3.1 Incorporating Scholarly Research

When writing about research in academic genres, there are three methods for incorporating the research:

1. Summarizing

2. Paraphrasing

3. Quoting

Summarizing

What it is: Summarizing is when you take a large amount of information and condense it down into the most important points.

When to use it: Summarizing works best when you want to explain one of the main ideas of an article without getting into the specifics. 

Example summary #1: A study by Khoury et al. (2015) found that mindfulness-based interventions, such as mindfulness meditation, have a positive impact on psychological well-being.

Example summary #2: Mindfulness medication has been shown to have a positive impact on psychological well-being (Khoury et al., 2015).  

Summarizing is particularly useful when providing background information on a subject when you aren't going to get into the details on the research. It can also be useful when establishing general ideas on a subject before getting into more detailed research. When summarizing, the citation can either be in the sentence (narrative style) or at the end of the sentence (parenthetical style). Typically, the citation will be included at the end of the sentence with summarizing. 

Paraphrasing

At a Glance

What it is: Paraphrasing is when you rephrase a sentence or two from the original source into your own words. 

When to use it: In most types of research writing, paraphrasing is often the best method for incorporating research. Paraphrasing is best when the ideas are more important than the specific wording. For example, if you are writing about meditating, typically, the ideas from the research are what matters. If you are writing about a quote from Shakespeare, the specific words often are more or at least equally important. 

Example paraphrase #1: While mindfulness meditation has shown to benefit most people, at least one study shows an even stronger benefit for healthcare workers (Khoury et al., 2015).  

Example paraphrase #2:  In their review of the literature on the psychological benefits of mindfulness meditation, Khoury et al. (2015) find that at least one study shows there is a particular benefit for healthcare workers. 

Paraphrasing is usually the best method for incorporating scholarly research. It allows you to write in your own style and voice, which helps the paper flow better. Typically, you will put the citation at the end of the sentence (parenthetical style) when paraphrasing, unless you want to call attention to the author(s) and/or study. 

Quoting

What it is: Quoting is when you include the exact words from your source, using quotation marks. 

When to use it: It is better to use a direct quote when the exact wording matters, when you are analyzing the wording of a source (for example, when you are writing about literature), or when it would be difficult to keep the content accurate by paraphrasing (for example, when the original sentence includes statistics that can't be summarized or paraphrased. Use quotes sparingly!

Example quote: According to Khoury et al. (2015), "among the target populations who benefited the most from MBSR were healthcare professionals" (p. 524).

Quotes should be used when the wording matters. If you are quoting a famous speech, a work of literature, or a line from a movie, the exact words matter, so they should be included as a quote. When writing about scholarly research, typically the ideas matter more, so you should paraphrase more than quote. However, occasionally, a direct quote will work better because it will be difficult to retain accuracy with a paraphrase or summary. 

When quoting, you must use lead-in to the quotation so that it's clear where these words are coming from. To lead-in to a quote, a signal phrase should be used, which lets the reader know that a quote is coming. 

Some Signal Words/Phrases

acknowledges

adds

argues

claims

counters

disputes

finds

suggests

Example: Jones (2018) argues, "quote goes here."

Lead-in Phrases

According to 

As explained by

As mentioned by

Example: As explained by Jones (2018), "quote goes here."

Paragraph Structure

For all methods listed above, the sources should be incorporated into the paragraph in a way that introduces the topic, includes the research, and then discusses the topic further. 

A body paragraph for an academic essay typically includes three main parts:

• Topic Sentence

• Evidence (or further examples)

• Discussion

It may help you to remember it as an acronym: TED. Each body paragraph should have TED. 

Topic Sentence: Typically, the first sentence of a paragraph that states the main idea for that paragraph. For complex topics, you may need a few sentences to fully explain your point. 

Evidence or further examples: Once the main point is established, include evidence to support your point. For research papers, this is where you include quotes, paraphrases, and/or summaries of the scholarly research to support your point. Typically, you will want to include more than one source for each point. 

Discussion: Use the final section of your paragraph to connect the ideas together for your reader. Connect the evidence or examples that you included to your main point and/or overall thesis of the paper. This will help your reader understand what conclusions you are drawing from the evidence. Wrap up anything you want to say about this sub-topic here before moving on to your next sub-point/paragraph. See "Opinions vs. Drawing Conclusions" below for more information on how to effectively draw conclusions in your writing. 

It can be easy to miss one of these elements when initially drafting a paper. So, it's a good habit to start checking that you have TED in your body paragraphs before turning in your draft.