Paraphrasing and Quotations

Paraphrasing – your own words Use different language than the author Still cite your source (it is still the author’s ideas)

Look at this passage (121) The Prius makes me feel safe in its solid cabin, surrounded by copious air baggery. In the UK, I find the Parkers website a very useful source of car data and information. You can see for yourself that the Prius scores well and has a top Euro NCAP 5 star rating. With more safety-feature related acronyms than you can shake an oily stick at, the Prius gives me the reassurance that my family’s safety is well catered for (Paterson).

Why is this an inappropriate paraphrase? The Prius makes a driver feel safe because its cabin is solid, and the passengers are surrounded by many airbags (Paterson).

Too many original words/phrases w/o quotation marks Sentence structure is very similar to the original

Appropriate alternatives… According to Paterson (2012) on his blog The Prius Diary, the carefully designed safety features of the Prius, such as the solid cabin and the placement of the airbags, help the driver feel assured.

Using your source… Find a passage that you find intriguing or interesting…especially if it is information you will use in your paper. Paraphrase the passage. Highlight the words you used from the original and analyze… Can you use it as a paraphrase? (Still cite it!) Should you modify and use a direct quote?

Direct Quotes… Is it specific? Does it emphasize what you need? Short, easily incorporated? Powerful language? Are you commenting directly on this passage?

Your turn… Go through your source and find two direct quotes that you think you could use. Be sure to write the citing information with it. Write a brief comment about HOW you want to use this quote…can you use it as evidence or support for a reason? Can you use it in the introduction or the conclusion?