Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing

• Being able to find and trim appropriate quotes, to paraphrase, and to summarize material are three essential skills with some similarities and some important differences that you must be able to recognize and replicate in your own work. It's essential that you learn how to incorporate other people's ideas into your own writing!

• Here's a Venn Diagram that breaks down the differences between quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing. At the heart of the diagram is the important similarity between the three techniques writers use to integrate source material into their own texts- "All need in-text citations."

This presentation provides a brief examination of the differences between quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing using a single example.

• For those who prefer to read the slides and presentation transcript, click HERE for the original PowerPoint and notes.

• While quoting directly from the source text is an important way to integrate source material into your own writing, in most cases, paraphrasing should be your goal. After all, you are the writer of your own paper, and it's your voice that should dominate not the voice of the authors of your sources. Even though you cite their ideas, it's important that you are able to put those ideas into your own word. When you are able to articulate someone else's ideas, it indicates that you understand them and can adequately use them to support your own assertions. Here's a seven-step process to paraphrase well, illustrated with an example.