Referencing a person within an article

Question

Hi!

I am referencing to an article about environmental problems, however I would like to reference to someone who said something within the article. Here is how it looks in the article:

Environmental problems need to be addressed as soon as possible. "We are already noticing consequences that can not be fixed, and more will come in due time" said Penelope Graham, a climate activist.

The author of the article is Josh Newman.

So should I reference like that?:

Josh Newman wrote in his article "Can Climate Change Be Reversed?" (2019) that Penelope Graham said that irreversible consequences have already shown up, and she is expecting more in the future

Answer 1

Hi Maya!

I know quotes within quotes can be very frustrating, and there isn't just one 'right' way to do it. One thing to consider is where Josh got the quote -- if he is quoting from another article, you could go right to the source and cite that article instead! If he is interviewing her, or quoting from something he heard, then it can get a little tricky.

You can write it the way you have it, but it puts a lot of emphasis on Josh, even though Penelope is the one who said it. I would suggest something like this (although the citation format might need to be adjusted based on the requirements you have):

In "Can Climate Change Be Reversed?" (Newman, 2019), Penelope Graham is quoted saying, "we are already noticing consequences that can not be fixed, and more will come in due time."

Or this:

As quoted in "Can Climate Change Be Reversed?," Penelope Graham says, "we are already noticing consequences that can not be fixed, and more will come in due time" (Newman, 2019).

Integrating quotes into your sentence helps the paper flow more easily. I like to say the things I write out loud, so I can hear whether or not it sounds natural. I hope this was helpful!

Answer 2

Hi! If I were writing this, I would write something like "Quoting climate activist Penelope Graham, Josh Newman, in his article "Can Climate Change Be Reversed?" (2019), points out that irreversible consequences have already shown up, and more are to be expected in the future."

As an alternative, it may be useful to locate the original article and quote directly from that. This may also help you with your research generally. Hope this helps!

Answer 3

You could certainly do it like this.

However, if you want to place the focus more on the substance of what Penelope Graham said, rather than on the source article, you could do it like this:

Environmental problems need to be addressed as soon as possible. "We are already noticing consequences that can not be fixed, and more will come in due time" said climate activist Penelope Graham in "Can Climate Change Be Reversed?" by Josh Newman in source name (issue date).

How you would handle the actual citation -- source name (issue date) -- would depend on what style you're using (APA and MLA are the most common for academic essays).

I hope this is helpful.

Renee Hopkins