Non-Dialogue Textual Evidence Rules:

1. No comma before the textual evidence
2. Place two sets of quotation marks around the quote.
3. Place parentheses around the citation (Author Page Number).
4. Place a period on the outside of the parentheses, NEVER before.

Example: Katniss demonstrates bravery when she realizes “it’s clear that I must get to the table next. Anyone who beats me to it will easily scoop up my pack and be gone. Without hesitation, I sprint for the table. I can sense the emergence of danger before I see it” (Collins 283).

Dialogue Textual Evidence Rules

1. Before a dialogue quote, place a comma.
2. Open the textual evidence with one set of quotation marks.
3. Open the dialogue with a singular quotation mark.
4. Finish the dialogue with punctuation. If the dialogue does not end in a question mark or exclamation point, use a comma. NEVER USE A PERIOD.
5. Close the dialogue with a singular quotation mark.
6. Close the textual evidence with one set of quotation marks.
7. Put a parentheses for the citation.
8. Place a period outside of the parentheses, NEVER before.

Example: Katniss displays love for Rue when Katniss promises, “'I’m going to. Going to win for the both of us now'” (233). Rue’s death is a turning point in Katniss’s determination, which had been waning in her depression.

Signal Words

• According to ____, " "
• ____ discusses, " "
• ____ states, " "
• ____ argues, " "
• ____ claims, " "
• ____ demonstrates, " "
• ____ proposes, " "
• ____ writes, " "
• ____ explains, " "
• ____ points out, " "
• ____ demonstrates, " "
• In _____'s perspective, " "
• ____ concurs when he/she notes, " "

Replacing and/or Removing Textual Evidence within a Quote

1. Brackets: Use brackets when you want to change a word or phrase in the original quote. Use them to change capitalization, verb tense, add names, etc. so that the sentence maintains its grammatical integrity.
2. Ellipses: Use ellipses to indicate text has been removed. They are only used in the middle of the quote, NEVER the beginning or the end.

Example: Simon is considerate because when “sitting between the twins and Piggy, … [he] shoved his piece of meat over the rocks to Piggy, who grabbed it” (Golding 74). Jack had denied Piggy meat, but Simon sacrificed his piece despite any harm that might have resulted from Jack.