📘 CodingMarble Learn

Quoting and Citing Sources Properly

When you use someone else's words, idea or numbers, you must show it. Put exact words in quote marks, put ideas in your own words, and name the source every time. Numbers are good evidence only with their source, size and year. This is honest, helps readers check you, and avoids plagiarism.

🎬 Step-by-step story

  1. Your report is a wall of bricks. All bricks are blue: your own words and ideas.
  2. Three bricks were borrowed (orange) with no marks and no names. That is copying, and it is not honest.
  3. For an exact sentence, put quote marks around it and name the source. One brick is now honest (green).
  4. For someone's idea, write it in your own words, but still name the source. The idea is theirs.
  5. For a number, write the source, the size of the survey and the year next to it. Now all three bricks are honest.
  6. Free play: switch the marks and the source tags on and off and see which brick becomes honest.

Tip: drag the 3D scene to turn it. Use two fingers to zoom.

🤔 Common doubts, cleared

Why are the borrowed bricks orange and not blue?

Blue means your own words. Orange means the idea came from outside. Seeing the colour reminds you to credit the owner.

I changed a few words. Why is it still copying?

The idea and sentence shape are still the writer's. In the 3D the brick stays orange until you add a source or write it fully in your own words.

Why do exact words need quote marks, but ideas do not?

Marks tell the reader these are the writer's exact words. An idea in your words is yours to say, but the idea itself still needs the source tag.

If it is in my own words, why must I still name the source?

Because you did not invent the idea. The tag turns the brick green: honest.

Why does a number need so many details?

A number alone cannot be checked. Source, size and year let readers test it, so it counts as evidence.

Which tags does each brick need?

Exact sentence: marks and source. Idea: source. Number: source with size and year. Try each box in free play.

Quoting and citing sources

A source is where information comes from: a book, a website, a newspaper, a talk or a survey. When you use a source, you must tell the reader. This is called citing.

Three ways to use a source

Why we cite

  1. It is honest. The idea belongs to someone.
  2. It lets the reader check your facts.
  3. It makes your writing stronger, because it shows you read good sources.

What to write

A simple note has: author or group, title, year, where to find it. In the text you can write (Rao, 2023) or "According to Rao (2023)...". At the end, add a short list of all sources.

Plagiarism means showing another person's words or ideas as your own. Copying and pasting, or changing only a few words, is plagiarism. Common knowledge (for example, water boils at 100 degrees C at sea level) does not need a source.

Quote carefully

Do not change the words inside the marks. If you cut some words, show it with three dots (...). Keep the quote short and explain why you used it. Never let a quote stand alone: add one line of your own before or after it.

Using data as evidence

Numbers make a claim strong, but only if the reader can trust them. A number without a source is just a rumour.

Say five things about a number

  1. What was counted or measured.
  2. Who collected it (the source).
  3. How many people or cases (the sample size).
  4. When (the year).
  5. The meaning: one sentence on why it supports your claim.

Example: "In a 2023 survey of 2,000 students by a city education office, 72% slept less than eight hours." Then add: "So most students are short of sleep, which supports later school start times."

Use numbers fairly

Percent check: 72% of 2,000 is 0.72 × 2,000 = 1,440 students.

Try it yourself

Take one paragraph from a book or website. Write it three ways: (1) copy one sentence in quote marks with the source, (2) paraphrase another idea in your own words with the source, (3) write one number with who, how many and when. Then ask a friend to find the source from your note alone. In the 3D, turn every tag on and watch all bricks turn green.

Key formulas and definitions

Worked examples

1. A book says: "Banyan trees can live for hundreds of years." You want to use it in your report. Write it as a quote and as a paraphrase.

Quote: The writer says, "Banyan trees can live for hundreds of years" (Mehta, 2019). Paraphrase: Some banyan trees stay alive for centuries (Mehta, 2019). Both name the source. Only the quote uses marks.

2. A student writes: "72% of children are tired in class." What is missing, and how can it be fixed?

The source, the number asked and the year are missing. Fix: "In a 2023 survey of 2,000 students by the city education office, 72% said they feel tired in class." Now a reader can check it.

3. Original: "Plastic bags block drains, so rain water floods the street." A student writes: "Plastic bags block drains, so rain water floods the roads." Is this honest?

No. Only one word was changed, so it is still copying. Either use quote marks and a source, or rewrite fully: "When drains get choked by bags, the water has nowhere to go and the road floods (Khan, 2021)."

4. A survey of 2,000 students shows 72% sleep under eight hours. How many students is that, and how would you use it in a sentence?

72% of 2,000 = 0.72 × 2,000 = 1,440 students. Sentence: "In a 2023 city survey (2,000 students), 1,440 students, or 72%, slept under eight hours, so sleep loss is common."

Common mistakes

Practice quiz

1. Exact words from a source go:
2. Paraphrasing means:
3. Plagiarism is:
4. Which makes a number a strong piece of evidence?
5. Which fact needs NO source?

Practice: answer these yourself

Type or choose your answer, then press Check. Use a hint if you are stuck; the full solution appears after you answer.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between quoting and paraphrasing?

A quote copies the exact words and uses quote marks. A paraphrase gives the same idea in your own words. Both need the source named.

How do I cite a website in a school report?

Write the author or group, the page title, the year, the website name and the address. In the text, give the author and year, for example (Rao, 2023). Add the full note in a list at the end.

How much can I quote?

Keep quotes short, a line or two. Use them when the exact words are special or very clear. Most of your report should be in your own words.

Learn first

Learn next

Related lessons

All Social Science lessons