A direct quotation

• (Surname or corporate name , date :page ) where 'page' is the page in the original publication on which the quotation appears . 
• E.g ....  Malaysian students are rather weak in their congnitive skills  ( Bell , 1998 : 32 )

In a direct quotation you copy another author's material word-for-word . You should indicate in your assignment that it is a direct quotation by placing the material in inverted commas . Traditionally , we use double inverted commas ( ") but it is now acceptable to use single inverted commas (") . Please note that when you use a direct quotation , you must reproduce the author's words exactly as it was written including all spelling , punctuation , capitalization and errors  .


Example : '... referencing is important for reasons other than avoiding plagiarism . When you reference correctly you are demonstrating that you have read widely on a topic .' ( Michael  , 2007 : 25 )