The Source Said

• Information received from an interviewee may be paraphrased or quoted directly.




Definitions

• Paraphrasing: Putting the information from the source into your own words.


• If Bob Hotdog is quoted during an interview saying, "Those Seton Hill kids sure are great." the writer could paraphrase him by saying: According to Bob Hotdog, Seton Hill kids are great. Since Bob's exact words aren't being used, quotes are not necessary around his statement as long as the writer makes sure the opinionated sentence is still attributed to him. This is done by the use of the words According to.


• Direct Quote: Taking a source's exact words and putting them in quotation marks with the correct punctuation.


• If Bob says, "I think Seton Hill is a great learning experience and a chance for every individual to expand their liberal arts curriculum and mindset." and the writer feels this quote is direct-quote worthy, the writer can replicate it exactly in their article by means of quotation marks: "I think Seton HIll is a great learning experience and a chance for every individual to expand their liberal arts curriculum and mindset," said Hotdog. If a direct quote is used, it is important to attribute it (said Hotdog) and show the direct usage by enclosing it in quotation marks. The proper punctation surrounding direct quotes is something a writer must also pay attention to. Notice the comma is inside the quotation marks and the period signifying the end of the sentence is after the name of the source (Bob).


• As a writer, you should never cite yourself or your opinion in your story. If there are any opinions within your article, they must be quoted or attributed to a source other than yourself.

For example:

• If the baseball team is horrible and an interviewee states this, you can quote it in your story since the opinion is being attributed to someone else. "I think the baseball team is horrible," said Lewis Jones



As opposed to:

• If you think that the baseball team is horrible, you cannot just say in your story, "I think that the baseball team is wretched," said me.


• Keep your writing objective. This means you must present an equally informative view for both sides of an issue. Do not favor one side or another. If you do have someone quoted as thinking the baseball team is horrible, you should also try to have a positive quote about the team to keep the balance of the article.

For example:

• "I think the baseball team has showed alot of progression from their first initial season. They are continuing to improve," said Francis Block

As opposed to:

• Another negative quote. "They are the worst team I've seen in years!" said Marcia Good