The main reason for having a direct quote is if it is particularly important to your argument and you want to emphasise that the author of the quote has something really significant to say.

A quote of less than 40 words:

• should have double quotation marks
• should include page numbers
• should not be indented
• single quotation marks are used for quotes within quotes. They are also used for direct speech and turns of phrase.

Examples:

"A community built around the academic library can assist students and faculty seeking assistance in their research and information-gathering activities but who may be reluctant or unable to visit the physical library building in person" (Garofalo, 2013, p. 6).

Sometimes the author’s name is used within the grammar of the sentence:

Garofalo suggests that "a community built around the academic library..." (2013, p. 6).

A long quote of 40 or more words:

• should be indented,
• the author, date and page numbers should be placed either in the introductory text or immediately following the quote.
• does not need quotation marks.
• quotes within quotes should have single quotation marks

Example:

In 2013 Garofalo stated:

the technological and social changes of the twenty-first century have expanded the roles of social media and social networking and highlighted the ubiquity of these technologies.  The term 'social media' denotes 'websites and applications which enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking' (OED Online, 2012). This is a democratizing technology, affording anybody the capacity to create content and disseminate information; a kind of global 'word of mouth' for the twenty-first century (pp. 1-2).

If you are missing page numbers, follow this guidance from APA.

To cite quotes from an online source where there are no visible page numbers, use paragraph numbers, where available, with the abbreviation para and include the section heading where available, for example (project introduction, para. 3).

Where the section heading is unmanageable to cite in full, use a shortened version enclosed in quotation marks:

Use ("Mandatory Labeling," para. 4) for the heading Mandatory labeling has targeted information gaps and social objectives.

**DO NOT use the page numbers from material that you have printed out from an online source as different printers may reflect different pagination**

You also need to reference in text when you refer to ideas made by others, but describe them in your own words.  You are only required to include the author and date but may wish to include page numbers when it would help the reader locate the relevant passage in a long or complex text (such as when you use only a short part of a book)

Example:

Garofalo believes that the academic library has an important central role to play in connecting users (2013, p. 6).

Authors are listed alphabetically in the same order as they appear in the reference list:

... strategy learning could result in better approaches to study by students (Crawford, Nicholas, & Prosser, 1998; Trigwell & Prosser, 2004; Trigwell, Prosser, & Waterhouse, 1999).

Unless the same author is listed more than once in which case the surname is listed only once, followed by the respective years of publication:

 (Trigwell & Prosser, 2004, 2005, in-press)

Omitting material from a sentence

If you have omitted material from the middle of a quotation use 3 ellipsis points (...) to indicate that you have omitted material from the original sentence. Care should be taken when omitting material so that the original meaning of hte sentence is preserved, however you may wish to omit material that is of a broader nature to your point.

"technological and social changes of the twenty-first century have expanded the roles of social media and social networking and highlighted the ubiquity of these technologies...This is a democratizing technology, affording anybody the capacity to create content and disseminate information; a kind of global 'word of mouth' for the twenty-first century (pp. 1-2)"

Quotes spanning multiple sentences

A long quotation might span multiple sentences, in which case use 4 ellipsis points (....) to indicate any omission between two sentences (and if required 3 ellipsis points for any omitted material within an individual sentence itself).

"technological and social changes of the twenty-first century have expanded the roles of social media .... This is a democratizing technology ... a kind of global 'word of mouth' for the twenty-first century (pp. 1-2)"

Including additional words within a quote for clarification

Should you need to add any words for explanation or clarification then these need to be inserted using square brackets.

"The provision for [children's] writing is essential"