Quotation, Summary, and Paraphrasing Strategies

Consider the following: Twenty years ago the proposition was mostly guesswork. If you wanted to quote the underlined sentence, you would use brackets to clarify the meaning of...

"the proposition": "Twenty years ago the proposition [that we are all originally from Africa] was mostly guesswork."

Use signal verbs in the ___(1)_____ present tense when introducing quotations, summaries, and paraphrases. The logic: The content of a quotation, summary, or paraphrase is always ___(2)_____ to you and readers in the way, say, a movie is present every time you watch it, regardless of when it was filmed.

1) "historical"; 2) "present"

When should you include quotes in a research paper?

1) To capture another writer's particularly memorable language 2) To capture another writer's clear, concise language 3) To lend authority and credibility to your own writing

To quote only what you need, use the following guidelines:

1) When you can quote a sentence or two, do not quote a paragraph. 2) When you can quote a phrase, do not quote a sentence. 3) When you can quote a word or two, do not quote a phrase.

The second part of a citation appears in an alphabetized ____(1)_____ list (in the sciences called a ____(2)______ list).

1) Works Cited; 2) References

In the following examples, are these signal phrases appropriate? As Albert Einstein, a famous physicist, wrote, . . . The famous painter Pablo Picasso once said, . . .

No. Figures such as Einstein and Picasso are part of the cultural landscape. In an academic setting, it is expected that everyone knows who they are. As a general rule, write identifying phrases only for source authors who are likely to be unknown to your readers.

Which kind of source integration strategy is shown here? Garrett Hardin uses the metaphor of a lifeboat to examine the logic by which the United States gives aid to other nations: If we divide the world crudely into rich nations and poor nations, two thirds of them are desperately poor, and only one third comparatively rich, with the United States the wealthiest of all. Metaphorically each rich nation can be seen as a lifeboat full of comparatively rich people. In the ocean outside each lifeboat swim the poor of the world, who would like to get in, or at least to share some of the wealth. What should the lifeboat passengers do? (26)

a block quotation; the signal phrase is a full sentence followed by a colon (:)

What kind of quotation is shown in the example below? Franklin D. Roosevelt said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

a direct quotation

Which kind of source integration strategy is shown here? Garrett Hardin uses the metaphor of a lifeboat to examine the logic by which the United States gives aid to other nations: Those in the boat are like the wealthy nations of the world with resources enough to feed their citizens. Those swimming in the ocean beyond the boat are like poor nations struggling for survival. Poor nations want to climb aboard to share the resources of the wealthy and live. But the boat can only support so many passengers without sinking itself. Should those in the boat help those outside and risk hurting (or killing) themselves by sharing limited resources (26)?

a paraphrase that includes an identifying sentence at the beginning with a colon (:)

Which kind of citation is shown in the example below? Bayer, Ronald. "Ethics and Public Policy: Engaging the Moral Challenges Posed by AIDS." AIDS Patient Care and STDs, vol. 20, no. 7, 2006, pp. 456-60.

an MLA Works Cited entry

In the following example, are these signal phrases appropriate? As Einstein wrote, . . . Picasso once said, . . .

Yes. Figures such as Einstein and Picasso are part of the cultural landscape. In an academic setting, it is expected that everyone knows who they are. As a general rule, write identifying phrases only for source authors who are likely to be unknown to your readers.

Which kind of citation is shown in the two examples below? 1) From the beginning, the AIDS antibody test has been "mired in controversy" (Bayer 101). 2) From the beginning, Bayer claims that the AIDS antibody test has been "mired in controversy" (101).

an in-text citation

What kind of quotation is shown in the example below? Franklin D. Roosevelt said that we have nothing to fear but fear itself.

an indirect quotation

Which verb tense is used in this example below? Jefferson wrote many drafts of the Declaration of Independence.

past

Which verb tense is used in this example below? Jefferson writes that "all men are created equal."

present

Quoting just the right source at the right place can significantly improve your papers. The trick is knowing when to quote (discussed above) and how much to quote. A common error is...

quoting too much.

A ______ is a brief clause or sentence that prepares readers to process a quotation. This kind of rhetorical move also helps to provide context for the quoted passage.

signal phrase

Punctuation note: If the words following a colon form a complete sentence, capitalize...

the first letter of the first word.

Assume you've decided to quote the underlined sentence: Talk with him about how the media can promote certain ideas or beliefs, which may differ from those of your family. In quoting this sentence, you need to identify the pronoun him. If you don't, readers won't understand the reference. You can make the substitution inside or outside the quotation. If you clarify the reference outside the quotation (and, hence, do not alter the quotation), you do not need to...

use brackets: The U.S. Department of Education urges parents to talk with their young teen "about how the media can promote certain ideas or beliefs, which may differ from those of your family."

These guidelines can help you to introduce sources into your paragraphs. Be flexible in applying the guidelines. At times, you may need to invert or skip steps:

1) Write a topic sentence establishing the main idea of the paragraph. On occasion, you might quote or summarize a source to establish this idea. 2) Move your reader toward the source. Follow the topic sentence with another sentence (or two) that introduces the particular fact, example, statistic, or opinion you're calling attention to in the source. 3) Directly introduce the source. If you are stating the author's name in your sentence (as opposed to noting it in a citation), use a signal phrase ("According to Smith . . .) and/or a descriptive verb (Smith argues that . . .). 4) Quote, summarize, or paraphrase the source using techniques. 5) Cite the source. 6) Use the source: Comment, respond, explain its significance. 7) (Optional) Introduce additional sources into the paragraph to create a conversation, but do so only if you prepare for each new source by following some version of steps 1-6.

Sometimes you must ___(1)____ words to a quotation both for clarity and to integrate another person's language into the flow of your own sentence. When doing so, use ___(2)____, which ___(3)____ your words from those of the source author's.

1) add; 2) brackets; 3) distinguish

Quote particularly ___(1)_____ and economical language when your words of summary or paraphrase, by ___(2)____, would be ___(3)____.

1) clear; 2) contrast; 3) wordy

For instance, when a quoted pronoun's reference (such as "she" or "he") would be unclear, ___(1)____ the pronoun and ___(2)____ an identifying word or phrase in brackets. In making the substitution, no ___(3)_____ are needed.

1) delete; 2) substitute; 3) ellipses

You should also add clarifying, bracketed information to quoted material when a reference ____(1)______ to the sentence's meaning is ___(2)____ but not stated ____(3)_____.

1) essential; 2) implied; 3) directly

When you quote ___(1)____ or prominent political, artistic, or historical figures, you enhance the ___(2)____ of your own work. You might quote to help explain or define or to ___(3)____ an argument.

1) experts; 2) credibility; 3) support

According to the authors, there are six strategies for using signal phrases:

1) identifying phrase at the beginning 2) identifying phrase in the middle 3) identifying phrase at the end 4) reference to a source preceded by "that" 5) identifying sentence at the beginning with a colon 6) block quotation (sentence and a colon)

When your readers are college students and instructors, some names—for instance, those of presidents and well-known people like Einstein, Freud, and Picasso—need no ___(1)____ and should not be introduced with an identifying (or __(2)___) phrase.

1) introduction; 2) signal

On the other hand, when referring generally to a source written in the past, one you are ___(1)___ immediately quoting, summarizing, or paraphrasing, use the __(2)____ tense.

1) not; 2) past

Online you will readily find advice on using ellipses to:

1) omit the beginning of a sentence; 2) omit the end of a sentence; 3) quote the opening of a paragraph, omit sentences, and resume quoting the end of the paragraph; or 4) omit one or more paragraphs when quoting a lengthy passage.

At times you may decide to ___(1)____ some words from a quotation—possibly for reasons of length, possibly because you want to emphasize only one part of a quoted passage. When you do this, alert readers to the change by using ___(2)____, three spaced ____(3)____ (. . .).

1) omit; 2) ellipses; 3) periods

Direct quotations are indicated by a pair of ____(1)_____; a direct quotation must ____(2)______ exactly the wording of the original passage.

1) quotation marks (" "); 2) reproduce

All ___(1)___ (or later) references to an author's name would be limited to their ___(2)____ name, as in this example: Sachs is particularly offended that some schools pay their head football coach far more than they do their president.

1) subsequent; 2) last

Quote when source material is worded so eloquently or powerfully that to ___(1)_____ or paraphrase would ___(2)____ much of its ___(3)____ and significance.

1) summarize; 2) diminish; 3) impact

These strategies are typical "moves" that experienced writers make with source materials. These five ways to build your references to quotations, summaries, and paraphrases into well-developed paragraphs are:

1) use sources to introduce a fact 2) use sources to introduce an idea 3) use sources to start and continue a discussion 4) use sources to illustrate 5) use sources to mark a transition

The authors have already noted the importance of introducing references with a signal phrase. At the heart of all such phrases is the ___(1)___, which ___(2)_____ what is to come and sets the reader's ___(3)____.

1) verb; 2) characterizes; 3) expectations

When using an indirect quotation, you have the liberty of changing ___(1)____ (although not ___(2)___).

1) words; 2) meaning

As with ellipses, there are numerous variations on when and how to use brackets to note altered quotations, and you will readily find advice online. Here is the principle to remember:

Anytime you add to a quotation, use brackets to distinguish your words from the source author's.

You can use a source to introduce a clear and forcefully stated idea into your paper—and to set up a response. That response can be your own or it can involve the use of additional sources. In either case, you are using a source as an occasion to introduce an idea and then discuss it. Which passage is an example of the "moves" you can make to introduce an idea in this way?

In this paragraph, the writer quotes a provocative question ("Where . . . have all the musical geniuses gone?") and responds at length. The result is a dialogue between the quoted author and the student writer. Something other than or in addition to the imbalance Beall writes about, between self-expression and communication, must cause the problems so many musicians encounter in trying to create hit songs. Beall suggests what this might be when, quoting industry executive Jason Flom, he asks: "Where . . . have all the musical geniuses gone? Why has this generation not produced even one musical genius on the level of Dylan or Sly Stone, or John Lennon, or Prince?" (para. 10). In responding, Beall sticks to the terms he has introduced: we Lack geniuses, he writes, because too few artists are reaching beyond self-expression in an effort to communicate. This answer assumes we have no musical geniuses because of problems with musicians themselves. But given the hit-focused, backward-Looking nature of the industry, an alternative answer based on a different assumption seems possible: the industry itself is the problem.

One classic use of sources is to illustrate a generalization. Which passage is an example of the "moves" you can make to do this?

Notice how the quoted examples describe a broader statement, that "One would be hard pressed to deny that Conrad's Africa is, as Achebe puts it, the 'antithesis' of civilization." The majority of Achebe's argument seeks to demonstrate the underlying racism of Conrad's novel. Achebe does so effectively. One would be hard pressed to deny that Conrad's Africa is, as Achebe puts it, the "antithesis" of civilization. Conrad's depiction of Africa's physical qualities romanticizes its backwardness. Achebe cites two prime examples: "Going up that river [the Congo] was like traveling back to the earliest beginnings of the world" and "The steamer toiled along slowly on the edge of a black and incomprehensible frenzy." Achebe goes on to exhibit Conrad's racist depiction of African people: No they were not inhuman. Well, you know that was the worst of it—this suspicion of their not being inhuman. It would come slowly to one. They howled and leaped and spun and made horrid faces, but what thrilled you, was just the thought of their humanity—like yours—the thought of your remote kinship with this wild and passionate uproar. Ugly. (37) This passage reveals the crux of Achebe's attack: Conrad not only depicts Africans and Africa in an inhuman way, but his method of identifying the "kinship" between Africa and Europe dehumanizes the former.

Sometimes you can use sources to mark a transition when you summarize what has come before and move the reader in a new, related direction. Which passage is an example of the "moves" you can make to do this?

Notice how the writer concludes one point, then in a fresh paragraph introduces a sentence fragment (stylistically justified) to move the reader to a new point. The quotation following the shift suggests the new direction that the paper will take. From the very first week of school, Benjamin could never—and never wanted to—compete against Eric's bluntness or Marc's temper. Of all of us, he rejected most completely the unwritten law of dorm life: that sarcasm and violence are positive values. Still, Benjamin hung out with us. He Lived in our corner of the dorm, and he wanted to be friendly. But everyone, including Benjamin, understood that he occupied the lowest spot in the order. That is, until he left midyear. According to Collins, "any social arrangement works because people avoid questioning it most of the time" (p. 74). The inverse of this principle is as follows: when a social arrangement is questioned, that arrangement can fall apart. The more fragile the arrangement (the flimsier the values on which it is based), the more quickly it will crumble. For the entire first semester, no one questioned our rude, macho rules, and because of them we pigeon-holed Benjamin as a wimp. At the beginning of the second semester, we found him packing up his room. Marc, who was walking down the hall, stopped by and said something like: "Hey, buddy, the kitchen get too hot for you?" I was there, and I saw Benjamin turn around and say: "Do you practice at being such a _________, or does it come naturally?" Marc said something in a raised voice. I stepped between them, and Benjamin said: "Get out." I was cheering. After quoting Collins (a source cited earlier in the paper), the writer puts the quotation to immediate use by restating it (in its "inverse" form) and using it as a principle by which to guide an analysis that becom

The details of punctuation vary somewhat in different cases, but the point to remember is clear:

Show omissions with ellipses.

You can summarize, paraphrase, or quote in order to establish a fact important to your paragraph. Which passage is an example of the "moves" you can make to establish a fact?

The writer of this paragraph summarizes two sources. A check of the Works Cited list for the paper indicates that the authors wrote originally for the United States Air War College and the American Journal of Physics. These sources are authoritative and, by association, so is the content of any paragraph that draws on them. The physics of a space elevator should be familiar to any child who has spun a rope with a rock attached to one end: as the arm spins, the rope remains extended at its full length in the air, apparently defying gravity. The rope and the rock stay up because centrifugal force acts to push the weight outward, while the rope keeps the rock from flying off. In the case of a space elevator, instead of the child spinning the weight, it is the earth that's spinning. And instead of a rope perhaps three feet in length extending taut from the child's hand out to the rock, the far end of a space tether would be attached to a weight extending 62,000 miles from earth (Aravind 125-26; Kent 3). Movement up and down the tether would not involve the use of counterweight and pulley system, as with terrestrial elevators, but rather a mechanical climber to ferry cargo to and from space.

You can also weave summaries and quotations into a discussion about a single idea. Which passage is an example of the "moves" you can make to do this?

The writer summarizes a source to introduce the idea, integrates other sources into the paragraph in order to challenge the idea, and adds still other sources to challenge the initial challenge. The result is a rich discussion. Critics and proponents of Hit Song Science software are now fiercely debating its merits. Those who support the technology believe that the success of Norah Jones may push the industry to sign musicians whose work might initially seem too edgy or unprofitable (Westcott; uPlaya; "New Music"). Critics worry that Jones is the exception in an industry "not exactly renowned for its daring" (Wake, qtd. in "Jukebox"). Because Hit Song Science bases its ratings of new songs on past hits, other critics predict that future music run through HSS algorithms will lack surprises ("New Music"). Alert to this criticism, one of the founders of HSS says that "[r]eticent artists need to understand [that HSS] is just a tool to help them get their art to a mass audience, rather than affect the art they're making" (McCready, qtd. in Westcott). Critics remain concerned. They see the potential for computers to encroach on, and possibly dictate, artists' decisions in crafting their work. On learning of the new technology, one composer/ performer and professor of music at the New England Conservatory said: "Just shoot me now" (Labaree). He is far from alone in his skepticism. A multi-platinum selling composer/performer who appreciates the potential of HSS to be one of many tools available to artists nonetheless cautions that "[t]ools don't write great songs" (Stolpe).

What kind of quotation is represented here? Does this quotation adequately prepare readers for its contents? Many in higher education believe athletic programs distort what ought to be the primary objective of college life. "It sends the wrong message when football coaches earn multiples of what full professors earn." Others are less concerned with symbols than with actual dollars, arguing that money spent on football deprives deserving academic programs of much-needed support.

This is a freestanding quotation. Even if it were followed by a parenthetical citation, a freestanding quotation like this one ("It sends the wrong message") jars the reader.

What kind of quotation is represented here? Does this passage adequately prepare readers for its contents? Many in higher education believe athletic programs distort what ought to be the primary objective of college life. As Rhode Island's Assistant Commissioner for Post-Secondary Learning, Anne Sachs, argues, "It sends the wrong message when football coaches earn multiples of what full professors earn." Others are less concerned with symbols. . . .

This is a fully integrated quotation. The signal phrase prepares readers for the content of the quotation.

Which kind of source integration strategy is shown here? Garrett Hardin believes that the metaphor of a lifeboat can help us examine the logic by which the United States gives aid to other nations. Those in the boat are like the wealthy nations of the world with resources enough to feed their citizens. Those swimming in the ocean beyond the boat are like poor nations struggling for survival. Poor nations want to climb aboard to share the resources of the wealthy and live. But the boat can only support so many passengers without sinking itself. Should those in the boat help those outside and risk hurting (or killing) themselves by sharing limited resources (26)?

a paraphrase that is a reference to a source preceded by "that"

Which kind of source integration strategy is shown here? Garrett Hardin develops the metaphor of a lifeboat to examine the logic by which the United States gives aid to other nations. Those in the boat are like the wealthy nations of the world with resources enough to feed their citizens. Those swimming in the ocean beyond the boat are like poor nations struggling for survival. Poor nations want to climb aboard to share the resources of the wealthy and live. But the boat can only support so many passengers without sinking itself. Should those in the boat help those outside and risk hurting (or killing) themselves by sharing limited resources (26)?

a paraphrase with an identifying phrase at the beginning

Which kind of source integration strategy is shown here? The logic by which the United States gives aid to other nations can be explored through the metaphor of a lifeboat. Those in the boat are like the wealthy nations of the world with resources enough to feed their citizens. Those swimming in the ocean beyond the boat are like poor nations struggling for survival. Poor nations want to climb aboard to share the resources of the wealthy and live. But the boat can only support so many passengers without sinking itself. As Garrett Hardin, the ecologist who developed this metaphor, asks, should those in the boat help those outside and risk hurting (or killing) themselves by sharing limited resources (26)?

a paraphrase with an identifying phrase at the end

Which kind of source integration strategy is shown here? The logic by which the United States gives aid to other nations can be explored through the metaphor of a lifeboat. Those in the boat are like the wealthy nations of the world with resources enough to feed their citizens. Those swimming in the ocean beyond the boat are like poor nations struggling for survival, according to Garrett Hardin, the ecologist who developed this metaphor. Poor nations want to climb aboard to share the resources of the wealthy and live. But the boat can only support so many passengers without sinking itself. Should those in the boat help those outside and risk hurting (or killing) themselves by sharing limited resources (26)?

a paraphrase with an identifying phrase in the middle

Which kind of source integration strategy is shown here? Garrett Hardin invents a provocative comparison for examining the logic of foreign aid: "Metaphorically each rich nation can be seen as a lifeboat full of comparatively rich people" (26).

a quotation that includes an identifying sentence at the beginning with a colon (:)

Which kind of source integration strategy is shown here? The ecologist Garrett Hardin suggests that "[m]etaphorically each rich nation can be seen as a lifeboat full of comparatively rich people" (26).

a quotation that is a reference to a source preceded by "that" [no comma + bracketed lowercase initial word]

Which kind of source integration strategy is shown here? As Garrett Hardin argues, "Metaphorically each rich nation can be seen as a lifeboat full of comparatively rich people" (26).

a quotation with an identifying phrase at the beginning

Which kind of source integration strategy is shown here? "Metaphorically each rich nation can be seen as a lifeboat full of comparatively rich people," claims Garrett Hardin (26).

a quotation with an identifying phrase at the end

Which kind of source integration strategy is shown here? "Metaphorically each rich nation can be seen as a lifeboat," claims Garrett Hardin, "full of comparatively rich people" (26).

a quotation with an identifying phrase in the middle

a quotation that includes an identifying sentence at the beginning with a colon (:)

a summary that includes an identifying sentence at the beginning with a colon (:)

Which kind of source integration strategy is shown here? Garrett Hardin asserts that the wealthy nations of the world are like passengers in a lifeboat faced with the dilemma of using limited resources to help those outside the boat (26).

a summary that is a reference to a source preceded by "that"

Which kind of source integration strategy is shown here? Garrett Hardin uses the metaphor of a lifeboat—comparing those who are safely on board and alive versus those who are not and at risk of drowning—to explore the logic of helping the poor (26).

a summary with an identifying phrase at the beginning

Which kind of source integration strategy is shown here? With food and resources enough to support their citizens, the wealthy nations of the world are like passengers in a lifeboat who face the question of using limited resources to help those outside the boat, according to Garrett Hardin (26).

a summary with an identifying phrase at the end

Which kind of source integration strategy is shown here? To explore the logic of helping the poor, Garrett Hardin uses the metaphor of a lifeboat—comparing those who are safely on board and alive versus those who are not and at risk of drowning (26).

a summary with an identifying phrase in the middle

You have options in choosing verbs for signal phrases. Consider using the ones listed here:

adds agrees argues asks asserts believes claims comments compares concedes concludes condemns considers contends declares defends denies derides disagrees disputes emphasizes explains finds holds illustrates implies insists maintains notes observes points out rejects relates reports responds reveals says sees shows speculates states suggests thinks warns writes

Assume you've decided to quote the underlined sentence: Talk with him about how the media can promote certain ideas or beliefs, which may differ from those of your family. In quoting this sentence, you need to identify the pronoun him. If you don't, readers won't understand the reference. You can make the substitution inside or outside the quotation. If inside, use...

brackets: "Talk with [your young teen] about how the media can promote certain ideas or beliefs, which may differ from those of your family."

Every time you use a quotation—or a summary or paraphrase—you must...

credit your source by identifying both the author and, in combination with a References page, information on where to find the referenced material.

A(n) ________ quotation precisely records the language of another.

direct

Quotations can be either...

direct or indirect.

At times, you may need to alter a quotation in order to integrate it effectively into your writing. Two of the ways to do so are to use...

ellipses and brackets

You should also avoid using quotations without a lead-in that sets a context for understanding. This kind of quotation is called a _______ quotation. These kind of quotations can be jarring for readers.

freestanding

The language and intellectual content of your papers should primarily be yours: your language, your thesis, your conclusion. You can and should refer to the work of others to support and improve your work, but when you borrow too much—whether by quoting, summarizing, or paraphrasing—you risk...

giving away intellectual ownership. Use quotations sparingly as you would a piquant spice. Quote only the words you need, and no more.

Citations work in two parts. The first appears in your sentence. This is called a(n) ________ citation.

in-text

A(n) _________ quotation is one in which you report what someone has said without repeating the words exactly as spoken (or written).

indirect

Mention an author's first name only on ______ use, as in this example: Many in higher education believe athletic programs distort what ought to be the primary objective of college life. Anne Sachs, Rhode Island's Assistant Commissioner for PostSecondary Learning, objects to the pay scales of athletic staff: "It sends the wrong message when football coaches. . . ."

initial

Assume you've decided to quote the underlined sentence: Talk with him about how the media can promote certain ideas or beliefs, which may differ from those of your family. At times, you may need to change verb tense, number (plural versus singular), or some other point of grammar in order to...

integrate a quotation into your sentence: "If your [children want] to watch, listen to or read something that you believe is inappropriate, let [them] know exactly why you object."

In no event would you refer to the author of your source by their first name ______.

only (e.g. "Anne" instead of "Anne Sachs" or "Sachs.")