What is the difference between quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing? Quotations: the exact words of another author. According to the Purdue OWL website, quotations “must be identical to the original, using a narrow segment of the source.” Paraphrasing: Rewriting a narrow section of a source to put the idea in your words. Summarizing: Briefly rewriting only the main points of a section of a source or of the entire source. You MUST cite all three: quotations, paraphrases, and summaries.

How to paraphrase Read the quote you plan to paraphrase several times until you really know and understand the idea, and put it away. Without looking, write the idea as you would explain it to someone else Check your paraphrase against the original. If any words or structures are too similar, change them.

Our Rough draft challenge Now you try! Choose a passage you plan to paraphrase in your paper, read it, put it away, then reword it. Go to the paraphrase tool link on our class website: http://commons.wvc.edu/library/Conference%20Presentations/paraphrase.htm Type the original into the first box, then your paraphrase in the second box. How did you do? Rewrite until you have few to no similarities.

How to Use a paraphrase in your paper: Use paraphrases more than direct quotations to maintain your writing voice Don’t misrepresent the original idea Put the information entirely in your words Cite the paraphrase to give credit for the ideas.

How to introduce and cite a paraphrase in your paper: According to Katherine Mangu-Ward, serious questions arise about the reliability of Wikipedia’s articles because any user can add, change, or delete information (22). YOUR TURN: Add an introductory phrase including the author’s full name at the beginning of your paraphrase, and the page number in parentheses at the end.

When to use quotations Do not quote: Do quote… Words that are unique or interesting Words that add significant information to your paper Opinions from particularly credible sources Ideas you want to highlight Do not quote: Words that are uninteresting or dry Words that have no real reason for being direct quotes Lengthy passages (unless you have a really good reason)

How to weave quotations into your writing… Introduce the quotation Match the grammar of the quotation to the grammar of your sentence Cite in parentheses Transition between ideas by showing their connections Comment on the idea expressed in the quotation

Poor Use of Quotations Fast food restaurants are everywhere these days. “A survey of American schoolchildren found that 96 percent could identify Ronald McDonald” (Schlosser 609). We need to stop eating so much bad food before it harms our health even more than it already has. “Much of the taste and aroma of American fast food, for example, is now manufactured at a series of large chemical plants off the New Jersey Turnpike” (Schlosser 611).

Good Use of Quotations: Fast food restaurants are everywhere these days. Children are especially affected by fast food restaurants and their brands. According to Eric Schlosser, “a survey of American schoolchildren found that 96 percent could identify Ronald McDonald” who was second only to Santa Claus (609). However, just because fast food restaurants are easily recognizable isn’t cause for alarm. What is alarming is the negative effect they have on our country and our health. For example, what we think is just a burger is not just a burger anymore. Fast food is chock full of wholesome chemicals. As Schlosser rather graphically points out, “much of the taste and aroma of American fast food … is now manufactured at a series of large chemical plants off the New Jersey Turnpike” (611). Yum! Comment Introduce Transition

Using a Combination of Paraphrase and Direct Quotation Original quote: “Much of the taste and aroma of American fast food, for example, is now manufactured at a series of large chemical plants off the New Jersey Turnpike” (Schlosser 611). Combination: We love the smells and flavors of McDonalds and Taco Bell, but as Schlosser points out, these appeals to our senses are “now manufactured at a series of large chemical plants off the New Jersey Turnpike” (611).

Now You Try It! Find a quotation from one of your sources you plan to use in your paper. Introduce and cite the quotation using MLA. Make sure the wording is exact! Now paraphrase a part of the quotation, revising your introduction as needed. Finally, add commentary. What is important about this information? How is it connected to your position? What should readers get from it?

More In-Text Citation Examples Use the “Bracket” technique to distinguish outside information from your ideas. Introducing paraphrased information: According to the United States Census Bureau, in 2000, the ten largest cities in the U.S. comprised 54% of the total U.S. population (“Population”).

More In-Text Citation Examples Introducing a quotation: Carol Gilligan concludes that “women impose a distinctive construction on moral problems, seeing moral dilemmas in terms of conflicting responsibilities” (105-06).

More In-Text Citation Examples Introducing information without an author: The author of “The Right to Die” notes that a death-row inmate may demand execution to achieve a fleeting notoriety (16). One author notes that a death-row inmate may demand execution to achieve a fleeting notoriety (“Right” 16).

More In-Text Citation Examples Citing information without a page number: Carol Gilligan concludes that “women impose a distinctive construction on moral problems, seeing moral dilemmas in terms of conflicting responsibilities” (“Women and Morality”).

For Example Citing information without a page number or author: The author of “The Right to Die” notes that a death-row inmate may demand execution to achieve a fleeting notoriety. One author notes that a death-row inmate may demand execution to achieve a fleeting notoriety (“Right”).