Signal phrases are used to integrate source material.
According to Hacker and Sommers, these signal phrases serve a number of purposes:
prepare the reader for the introduced source material
names the author of the source
provides context
Marks boundaries between source material and the writer's own words or ideas
Establishes authority, the reliability, credibility or credentials of the source (382-384)
Hacker, Diana, and Nancy Sommers. A Writer's Reference, 7th ed. Boston: Bedford, 2011.
A reminder:
Hacker & Sommers R3-c “Integrating and Citing Sources to Avoid Plagiarism”
Gives examples for using source material that is an exact sentence, a few exact words, near-exact words but making changes for clarity, paraphrasing, summarizing, substitute a few synonyms (364-365)
The following uses signal phrases to introduce the material that is "listed" above:
According to Hacker and Sommers, authors of A Writer’s Reference, the course handbook, the signal phrase “commonly appears before the source material” and “usually names the author of the source and provides some context”: This is important the first time a source is introduced; however, after that initial introduction, the author’s last name may be used to introduce material (382).
Hacker and Sommers also indicate that a signal phrase uses a “verb that is appropriate.” For examples, see “Using Signal Phrases in MLA Papers” (Hacker and Sommers 383).
A second resource: https://sites.google.com/site/scpucketttheessay/research/introducing-source-material
Hacker and Sommers note that of particular importance is that fact that the signal phrase indicates the start of a “boundary between [the words of the paper’s author] and the source’s words” (382). They also state that marking the boundary with a signal phrase and a parenthetical citation, the reader knows when the borrowed/source material begins and ends (384).
Finally, the signal phrase helps connect the writer’s ideas to ideas of others, “clarifying how the source will contribute to [the] paper.” In fact, source material is not only introduced and connected, “interpretive comments [are used to] link the quoted material to your paper’s argument” or position (Hacker and Sommers 385). In other words, quotations cannot speak for themselves, they must be explained: Their relationship to the idea being discussed and how they contribute to the development of the idea.
Source material is used as factual support, but the goal is synthesis
The following sources offer detailed discussion and examples:
Goodloe, Amy "Integrating Sources." Handouts for Amy Goodloe's WRTG Courses at CU Boulder. 2o10. Web. 20 Oct. 2010. http://www.perpetualrevision.com/help/sources-mla/integrating.html No longer a useful source.
Larson, Kelly "Using Quotations." LEO: Literacy Education Online. St. Cloud State University. 2004. Web. 20 Aug. 2010. http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/research/usingquotes.html.
Marchant, Becky. " Using Introductory Tags in Research Writing." LEO: Literacy Education Online. St. Cloud State University. 2004. Web. 20 Aug. 2010. http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/research/introtags.html.
"Useful Templates" from They Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing. University of Washington.
http://www.wou.edu/provost/library/clip/files/writing_templates.pdf
"Using Signal Phrases to Integrate Source Material." www.iupui.edu. Indiana University Purdue at Indianapolis. 2010. Web. 20 Aug. 2010.
Signal phrases create a bridge between the text of the essay and the source. See attached document.
"Useful Templates " Odegaard Writing and Research Center. University of Washington. http://www.depts.washington.edu/owrc
adapted from Graff, Gerald and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing. New York: Norton, 2006.
Templates that can be used to introduce source material in an effective manner.
See attached document
See also: Handouts from Writing Center at University of Washington.