I Wish I had Thought to Say That! Learning to Quote, Paraphrase and Summarize and Look Smart at the Same Time. Judy Kahalas for The Writing Center October 2010

So, you are doing a research paper. . . As you begin to do preliminary research (reading articles to make sure that your chosen topic can be sustained with enough credible, scholarly support), you will read some pretty important information that someone else said about your topic. You might say to yourself, “Gee, why didn’t I think of that?” But you didn’t . . . . .

The 30 – 70 Split Think of the research paper as a combination of your unique and world-changing ideas about a topic supported by the ideas of smart men and women who came before you. But you are just as intelligent and you are going to take what they did and bring it to a different level or point of view. So 30% of your paper should give credit to their ideas while are your own fascinating, extremely-worthy-of consideration ideas.

Here’s an Example: The dilemma: How can we stop gang violence? Hypothesis: The school needs to act in loco parentis. (It’s a worthy idea, but you weren’t the first person to think about it). Hypothesis: Most youth who are vulnerable to joining gangs come from dysfunctional or non-existent family structures.

For sure you are not the only one who thought this! So hold your thoughts. Write them down. Then look to see what others said. Use their ideas only when they reinforce or expand on what you said. They must be relevant. Use a combination of quotes, paraphrases, and summaries. Integrate appropriately. Document carefully. You are on the way to being a researcher!