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- However, the most common way to cite evidence as an academic is not quoting directly, but paraphrasing or summarizing. When you paraphrase, you express an author's ideas in your own words and sentence structure, using approximately the same number of words as in the source.
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Do you put quotation marks around a quote?
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Should you cite a paraphrase or a summary?
If summarizing, state the overall main idea in your own words, but leave out specific examples and details. A summary should provide general information only and it is not commonly used for presenting evidence to support your argument.
Create manual citation. If you’ve ever written a research essay, you know the struggle is real. Should you use a direct quote? Should you put it in your own words? And how is summarizing different from paraphrasing—aren’t they kind of the same thing?
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Feb 26, 2016 · Paraphrase explains a statement by using your own words and sentence structure; Summary explains a statement using your words, but typically condenses a larger statement into a shorter explanation; How to decide which approach to use. Direct quotations can be useful when the exact wording of a statement is important.
Paraphrase. “a detailed restatement, in your own words, of all a source’s important ideas - but not your opinions or interpretations of those ideas. You not only indicate the source’s main points but also its order, tone and emphasis” (Kirszner & Mandell, 2008, p. 144).
- Why scholars prefer to paraphrase
- Worried about plagiarism?
- Summarize and paraphrase
- Guide to drafting a paraphrase
- Read the original text.
- Take brief notes.
- Expand the notes into sentences.
- Check for wording overlap.
- Take time to revise.
- As you practice, you will become more skilled.
In academia, quotes should be used sparingly; many academic papers don’t use them at all. Why? Most of the time, an author’s ideas are more important to your argument than their specific words.
You might wonder, “Isn’t it better to use the author’s original words? I’m nervous I’ll get it wrong.” To the contrary, overusing direct quotes tends to make your writing jarring and more difficult to understand. Paraphrasing and summarizing instead allows you to incorporate the ideas into your own argument, providing context and interpretation to ...
Summarizing and paraphrasing are similar; both involve putting a source’s ideas into your own words. The difference is one of scale. A summary is similar to the abstract of a research article or the blurb on the back of a book: it succinctly describes a much longer piece of writing. You might describe the key points of an entire research study or b...
So you have the perfect source in front of you and you’re ready to paraphrase. Great! The basic process may not be easy at first, but it is relatively straightforward. We recommend the following steps:
Before you write, read the passage thoroughly to make sure you understand it.
Once you understand the text, read it again while taking notes on key details. You can use terms from the original text if you need to, but no more than a short phrase; try to capture ideas in as few words as possible. Brevity now will help you separate your knowledge of the material from the author’s specific wording.
Set the original text aside. Relying only on your notes, write your bullet points as full sentences without looking back at the source. Don’t worry about making each sentence perfect; you can fix errors when you revise later. Instead, focus on capturing the main ideas in your own voice. One useful technique is to record yourself explaining the pass...
Compare your paraphrase to the original and note any phrases that sound too similar. Rephrase these segments as best you can by rewording the concepts, changing the sentence structure, switching the order of information, adding transition words, or combining and dividing ideas across sentences. It is not always possible to avoid ALL the original wo...
Read through your paraphrased sentences all together. It may help to read out loud, especially if you’ve been staring at a screen for a while. Compare it to the original text once more, this time to make sure the meaning is correct and flows well. Ask yourself the following: Does my draft accurately convey the original idea? Have I taken any idea...
Beyond writing good papers, an additional benefit of paraphrasing is that it forces you to think critically and engage with the material. It requires deep understanding to explain a concept well in your own words. Paraphrasing can be a slow process, but taking the time to do it thoroughly will not only improve your writing, but help you retain and ...
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Check the summary against the source to make sure you have used all your own words. If you need to use any phrases from the source because they are unique, enclose the phrases in a pair of quotation marks.
Sep 8, 2022 · Remember that you must put quotation marks around all quoted material. Quotes are most useful in situations when the author’s exact wording is important, or when you feel that the author’s wording is clear and concise. Hint: While quoting, think of yourself as a journalist.
