English Quotations, Summarizing, and Paraphrasing

How to summarize

- Include only main points - Do not worry about following the original order of ideas - Keep length down to no more than half the length of the original

Paraphrasing is a valuable skill because

- It is better than quoting info from an undistinguished passage - Helps you control the temptation to quote it too much - Mental process to grasp the full meaning of the original

Why use quotations, paraphrases, and summaries?

- Support claims / credibility - Refer to work that leads up to the work you are now doing - Examples of several POVs on a subject - Attention to a position you agree or disagree with - Highlight a striking phrase, sentence, or passage by quoting the original - Distance yourself from the original by quoting it to cue readers that the words aren't your own - Expand the depth of your writing

Reasons to paraphrase

- To change the organization of ideas for emphasis - To simplify the material - To clarify the material

Reasons to use a quote

1. Accuracy without changing author's intent 2. Authority for assertion 3. Conciseness to make less long or awkward 4. Unforgettable language to show effectiveness or historical flavor

Reasons to use a summary

1. Condense the material 2. Omit extras from the material 3. Simplify the material

4 steps for writing a summary

1. Identify the main points of the passage 2. Organize and present these main points in a coherent way 3. Faithful to the meaning of the source and that you have accurately represented the main ideas 4. Cite appropriately and integrate the summary into the text effectively

6 steps to effective paraphrasing

1. Reread the original passage until you understand its full meaning 2. Set the original aside, and write your paraphrase on a notecard 3. Jot down a few words below your paraphrase to remind you later how you envision using this material 4. Check your rendition with the original to make sure that your version accurately expresses all the essential information in a new form 5. Use quotation marks to identify any unique term or phraseology you have borrowed exactly from the source 6. Record the source, including the page, so that you can credit it easily if you decide to incorporate the material into your paper

Quotations

Identical to the original, using a narrow segment of the source. They must match the source document word for word and must be attributed to the original author

Paraphrasing

Involved putting a passage from source material into your own words. A paraphrase must also be attributed to the original source. Paraphrased material is usually shorter than the original passage, taking a somewhat broader segment of the source and condensing it slightly

Summarizing

Involved putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including only the main point(s). It is necessary to attribute summarized ideas to the original source. Summaries are significantly shorter than the original and take a broad overview of the source material

When to summarize

To give your readers a brief overview of a text

When to paraphrase

When the wording of the source is less important than the meaning of the source