How to Avoid Plagiarism when Using Quotations in Your Application Essay

When writing your medical school application essays, there are many ways for you to catch the attention of your readers as you present a personal side of yourself.  One of these ways is to include quotations in your essay.  These quotations can be from a favorite mentor, a famous medical practitioner, or practically anyone whose words are worth including in your essay.

Purpose of using quotations

You’re using a quotation if you repeat an exact statement or phrase of another individual in your application essay.  Quotations are usually used in essays to serve as a catchy introduction.  As a matter of fact, many medical school application essays are begun with a quotation to grab the readers’ attention.  The quotation can also be used throughout the essay to serve as a supporting statement for your topic or it can help illuminate a definition or meaning.

Tips to avoid plagiarism when using quotations

It’s very important that you know how to properly use a quotation in your application essay.  This is to avoid plagiarism.  One obvious way to do this is to make sure that you enclose the quotation or quote in quotation marks (” “).  As you proofread your essay draft, double-check if you have used quotation marks to indicate the quote.

Don’t forget to mention the source of the quotation in your essay.  You have to be really specific when naming the source of your quote. If the quote was from a famous person, you can introduce it this way:

Hippocrates, the father of medicine, once said that….

Also make sure that you have the right source for your quotes.  An unintentional misquotation in your essay will not look good, especially if one of the admission panel members is actually familiar with the quote you’ve used.

The Internet has become a source of quotes from various famous people.  As a matter of fact, there are online directories that offer a collection of quotes about a variety of topics.  If you got your quote from the Internet, make sure to cross-check various quote directories so that you won’t make the mistake of misquoting a quotation.

Tips in using quotes in your medical school application essays

When planning to use a quote in your essay, make sure that it is relevant to your topic or that it helps support your thesis.  Including a quote just for the sake of including one is never a good idea.  You also have to make sure that you fully understand the meaning of the quote in relation to your topic.  After all, misinterpreting a quotation can make a bad impression on the admission panel.

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