Shanna is writing a research paper about the themes in Hamlet. One source she is using includes the quotation: "Hamlet taught us
all how to be human." Should Shanna quote this directly or paraphrase it in her paper? Why? A. She should paraphrase it because it is not a statistic nor a fact. B. She should quote it in order to avoid plagiarism. C. She should quote it because the wording is creative and unique. D. She should paraphrase it because it is not the focus of her paper.
The correct answer is C. She should quote it because the wording is creative and unique.
Explanation:
Quoting and paraphrasing are both ways to include other sources in a paper. Quoting involves writing the exact words of the author, while paraphrasing means you use your own words to express those of the author. Quoting is recommended in the case the words of the author are unique and/or creative because by paraphrasing a sentence or fragment with these features you might not express its essence; also, quoting is recommended for short fragments.
In the case of "Hamlet taught us all how to be human" the best for Shanna is to quote because this sentence has a creative and unique wording that is lost if Shanna paraphrases or uses her own words (Option C). Also, the fragment is short and directly related to the topic of the paper and thus, it is worthy to keep the original words.
