Quoting, Paraphrasing, & Summarizing Avoiding Plagiarism

Knowing the Difference There are 3 ways to incorporate other’s writing into your own writing: Quoting Paraphrasing Summarizing

‘’ ‘’ Quotations ‘’ ‘’ “Quoting a source is a way of weaving someone else’s exact words into your own text.” “You need to reproduce the source exactly.” AND Give credit to your source by naming the author and including parenthetical documentation at the end of your sentence. (MLA documentation will be discussed later in the research unit) Source: Norton Field Guide to Writing, 2008, Bullock, Daly-Goggin, and Weinberg

Can I make a change to someone else’s words? Yes. If a quote will fit more smoothly into your writing by making a slight change, you may do so. For example: If you need to omit unnecessary details, you indicate that words are missing with an ellipses . . . If you need to change or add words in a quote to make the quote fit grammatically within your sentence, use brackets [ ]

Ellipses . . . For Omissions If you need to omit any unnecessary details/words, you indicate that words are missing with an ellipsis . . . Ex: Original Text – “Scout, simply by the nature of the work, every lawyer gets at least one case in his lifetime that affects him personally. This one’s mine, I guess. You might hear some ugly talk about it at school, but do one thing for me if you will: you just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anybody says to you, don’t you let ‘em get your goat. Try fighting with your head for a change” (Lee 101). Scout . . . every lawyer gets at least one case in his lifetime that affects him personally. This one’s mine . . . You might here some ugly talk about it at school, but . . . hold your head high and keep those fists down. . . . Try fighting with your head for a change” (Lee 101).

Brackets [ ] For Additions/Changes When you find it necessary to make changes or additions to quoted material, use a set of brackets to signal the change. For ex: Original Text: “Influenced by Godwin, Mary Shelley developed a lifelong habit of deep and extensive reading and research.” Revised Text: “Influenced by [her father, William] Godwin, Mary Shelley developed a lifelong habit of deep and extensive reading and research.”

Paraphrase When you paraphrase, you restate information from a source in your own words and sentence structure. “Paraphrase when the source material is important, but the original wording is not.” Because it includes all the main points of your source, a paraphrase is usually about the same length as the original. Source: Norton Field Guide to Writing, 2008, Bullock, Daly-Goggin, and Weinberg

Paraphrase As with direct quotes, you must give credit to your source when paraphrasing other’s words. Signal that you have paraphrased information by setting up the statement (by naming the author) and providing parenthetical documentation after the sentence. You must do more than make slight changes to the wording and sentence structure, otherwise, you are risking plagiarism.

Why Paraphrase? It is a valuable skill. “It helps you control the temptation to quote too much” (The OWL at Purdue). “The mental process required for successful paraphrasing helps you to grasp the full meaning of the original” (The OWL at Purdue).

Tips for Paraphrasing Reread the original passage until you understand its full meaning. Set the original aside, and practice writing your paraphrase. First change the sentence structure, then change the words. Check your rendition with the original to make sure that your version accurately expresses all the essential information in a new form.

Summarizing When you need to use the main ideas of a larger, more detailed text, you may summarize the material. In contrast to paraphrasing, when you keep the information about the same length, summaries provide a brief snapshot of a larger text’s main ideas. As with quotes and paraphrases, you must give credit to your source by including parenthetical documentation.

Paraphrase this passage. “Scout, simply by the nature of the work, every lawyer gets at least one case in his lifetime that affects him personally. This one’s mine, I guess. You might hear some ugly talk about it at school, but do one thing for me if you will: you just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anybody says to you, don’t you let ‘em get your goat. Try fighting with your head for a change” (Lee 101).

Paraphrase this passage. Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they overuse quotations in the final [research] paper. Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript should appear as directly quoted matter. Therefore, you should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking notes. Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers. 2nd ed. (1976): 46-47.

Legitimate Paraphrase In research papers students often quote excessively, failing to keep quoted material down to a desirable level. Since the problem usually originates during note taking, it is essential to minimize the material recorded verbatim (Lester 46-47).

Plagiarized Paraphrase Students often use too many direct quotations when they take notes, resulting in too many of them in the final research paper. In fact, probably only about 10% of the final copy should consist of directly quoted material. So it is important to limit the amount of source material copied while taking notes.

Side-by-side review of original and legitimate paraphrase Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they overuse quotations in the final [research] paper. Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript should appear as directly quoted matter. Therefore, you should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking notes. Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers. 2nd ed. (1976): 46-47. In research papers students often quote excessively, failing to keep quoted material down to a desirable level. Since the problem usually originates during note taking, it is essential to minimize the material recorded verbatim (Lester 46-47).

Remember! Direct Quote = When there is NO better way to say it, quote it. Minor changes/omissions are okay provided you signal with . . . or [ ]. Always name the author and include parenthetical documentation. Paraphrase = Original source’s ideas, thoughts, and words are expressed in YOUR OWN WORDS and SENTENCE STRUCTURE. AND your paraphrase is approximately the same length as the original. AND you give credit to original source & include parenthetical documentation. Summaries = You are “shrinking” the more detailed, original source A very concise, broad overview expressed in YOUR OWN WORDS; give credit to source & include P.D.

Ground Rules A quote cannot begin or end a body paragraph. A quote cannot stand alone as a sentence. It must be paired with your OWN voice. A quote must be embedded smoothly into your OWN sentence.

Credits / Sources Source: Norton Field Guide to Writing, 2008, Bullock, Daly-Goggin, and Weinberg Purdue OWL: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/01/