Can I Quote You on That?
By Kelle Campbell

A well-placed quote can set the whole mood of your writing, adding authority, wit, or pizzazz. However, like all powerful tools, the quotation needs proper handling.

Quoting Others

If you're an employee of a company or doing a project for a business client, you probably will have to submit your work to an approval process. As a result, you may encounter executives or lawyers who'll suck the vigor out of your best quotes. Since it is essentially their work, cooperate as much as you can and strive for a compromise if the quote has been rendered bland.

You don't have that restriction when you're writing a piece for a newspaper or magazine. However, you should protect your interests by keeping careful notes, avoiding fragmentary quotes, and resisting the urge to grammatically "fix" the interviewee's words.

If the interviewee's language is too awkward to use, you can always use of an indirect quote, e.g., "He said that sales revenues from widgets were the best in a decade." You can also e-mail the subject and ask for clarification on a particular point. The e-mailed reply is usually usable.

Writing Quotes Properly

When using quotations in your articles and essays, you need to be aware of the particulars of proper presentation. Quotes can be either integrated into the text with quotation marks or, if over five lines, set off from the rest of the text in a block quote (without quotation marks). In general, full quotes are better than fragmentary ones, and special attention should be paid to being as accurate as possible.

Stylebooks have differing conventions concerning the details of citing sources. For example, some publications require APA (American Psychological Association) methods of citing another's work. That means you place the author's last name and the year of the quoted piece's publication in parentheses beside the appropriate text as well as include a complete reference in a reference list at the end of your own piece. If you're only paraphrasing the author's words, inclusion in the reference list is not necessary.

However, publications use different style manuals and a few create their own, so you should always check to see if they have any special rules regarding quotations. Here's a sampling of the most commonly used manuals:

· The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law (Perseus Books Group, 2002)-- for journalists and public relations practitioners

· The Chicago Manual of Style: The Essential Guide for Writers, Editors, and Publishers, 15th ed. (University of Chicago Press, 2004)

· UPI Stylebook and Guide to Newswriting (Capital Books, 2004)

· The MLA Style Manual (Modern Language Association, 1998)-- for scholarly, literary and academic works

· Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5^th ed. (American Psychological Association, 2001)-- often used by publications focusing on education, healthcare, business, and so on

· Wired Style (Publishers Group West, 1997)-- or high-tech issues other stylebooks may bypass

You should also bear in mind international usages of quotation marks. The basic punctuation rules for American English are that periods and commas are always placed inside quotation marks while colons and semicolons are always placed outside. Question marks and exclamation marks depend on the "logic" of the sentence for their placement. That is, if they're part of the quote, they go inside the marks; otherwise they are placed outside.

However, Britain and some other countries prefer to apply the same logic guiding the location of question marks and exclamation marks to the placement of periods and the commas. If you have an assignment with a foreign client or publication, take extra time to double-check their punctuation rules.

Creative Uses for Quotations

Although we've focused on using quotes for articles, essays, and books, quotations are quite handy in a variety of formats like the ones below:

Testimonials: Positive comments from editors and clients have more credibility than anything that you could say about yourself. Quotes also underscore that you have helped people who were in situations similar to that of the reader's. You can place quotes like these on your website, proposals, or in your press kit.

When you're using someone's words as a testimonial, always make sure that you have their permission. It is also acceptable to ask for one. You can either ask them to send you a testimonial or you can jot down their comments over the telephone and read it back for their approval. A nice touch is to ask for suggestions for improvement as well as positive comments (of course, you won't include the suggestions in the final testimonial).

Ask for testimonials from more people than you think will be necessary. Some people may provide comments that are not usable for some reason or other, and others may not be allowed to or feel comfortable with being quoted.

Also, identify your sources in a way that makes your readers feel as if these are the words of a real person. Instead of praise from "D. J., Oklahoma," use the full name, the business title (if appropriate), and either the organization's name or the town and state.

Speeches: Some speakers overuse famous quotations, but occasionally you will come across one that fits perfectly with what you have to say, in which case put it in. Of course, all quotes won't come from sources such as Bartlett's Familiar Quotations (Little,Brown, 2002). Speakers may also quote industry or opinion leaders to reinforce their message.

Digital Signatures: They are also great add-ons to digital signatures. In both cases, they add a touch of fun and personality. "I used to use lots of different quotes but kept getting the best reaction to the one I have now used for eight or more years,” says entertainment publicist Kelly J. Kitchens. Her digital signature ends with a quote from Mae West: "It is better to be looked over than overlooked."

Kitchens uses the quote on her cards as well and has found that it makes a great conversation starter. People often tell her their own favorite Mae West quote or a comeback quip from WC Fields. Other times, it just captures attention and raises the conversation to a more personal level.

Newsletters and e-zines: Every weekday, I receive an e-newsletter called Early to Rise, and each issue starts with a quote from a famous person that echoes the theme of the main article. Other publications simply use quotes as amusing, inspiring, or thought-provoking fillers.

No matter how you use quotes, the important thing is not to go overboard. Quotes can easily be overused, especially in speeches. If you rely too much on the words of others, people may assume that you yourself have nothing to say, and you know that's not true.  

Kelle Campbell is a freelance writer specializing in feature articles and public relations materials. She also publishes The Public Relations Writer, a biweekly e-newsletter with writing-related tips for communication professionals. Subscribe by sending a blank e-mail to prwriter-subscribe@topica.com or visit her at www.kcwriter.com.

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