teven E . Ra m a n, institute consulta nt. (first
r e f e r e n ce to Raman)
. . . , s a i d R aman or R aman sa id. (second reference t o R aman)

10
 Exercise
1 . P l a c e a ch eck mark by the sta tements you f eel need
a t t r i bu ti on .

_ _ _ _ _ a. Th e vi cti m d i ed of inter na l injur ies.

_ _ _ _ _ b. Ai rman C l y d e E. Plyler wa s na med the ba se Air ma n of

t h e Year tod ay .

_ _ _ _ _ c. Th e Pen n C entr a l Ra ilr oa d, esta blished in 1896, f ir s t

l i n k e d N ew York an d P i ttsbur gh.

_ _ _ _ _ d . M ost peop l e do not r ea lize wha t is good f or the m

u n l e ss someon e tel l s them.

_ _ _ _ _ e. J on es i s th e m ost q ua lif ied ca ndida te f or the positi on .

_ _ _ _ _ f. Th e p ost' s open house, which netted $2, 300 for

m o r a l e, w el fare an d recr ea tion a ctivities, wa s a huge succes s .

_ _ _ _ _ g . Th e l i brary ' s oper a ting hour s a r e 10 a . m . to 4 p .m .

d a i l y.

_ _ _ _ _ h . Th e revi sed te xt will be ea sier to under sta nd tha n t h e

o r i gi nal versi on .

_ _ _ _ _ i . Th e p arki n g l ot ha s spa ces f or 800 ca r s.

_____ j. A d i et ri ch i n V ita min C is the best pr otection a ga in s t

colds.

_ _ _ _ _ k . Th e pow er outa ge wa s ca used by a sq uir r el chew in g

t h r o ug h a w i re.

_____ l. B eg i n n i n g i n October , Air For ce people must we ar

r a n k i n si g n i a as wel l a s the bla ck lea ther na m e pa tch on th e ir
B DU s.

_ _ _ _ _ m. P remi u m un lea ded ga soline costs mor e tha n r egu lar

u n l e ad ed g asol i n e.

_ _ _ _ _ n . Fai l ure to cha nge the oil a nd f ilter r egula r ly is t h e

m o s t common cau se of pr em a tur e engine wea r .

11
 Answers
1 . A , D, E , F, H , J , K, L an d N

I t e m A i s med i cal i n format ion.

I t e m B i s an easi l y veri fi able f a ct.

I t e m C i s h i stori cal l y tru e.

I t e m D i s op i n i on .

I t e m E i s op i n i on .

I t e m F i s opi n i on .

I t e m G i s an easi l y veri fi able f a ct, not contr over sia l.

I t e m H i s op i n i on .

I t e m I i s an easi l y veri fi ab le f a ct, not contr over sia l.

I t e m J i s medi cal op i n i on .

I t e m K i s a fact, bu t i s n ot com m on knowledge.

I t e m L i s a p ol i cy statement.

I t e m M is common k n ow l edge.

I t e m N i s opi n i on .

A case cou l d be made one wa y or the other f or som e of

t h e s e e xamp l es. Th e qu estion of a ttr ibution is not a n a bsolute
s c i e n c e . Remember, i f y ou'r e not sur e whether a sta tem ent
n e e d s attri bu ti on , u se at tr ibution. Your editor ca n a lwa ys
r e m o v e attri b u ti on b u t ma y not ha ve tim e to tr a ck down a
s o u r c e i f attri bu ti on i s n ee ded.

12
How is attribution used?
O n ce a rep orter deter mines a ttr ibution is needed, it ' s
t i m e to deci de h ow b est to use it.

Di r e c t q uo t e s
Th e exact words of a spea ker a r e pla ced inside q uota t ion
m a r k s, an d th e sen ten ce str uctur e must link the wor ds to t h e
s p e a ker:
T he ge ne ral was s hocked. "I' ve never seen such waste," he
said. Th e g en eral ' s w or ds a r e within q uota tion ma r ks, a nd t h e
s e n t e n ce stru ctu re l i n ks the wor ds to him.
" Sinc e we are c r itic ally short of salt, we will use sand on
th e s ide ro ads , " the p ost engineer said. "In add ition, we will
k e e p o ur p lo ws running all night, if necessary. W e hope to have
th e p ark in g lo ts c le ar by 7 a.m." W ith a r unning q uote of t wo
o r more sen ten ces, u sing a ttr ibution once per pa r a gr a ph is
s u f f i ci en t to ti e th e words to the spea ker .
" A majo r re o rganiz ation of the program of instruction will
b e g in ne x t mo n th , " said Col. R alph T . Jones, sch ool
commandant. " We hope to f inish the project by June 1."
N o r mal l y , wh at was sa id is m or e im por ta nt tha n who sa id it .
Th e r e fore, i t' s u su al l y best to pla ce the a ttr ibution a f ter a
o n e - sen ten ce qu otati on, or a f ter the f ir st sentence of a mult i-
s e n t en ce quotati on . N o f ur ther a ttr ibution is necessa r y in t h at
p a r a graph .
For comp l ete deta ils on the mecha nics of ha ndling dir e c t
q u o t ati on s, refer to y our stylebook f or the q uo t at i o n s i n t h e
n e w s e n t r y i n th e ma in section a nd the q uo t at i o n m a r k s
e n t r y i n th e p u n ctu ati on section.

I n d i r e c t q uo t at i o n s
Attri b u ti on i sn ' t r eser ved only f or those times w h e n
r e p o r ters use th e sourc e's exa ct wor ds. I t's a lso needed w h e n
r e p o r ters ch oose th eir own wor ds to expr ess inf or m at ion
o b t a i n ed from a sou rce . As a wr iter , you m ight pa r a phr a se t o
g e t aroun d spok en g ramma tica l er r or s on the spea ker 's par t ,
o r w h en a speak er' s wor ds ma ke a sta tement m or e com ple x
t h a n i t sh ou l d b e:
" A s tu de nt mus t do their homework every night," the
in s tr uc to r s aid. Th i s quote conta ins a gr a m m a tica l er r or . B y
p a r a p h rasi n g , y ou can cor r ect the spea ker 's gr a mmar ;
h o w e ver, th e statemen t still needs a ttr ibution: Students must

13
d o th eir h o me wo rk e v e ry night, the instructor said. Note
r e m o v a l of th e quotati on m a r ks.
" In o rde r to ac h ie v e the optimum saf ety environment, I
in s tr u cte d the s tu de nts to extinguish their smoking materials
an d p r o c e e d to th e in te rio r of the building," Smith said. Being
c a r e f u l n ot to ch an g e the spea ker 's mea ning, you would
p a r a p h r ase th at quote to m a ke it less stilted a nd f or ma l:
S mith s aid th at, f o r s af e ty' s sake, he told the students to put
o u t th e ir c igare tte s and go inside. Notice the a ttr ibution m oved
f r o m t h e en d of th e sentence in the dir ect q uote to the
b e gi n n i n g of th e sen ten ce in the indir ect q uote.
Th e re' s n o speci al r ule gover ning the pla cem ent of
a t t r i b u t ion i n i n di rect quotes. Let your ea r be your guide ;
s o m e t i mes i t j u st sou n ds better a t the beginning, middle or
end. Th e i mp ortan t th ing to r em ember is to include the
a t t r i b u t ion an d ti e i t to t he spea ker 's sta tement, just a s you
w o u l d wi th a d i rect quote.
I f it' s un cl ear wh eth er the cited sour ce is r esponsible f or
t w o p i e c es of i n formati on pa r a phr a sed in a single pa r a gr a ph,
i t ' s b e s t to attri bu te b oth sta tements:
T h e ge ne ral s aid all Soldier Support Center f acil ities wil l
cl os e two h o urs e arly e ac h Friday to conserve f uel. T he Finance
C e n te r an d D e f e ns e In f o rmation School will continue to observe
th e ir n ormal h o urs . Th e f ir st sentence clea r ly ca me f r om the
general. Th e i n formati on in the second sentence m a y ha ve
c o m e f r om h i m, too, b u t t he r ea der ca n't be sur e. Assuming
a l l t h e in formati on di d come f r om the gener a l, her e's how the
p a s s a ge sh oul d read: T he general said all Soldier Suppor t
C e n te r f ac ilitie s will c lo se two hours early each Friday to
con se r v e f u e l. T h e Finance Center and Def ense Inf ormation
S ch o o l will c o n tin ue to o bserve their normal hours, he added .
N o w t h e re can be n o d oubt a s to the sour ce of the inf or m a tion.

A t t r i but i v e v e r bs
A n attri b u ti ve verb links a sta tem ent to its sour ce a nd
i n d i c a t e s th e act of speak ing:
T h e c o lo ne l th o ugh t the exercise went well. The a ttr ibutive
v e r b i n th i s sen ten ce – "thought" – is not used cor r ectly. I t
i m p l i e s t h e w ri ter coul d rea d the colonel's m ind. Cor r ect: T he
col o n el said h e tho ugh t th e exercise went well. Sta y a wa y f r om
a t t r i b u t ive verbs th at d eal with thoughts, belief s a nd f eelings .
R e p o r t e rs can on l y kn ow about such things if the sour ce tells
t h e m a b out th em. Th erefor e, the a ttr ibution should m a ke it

14
c l e a r th e source pu t t hose thoughts, belief s or f eelings in t o
words.
J ust as p eop l e ca n't "think" wor ds to a r epor ter , t h e y
c a n ' t "smi l e," "g ri n ," "bea m, " "f r own, " "cough" or "gulp" t h e ir
s e n t e n ces:
" T e ac h ing at D INFOS is the best job I' ve ever had," he
s mil ed. Un l ess h e was using a modif ied ver sion of Mor se c ode
– l o n g smi l es for dash e s a nd shor t ones f or dots – you'd writ e :
" T eac hing at D IN F OS is the best job I' ve ever had," he said with
a s mile . R ememb er, at tr ibutive ver bs m ust connote the a c t of
s p e a ki n g .
I f, for vari ety or ef f ect, you decide to use a n a ttr ibut iv e
v e r b oth er th an "sai d," be sur e to choose the ver b ca r ef u lly.
M a n y attri b u ti ve verbs a r e com m only m isused:
Th e exerci se was a gr ea t success, he pointed out. W h e n
s p e a kers "p oi n t ou t" or "note" som ething, they a r e ca l lin g
a t t e n ti on to a matter of f a ct. I t's incor r ect to ha ve spea ke r s
" p o i n t out" or "n ote" their opinions. Although "sa id" is
p r o b ab l y th e best ch oi c e f or a n a ttr ibutive ver b in this ca s e , a
w r i t e r ben t on usi n g a dif f er ent wor d would ha ve done be t t e r
w i t h "d ecl ared."
T h e h o s pital c o mmander said the main entrance to the p ost
h os p ital is s c h e dule d to be closed on weekdays starting Mar c h
1 . T h e ac u te c are c linic will be the only weekend entranc e to
th e h o s p ital af te r th at d ate, he explained. The second sente n c e
d o e s n ot expl ai n the f ir st. I t sim ply pr ovides mor e
i n f o r mati on . Th e second sentence should r ea d: T he acute car e
cen te r will b e th e o nly weekend entrance to the hosp ital af te r
th at date , h e adde d.
I t' s O K to use "expla ined" a s a n a ttr ibutive ver b when t h e
s p e a ker g i ves a reason f or a sta tement or is ma king som ethin g
p l a i n or more u n derstanda ble: T he hospital c ommander said the
main e ntranc e to th e p ost hospital will b e closed on weeke nd s
s tar ting M arc h 1. T h e change will permit adequate security f or
th e building du ring min imum manning periods, he explained.

15
Said, said, said
Th e most effecti ve at tr ibutive ver b is "sa id. " I t does not
p r e t e n d to i n terp ret a per son's thoughts, f eelings, a ttitude or
intent. I t' s n eutral – j ust a s a r epor ter should be. Some
r e p o r t e r s may fear u si n g "sa id" r epea tedly would bor e the
reader. I n real i ty , most r ea der s pa y little a ttention to
a t t r i b u t ive verbs excep t to note m enta lly tha t such wor ds link
t h e s t a t emen t to someon e. I f someone sa id something, it's
n e v e r w ron g to wri te h e or she sa id it.

Nothing personal
I n tervi ew subj ects w ill of ten use per sona l pr onouns –- I ,
m e , m y , w e, u s, ou r, etc. I t's f ine to use them in dir ec t
q u o t e s , bu t wh en th e quot a tion ma r ks go a wa y, so should the
p e r s o n a l p ron oun s:
" My e rro r c o s t u s the game," said Flyers shortstop Mike
C amp b e ll. I t' s O K to u se "my" a nd "us" in this ca se beca use
t h e y a r e th e speak er' s exa ct wor ds used a s a dir ect q uote, a s
d e n o t e d b y quotati on marks. But, if the wr iter chose to q uote
t h e b a l l p l ay er i n di rectl y , the per sona l pr onouns would ha ve to
b e c h a n g ed : Flye rs s h o rts top Mike Campbell said his error cost
h is te am the game . "M y er r or " in the spea ker 's wor ds becomes
h is er r o r i n th e wri ter' s wor ds. Unless they'r e inside q uota tion
m a r k s , person al p ron oun s r ef er to the wr iter in the r ea der 's
m i n d . For successful attribution when q uoting indir ectly, use
t h i r d - p e rson pron oun s or nouns in pla ce of the spea ker 's f ir st -
p e r s o n p ron oun s.

16
Exercise
Us i n g st an d ar d c o p y e d i t i n g sy m bo l s, e d i t t he f o llo wi ng
s t a t e m e n t s:

a. Th e comman dan t sa id he does not wa nt the cur r iculu m

c h a n g ed because "h e thinks it is doing the best job poss ible
now.
"
b . “ Wi th l uck, an d a l ot of wor k, " he sa id. "we should m a k e it
t h r o ug h th e wi n ter.
"
c. Th e secretary of def ense sa id toda y in W a shington t h at
f i g h t e r un i ts from four a llied na tions will pa r ticipa te wit h
A m e ri can un i ts i n the W illia m Tell Air -to-a ir Com bat
C o m peti ti on at Ty n dal l Air For ce Ba se, Fla . , in October .

d. Th e woman ap pea r ed conf used. "I don't see how t h at

h e r o i n g ot i n to my p u rs e.
"
e . “ Y ou can i n terpret i t a ny wa y you wa nt, " he gr inned.

f . “ Y ou are to be commended f or your ef f or ts to sa ve lives aft e r

t h e b arracks expl osi on , " he expla ined.

g . Th e E n l i sted Wi ves Club will pr esent a f r ee puppet show at

t h e post th eater at 10 a . m. Sa tur da y, a ccor ding to the the at e r
m a n a g er.

h . “ I f w e h ave to cl ose school, cla ss schedules will ha ve to be

m a d e up," h e sai d. "This mea ns som e cla sses will ha ve to be
m a d e up on S atu rd ay s , " he continued. "I hope this ca n be
a v o i d ed," h e added.

17
 Answer
N o matter w h at sy m bols you used, the f ollowing should
b e t h e r e su l ts y ou p rodu ced:

a. Th e c o m man d an t sai d he does not wa nt the cur r iculum

c h a n g e d b ecause h e th i n ks it is doing the best job possible
n o w . ( n o qu otatio n mark s )

b. " W i t h lu ck, an d a l ot of wor k, " he sa id, "we should ma ke it

t h r o u g h th e w i n ter." (c o mma af ter sa i d )

c. F i gh t e r u n i ts from fou r a llied na tions will pa r ticipa te with

A m e r i c a n u n i ts i n th e W illia m Tell Air -to-a ir Comba t
C o m p e t i ti on at Ty n dal l A ir For ce Ba se, Fla . , in October , the
s e c r e t a ry of defen se sa id toda y in W a shington. (move
attr ibutio n to e nd)

d . Th e w o m an appeared con f used. "I don't see how tha t her oin
go t i n t o my p u rse," sh e sa id. (tie quote to woman with sh e
sa i d )

e. " Y o u c a n i n terpret i t an y wa y you wa nt, " he sa id with a gr in .

( ch an g e h e g r i n n e d to h e sa i d wi t h a g r i n )

f. " Y o u a r e to b e commen ded f or your ef f or ts to sa ve lives a f ter

t h e b a r racks expl osi on ," h e sa id. (change e x p l a i n e d to sa i d )

g . Th e E n l i sted Wi ves C l u b will pr esent a f r ee puppet show a t the

p o s t t heater at 10 a.m . Sa tur da y. (remove unnecessary
attr ibutio n )

h . " I f w e have to cl ose sch ool, cla ss schedules will ha ve to be

m a d e u p ," h e sai d. "Th i s mea ns som e cla sses will ha ve to be
m a d e u p on S atu rd ay s. I hope this ca n be a voided. " (remove
q u o te in te rrup tio n and de lete unnecessary attrib ution at end)

18
Attribution test
Using standard copy editing symbols, copy edit the following story to
include proper attribution. Col. John A. Stamp, base dental surgeon, is
the source of all information and quotations in the story. You may find
it helpful to refer to the "quotations in the news" and "quotation marks"
entries in your stylebook. Turn this booklet in to your instructor at the
assigned deadline; he or she will check your work.

DENTAL

Children's Dental Health Week is set for Monday through Friday here.
Dentists and preventive dentistry technicians from the dental clinic
will visit classrooms at the base elementary school to make children more
aware of their teeth and what is necessary to maintain them for a lifetime.
During elementary school years, children's teeth are often ignored
unless a toothache develops. "Well-meaning parents frequently neglect
their children's teeth, thinking they are only 'baby teeth' and will soon be
lost anyway. They are reluctant to invest time and money in them. What
these parents fail to understand is that the primary, or 'baby,' teeth assist
in the chewing of food and preserve space for incoming permanent teeth."
Children usually keep the last of their primary teeth until they are 11
or 12 years old. At age 6, the first permanent tooth has usually erupted
behind primary teeth. If the primary teeth are not cared for, the permanent
teeth may also not receive care and be lost.
The colonel believes some parents are just negligent. "I am on a
campaign to educate such parents." Neglecting a child's teeth is abuse.
Except for emergencies, children will be given top priority at the dental
clinic during Children's Dental Health Week.
A person should reach adulthood with 32 teeth. Only good dental care
will make this possible.
30

19