Attributing and Quoting

There are various instances in which attribution is useful in writing. Within a TEEPEE paragraph you may find attribution in the evidence section, or in the purpose and effect sections, depending on the type of information being included. Below are some instances in which attribution is helpful: 

• any second-hand information

• criticisms or controversial positions 

• all quote types (direct and indirect)

What aspects of a person or source do I attribute?

This really depends on the evidence you are presenting and how it fits within the argument or claim you are making. However, here are some basic components that may be seen in an attribution:

• Full name (person or entity)

• Job or position 

• Relationship to evidence

• Evidence type (novel, feature film, etc)

• Evidence delivery (says, wrote, etc)

How do I attribute quotes?

• If the quote is long, put the attribution first. For example:

Oscar Wilde, author of Dorian Gray, writes, “Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault. Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope. They are the elect to whom beautiful things mean only Beauty. There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all.”

• If the attribution is long, reverse the order. For example:

“The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame," noted Dorian Gray, the lead antagonist of the noval Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.

• To give variety to your sentence structure you may break up the quote and include attribution in the middle. For example:

“You will always be fond of me," Dorian says to Basil, and continues with, "I represent to you all the sins you never had the courage to commit.”