In Stedman’s essay I learned various ways in how and how not to use quotes. One thing I did not know is that people really use a lot of quotes and according to Stedman “It takes over the writers authority”. This he refers to as “Uncle Barry and his encyclopedia of useless information”. Also, I learned that everything does not have to be quoted and it could be paraphrased as an alternative. When thinking about why this is very important when it comes to legal source or legal writing is because when it comes to court decisions most likely the judge, attorney or Paralegal would need to research for a better understanding and outcome.
In my source entry on teenage abortion, I quoted “Each child is an individual person, not merely an adjunct to this world; children are neither supplements to the lives of adults or accessories to surrounding adult. Children are not merely passive recipients of environmental and parental impact.” And also “A mature child’s right to make her own decision regarding abortion and contraception is constitutionally protected from state or parental interference.” In Stedman’ essay referring to “I cant find the stupid link” applies here because I used no citation at all. What I should have done was reference the author so a reader would know where to look for the source.
Thanks Sherona, you learned valuable lessons from Stedman’s essay! I still tend to overuse quotes, it’s a hard habit to break. I agree it’s critical to cite your sources. I think when you start using quotes in your legal and other writing, you’ll do a better job of citing and otherwise providing helpful context about your source. Also, your writing and proofreading skills continue to improve! Great work.