When should a student writing a research-based paper directly quote a research text instead of paraphrasing or summarizing it?

Directly quote a source when its wording is especially precise, distinctive, or meaningful and changing it would weaken the point. Being an expert does not automatically mean the person’s exact words must be quoted; their ideas can often be paraphrased with attribution. A paragraph also does not need a quote just to include one, and saving writing time is not a good reason to quote.

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