Summarising and Paraphrasing

When is it appropriate to summarise?

In a lengthy passage where the main point is important but details are not

What should you create for each visual?

A caption

What information does not have to be cited?

Any information that is common knowledge, is well known by your audience, sources that are easily accessible or your own work

Do colons and semicolons go inside or outside the quotation marks?

Outside

When is it appropriate to quote something?

When something is said so well it's worth repeating, if the idea is so complex that paraphrasing or summarising would distort the meaning, if it is an argument between two experts, if it is a passage that you are analysing or if the words of an expert would establish your own credibility as an author

How should you indicate a source when quoting, paraphrasing, or summarising?

With a signal phrase

What is a signal phrase?

A sentence that gives credit to an author you are quoting, paraphrasing, or summarising

What is a summary?

A short paragraph that contains the important points of a passage but leaves out all of the other details

What is a paraphrase?

A short paragraph that keeps the details of the original passage but is in your own words and syntax

Does parenthetical documentation come after or before the closing quotation mark?

After

Where does the citation fall for a block quotation?

After the period at the end quotation

What constitutes plagiarism?

Any unacknowledged use of material from a source that is not considered common knowledge

What should be labeled as a table?

Anything that contains facts or figures displayed in columns

Where should source information be included in the table?

Below the table

How do you indicate changes to the text within a quotation?

By using brackets to enclose the text you changed and ellipsis to indicate text you omit

How do you indicate a short quotation?

Enclose the quote in quotation marks

When is it appropriate to paraphrase?

In passages where the details are important but not the exact words or if passages are too technical or complex for your audience to understand

How do you indicate a long or block quote?

Indent the quote ten spaces from the rest of your paragraph

Do commas and periods go inside or outside the quotation marks?

Inside

Where do question marks and exclamation points fall for closing quotation marks?

Inside the quotations if part of the original quotation but outside if part of your sentence

What size should a visual be?

Large enough to be visible and readable by the audience but not so large as to take up the entire page

What is patchwriting?

Restating material from sources in ways that stick too close to the original language or syntax

How do you set off a quotation within a quotation?

Single quotation marks

What is a quotation?

Someone's exact words

What does a parenthetical citation need in MLA format?

The author's last name and the page number of the quote, summary, or paraphrase

What verb tense does MLA require?

The present tense or the present prefect, except for when citing the date when the author wrote the source in which case use the past tense

Why should you credit the sources you get your information from?

To establish your authority and credibility as an author