This guide was created by Rebekah Cowell in summer 2023.
Verifying Quotations
Tips:
Use the quotation reference volumes listed below to search by author to verify a quotation. If the volume is digital, search using a word or phrase from the quote because if the quote is incorrect, searching for the entire quote could yield inaccurate results, whereas using words or phrases will get you closer to the actual quotation.
Run your word or phrase + author through the quote authentication websites below.
Browse the complete works of a public figure using digital volumes in the catalog instead of searching volume by volume in person.
Go to Google Books and search by the person's name + keywords or phrases from the quote. If the quote exists, an excerpt from a scholar will come up. If cited, you can follow the citation from the book to the original document where the words were issued, such as correspondence, diaries, speeches, interviews, etc.
Quote Investigator Tracing Quotations: A website by Garson O'Toole devoted to seeking the truth about who said what; "This question often cannot be answered with complete finality, but approximate solutions can be iteratively improved over time."
Wikiquote: "A free online compendium of sourced quotations from notable people and creative works in every language, translations of non-English quotes, and links to Wikipedia for further information."
The Quotations Page: "Over 28,000 quotations online from over 3,400 authors, and more are added daily."
Songs of Wisdom: Quotations from famous African Americans of the twentieth century by 
The Routledge Dictionary of Religious and Spiritual Quotations by 
