Quote on

Unlike the Oxford Guide to Library Research, They Say, I Say is much more accessible. While the OGLR is equally as resourceful and helpful, Graff and Bernstein's little book is less dry and easier to read.

The section on quoting is helpful because it provides a refresher on how to use quotes more efficiently in our writing. Quoting, as we learned in high school, makes our writing stronger and more credible. But sometimes, even as graduate students, we can get a little carried away with quoting. I have had the problem before where there are so many good quotes that I want to integrate in my writing that I have used more than is necessary and it makes my paper seem weak because I use a lot of what "they say" instead of what "I say". Part of my problem is as Graff points out, "lack of confidence"(39) in my ability to comment on what I am quoting. This is an issue I must address if I want to be taken as a serious scholar.

The OGLR, as I said, is equally as resourceful. I am not used to researching on-line or in general and, while I am having trouble getting through all the text I find the OGLR useful when I am looking up articles or books in the library catalogs or in last weeks class assignment. This is a book that I will be taking to the library whenever I am doing research and the Graff and Birkenstein book is a good companion on those dark and lonely nights when I need to work on a paper.