2 minute tip #3: Direct and Indirect Quotes

Two-minute tips provide short suggestions on how to improve your research. This two-minute tip looks at when it is appropriate to use a direct quote from the literature or when it is better to paraphrase and share the literature in your own words.

Developed by Sioux McKenna, Director of Postgraduate Studies at Rhodes University, ably supported by the wonderful graphics of Leo Baasch, leobaasch@gmail.com.

Explore these additional resources

• Just write – a video about getting going on your writing
• How to keep a reading journal – a video about making sense of the literature for yourself
• Supporting academic writing practices in postgraduate studies – this useful booklet provides a number of activities to improve academic writing
• 2-minute tip #1: Joining the conversation – this short video urges researchers to spend some time figuring out the literature before they rush to make a contribution
• 2-minute tip #2: Relationship to texts – this short video offers a deliberation on how the postgraduate scholar relates to the texts she reads

Who might find this useful?

The two-minute tips might be useful for any supervisors or students who would like a bit of inspiration. They also make quick additions to a workshop.