To Quote or Paraphrase? That is the question. Use a quote when the original is extremely well- written or well-worded. Only 1/3 of your outside sources should be quotes in a research paper. Use a paraphrase when the original is useful but not stylistically worded. A paraphrase takes an original sentence and rewords it; uses a different sentence structure; should not be more than 3 words in a row from the original text; and maintains the original meaning.

Steps in the Paraphrasing Process Reread the original material that you want to paraphrase. Try to find the parts or the chunks of the original. Put the original material to the side and try to rewrite the ideas in your own words. Recheck the original to make sure that you got all of the essential ideas and haven’t plagiarized.

Paraphrasing Steps Continued Recheck the original to make sure that you got all of the essential ideas and haven’t plagiarized. General rule: If you use more than three of the source’s words in a row, you have plagiarized.

Works Cited "Bike Helmets: Unused Lifesavers," Consumer Reports (May 2010): 348. "Of the more than 1000 bicycling deaths each year, three-fourths are caused by head injuries. Half of those killed are school-age children. One study concluded that wearing a bike helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by 85 percent. In an accident, a bike helmet absorbs the shock and cushions the head.“ The use of a helmet is the key to reducing bicycling fatalities, which are due to head injuries 75% of the time. By cushioning the head upon impact, a helmet can reduce accidental injury by as much as 85%, saving the lives of hundreds of victims annually, half of whom are school children ("Bike Helmets" 348).

Works Cited Bachman, Ron. "Reaching for the Sky." Dial (May 2010): 15. "While the Sears Tower is arguably the greatest achievement in skyscraper engineering so far, it's unlikely that architects and engineers have abandoned the quest for the world's tallest building. The question is: Just how high can a building go? Structural engineer William LeMessurier has designed a skyscraper nearly one- half mile high, twice as tall as the Sears Tower. And architect Robert Sobel claims that existing technology could produce a 500- story building." The Sears Tower is a world marvel, and it is unknown how much higher skyscrapers of the future will rise. However, the design of one twice as tall as the Sears Tower is already on the boards, and an architect, Robert Sobel, thinks we currently have sufficient know-how to build a skyscraper with over 500 stories (Bachman 15).