Quoting & Summarizing & Paraphrasing Adapted from The OWL at Purdue

Summarizing Why? - Organizing research information - In your essays to recap what an author has written - Real life application! Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including only the main point(s). Once again, it is necessary to attribute summarized ideas to the original source. Summaries are significantly shorter than the original and take a broad overview of the source material.

Paraphrasing Why? - To avoid plagiarism - To craft your own writing voice - To avoid “cut and paste” essays Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from source material into your own words. A paraphrase must also be attributed to the original source. Paraphrased material is usually shorter than the original passage, taking a somewhat broader segment of the source and condensing it slightly.

Quoting Why? - Provide direct textual evidence - Wording in source material is unique or note-worthy - Distance yourself from the original by quoting it in order to cue readers that the words are not your own Quotations must be identical to the original, using a narrow segment of the source. They must match the source document word for word and must be attributed to the original author.

Putting it all together Writers frequently intertwine summaries, paraphrases, and quotations. As part of a summary of an article, a chapter, or a book, a writer might include paraphrases of various key points blended with quotations of striking or suggestive phrases as in the following example: “In his famous and influential work The Interpretation of Dreams, Sigmund Freud argues that dreams are the "royal road to the unconscious" (page #), expressing in coded imagery the dreamer's unfulfilled wishes through a process known as the "dream-work" (page #). According to Freud, actual but unacceptable desires are censored internally and subjected to coding through layers of condensation and displacement before emerging in a kind of rebus puzzle in the dream itself (page #).”

Basic Rules Respect your source—don’t distort the meaning of your source material Be careful to read for tone—remember that meaning is conveyed in both denotative and connotative layers Don’t follow the language of the source material too closely—only quote the “juicy” parts Use synonyms to replace key words. Alter syntax and sentence structure to paraphrase sentences Only use the third-person perspective. Do not write sentences such as “I think the author is claiming…”. Instead, write “The author is claiming…”

Writing a Summary Step One: Start by mapping the essay—differentiate between the author’s main points (topic sentences) and supporting evidence. Actively read the essay and circle the topic sentences in each paragraph.

Writing a Summary Step Two: Find the thesis. Is the thesis overtly stated? If so, you need to paraphrase this. If the thesis is not overtly stated, you need to infer what the author’s thesis is and write it out.

Writing a Summary Step Three: Begin the first paragraph of your summary with the author’s name, the name of the source material, and the author’s thesis

“In an excerpt from his book Stride Toward Freedom, Dr “In an excerpt from his book Stride Toward Freedom, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. shows that oppressed people deal with their oppression in three characteristic ways: with acquiescence, violence, or nonviolent resistance. King shows that only a mass movement committed to nonviolent resistance will bring a permanent peace and unite people” (Thomas 380).

Note In academic writing, we use an author’s full name the first time we write about them. After that, we refer to them by last name only. We also drop most honorifics.

“In an excerpt from his book Stride Toward Freedom, Dr “In an excerpt from his book Stride Toward Freedom, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. shows that oppressed people deal with their oppression in three characteristic ways: with acquiescence, violence, or nonviolent resistance. King shows that only a mass movement committed to nonviolent resistance will bring a permanent peace and unite people” (Thomas 380). “In many ways, it's surprising that Queen Elizabeth survived to see the day when her older sister, Queen Mary, would die and she would inherit the throne. After all, her father, Henry VIII, had annulled his marriage to her mother, Anne Boleyn, before ordering her beheading, making Elizabeth technically illegitimate; Elizabeth was a Protestant, while Mary—along with most of Europe—was Catholic;

Writing a Summary Step Four: Use your map of the essay to write the summary paragraph by paragraph.

Writing a Summary Use each of your paragraphs to summarize the author’s main arguments. Make an assertion in each of your paragraphs. Follow along with the source material but exclude minor points and supporting evidence. Stay objective: a summary is not the place to engage and critique the ideas in the essay. Follow the order in which the author presents his or her arguments.

Writing a Summary “However, King contends that…” Step Five: Use Signal Words. Indicate for reader what the author is trying to do in the essay. “However, King contends that…” “The author begins the essay by…” “Then, King argues that” “Finally, King concludes by…”

Writing a Summary Step Six: Conclusion. A summary does not need the typical conclusion you might write for a persuasive essay: summary of thesis and main points with a final thought. Conclude your summary with the author’s final point. Don’t be afraid to signal to your reader that this is the author’s conclusion.

Writing a Summary Step Seven: Reread your summary. Is your summary complete? Does it cover all of the author’s main points? Is your summary objective? Do you express any of your feelings or thoughts about the essay or topic? Does your essay follow the same order as the source? Have you put direct quotes in quotation marks and cited any paraphrasing?

Writing a Summary Step One: Map the essay Step Two: Find the thesis Step Three: Write the intro Step Four: Use your map to work through the main points of the essay Step Five: Use signal words Step Six: Conclude Step Seven: Reread