Research Paper Essentials Quotes and Paraphrases

Today’s Objectives: TSW understand the difference between plagiarism and correctly quoting and paraphrasing in a research paper.

Plagiarism is: Using another person’s ideas or words without proper documentation. A serious offense that can result in: - A zero on the assignment - Expulsion from school - Other harsh penalties

Thomas Childers wrote the following sentences in The Wings of Morning: “Up, up, up, groping through the clouds for what seemed like an eternity. No amount of practice could have prepared them for what they encountered. B-24’s, glittering like mica, were popping up out of the clouds all over the sky.” Stephen Ambrose, a best-selling author, has these sentences in The Wild Blue: “Up, up, up he went, until he got above the clouds. No amount of practice could have prepared the pilot and crew for what they encountered – B-24’s, glittering like mica, were popping up out of the clouds over here, over there, everywhere.”

Quotes… Must be identical to the original – matching word for word. Must use a narrow segment of the source Must use quotation marks to indicate a direct quote

Quote Example: The pilots saw that the, “…B-24’s, glittering like mica, were popping up out of the clouds all over the sky” (Childers 14).

Paraphrasing… Involves putting a passage of source material into your own words Is a legitimate way to borrow information to support your ideas, when documented correctly Is an important skill because it is better than using too many quotes or using uninteresting quotes

How to Paraphrase Correctly 1.Read the original passage. 2.Reread the original passage until you understand its full meaning. 3.Set aside the original, and write your paraphrase on a note card.

Then… At the top of the note card, write a key word or phrase to indicate the subject of your paraphrase. Check your version against the original to make sure that it expresses all the essential information in a NEW FORM. Use quotation marks to identify any unique term or phrase you have borrowed exactly from the source. Record the source on your note card so that you can credit it easily if you decide to incorporate the material into your paper.

Paraphrasing Practice: Original Quote: Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they overuse quotations in the final 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. From Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers. 2 nd ed. (1976): 46 – 47.

An Acceptable 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).

Now you practice paraphrasing.. Students will paraphrase their own passage. Students will get with their peer proofing partner to evaluate each others work.

An Acceptable paraphrase: Volunteers will share their paraphrases.

Checking your partner’s note card Does the paraphrase contain the essential information from the original source? Does the paraphrase contain any unique words or phrases from the original that are not in quotation marks? Does the note card contain a subject or key word at the top? Does the note card record the bibliographic information?