In the “Art of Quoting” section of “They Say/I Say”: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing, Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein lay out techniques to use when integrating the words of others into your own writing. They make the argument that integrating a quote that is relatable to the topic of your writing can give your writing credibility. The authors further expand on this idea, writing, “In a sense, then, quotations function as a kind of proof of evidence, saying to readers: ‘Look, I’m not just making this up. She makes this claim and here it is in her exact words.’” (p. 42). In other words, quotations can help back up your ideas in your writing, supporting them. This is a skill that I am very familiar with and agree with wholeheartedly. I have been taught that this is important especially in persuasive writing, when you want to convince the reader of something. I have found that quoting others can also help me focus my writing on the point I am trying to get across. Building off of a quote can help strengthen my writing.
The authors also discuss how quotes should never just be plopped into your writing. They should be set up, framed, to support your writing and to help the reader’s understanding. Part of this is explaining the quotation in the context of your writing. The authors explain why it is important to explain the quote to your reader; “Your readers need to see what you make of the material you’ve quoted, if only to be sure that your reading of the material and theirs is on the same page” (p. 50). In essence, explaining a quotation to your readers increases their understanding, and helps them engage with your writing more. If the reader has different interpretations of the reading than you do, reading yours will make them think about why their interpretation is different. Possibly it will change their interpretation of the reading. The author’s reasoning for this skill has shown me its significance in writing and has made me realize that it is something that I can improve on in my writing.
