Annette Taylor, in response to many who wrote to say that they have
prohibited the use of quotations in student papers, writes on 19 May
99,:
> I am also going to adopt the formula others on the list, and after talking
> about this with colleagues, in my department, use of limiting the number
> of quotations allowed.
I don't outlaw or limit the number of quotations but I do explain to the
students why they are usually inappropriate. My statement to students
on quotations in APA style is simple. If the way something is said is as
important as what is said, use a quotation.
For example, take the quotation I have been using in my signature file,
"The plural of anecdote is not data." by Roger Brinner, an economist
with Data Resources International. I could paraphrase that as, "Brinner
has said that 'no matter how many uncontrolled observations you have
made, they do not weigh as heavily in evidence as a representative
sample of controlled empirical observations." However, paraphrasing it
would lose the pithy, epigrammatic quality of the original and, in this
case, I would use the quote because the precise wording makes the
point. In all other cases, you should paraphrase.
I tell them that the use of quotations makes it look to me like they don't
know what the material means. It's like, "I don't know what this means
but you are the teacher and I am sure you know what it means so I am
going to include it and let you figure it out". It is bad writing to put
anything in your paper that you don't understand (even if it is in
quotation marks and properly attributed.) I also tell students it is
usually pretty obvious to me when this happens. It seems to work for
me; I don't believe I had any inappropriate quotes in the Research
Methods papers I received last semester.
Rick
Dr. Rick Froman
Psychology Department
Box 3055
John Brown University
Siloam Springs, AR 72761
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.jbu.edu/sbs/psych
Office: (501)524-7295
Fax: (501)524-9548
"The plural of anecdote is not data."
- Roger Brinner, Economist, Data Resources International
