When quoting a source in your notes, which is correct?

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When you quote someone else’s exact words in your notes, you must place those words inside quotation marks and include a citation to the source. This shows clearly that the wording is not your own and it gives readers a path to find the original material. The citation is essential because it attributes the idea to its author and helps prevent plagiarism, even in informal notes.

If you are simply paraphrasing, you wouldn’t use quotation marks—but you still need a citation to acknowledge the source of the ideas. And even for information that seems widely known, a citation is typically still required to indicate where the information came from and to allow others to verify it.

So the best choice reflects both marking the exact wording with quotation marks and providing an appropriate citation. The other options fall short because they either omit quotation marks for quoted material, omit the citation, or assume that wide familiarity negates the need for citation.