PARAPHRASE AND SUMMARY The Bedford Researcher

Two Ways to Use Sources  “When you restate a passage from a source in your own words, you are paraphrasing the source. Typically a paraphrase is roughly as long as the original passage” (Palmquist, 2012, p.105).  “A summary is a concise statement of information in a source. Research writers often summarize an entire source, but they can also summarize lengthy passages” (Palmquist, 2012, p.105). PARAPHRASESUMMARIZE

IMPORTANT  Whether you paraphrase or summarize, you always must cite your source, as I have done on the preceding slide for the two quotations.

Assignment  Choose two paragraphs from any of the sources that you have found and paraphrase them. (See pages in your book.)  Remember, you will need to restate what is said in each paragraph in your own words, using about the same number of words as the original paragraph. Be sure to cite your source.  Hint – To avoid unintended plagiarism, “set the original source aside while you paraphrase so that you won’t be tempted to copy sentences directly from it. After you’ve completed your paraphrase, check it for accuracy” (Palmquist, 2012, p. 106).  Choose one of the sources that you have found and summarize it. (See pages in your book.)  Remember, you will need to “write a concise statement” in your own words that “captures the overall argument and information in the source” (Palmquist, 2012, p. 106).  Hint – To avoid unintended plagiarism, “begin your summary with ‘The author argues that’ or “The author found that.’ Set the original source aside while you write your summary. After you’ve completed your summary, check it for accuracy” (Palmquist, 2012, p. 106). PARAPHRASESUMMARIZE