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Research Guides

Quote, Paraphrase, Summarize

What is it?

  • Using the exact words from a source and putting those words in quotation marks.  

Why choose to quote?

  • The original language is necessary for the reader to understand your argument or claim.
    • The authority of the author is important.
    • You are showing disagreement with the author's statement.
    • You are showing how words from the original can be open to interpretation.
  • The original is nearly impossible to paraphrase?

Important:

  • Use sparingly.  Frequent and abundant direct quoting can show that you don't know what you're talking about.  Paraphrase when you can.  Quote only when it's absolutely vital.

What is it?

  • State what you read from your source in your own words.

Why choose to paraphrase?

  • Avoid plagiarism
  • Show understanding of your topic

Important:

  • Paraphrasing can be hard!  Try the following to help:

    • Take time to understand the passage as a whole.

    • Choose only the info that helps support your claim.

    • Think of what your own words would be.

    • Don’t change shared language.  (EX: velocity, gravity, acceleration)

  • Tip:

    • After you understand the passage, and you’ve determined what is important...

    • Look away, and write without looking at the original source. 

    • Compare with the original and tweak as needed.

What is it?

  • Explaining the main points from a source in a broad and general way, not detailed.  

Why choose to summarize?

  • Original language is not important or necessary to the argument.
  • No specific detail is needed, so no need to paraphrase.
  • Only need the main idea or broad overview of information from a source.

Important:

  • Be sure basic message isn't lost when summarizing.

Introducing Quotes

  • X states, "[insert quotation here]"

  • As the foremost expert on [your topic] puts it, "[insert quotation here]."

  • According to X, "[insert quotation here]."

  • X himself/herself writes, "[insert quotation here]."

  • In her/his book, [name of book], X maintains that "[insert quotation here]."

  • Writing in the journal [name of journal], X maintains that "[insert quotation here]."

  • In X's view, "[insert quotation here]."

  • X agrees when he/she writes, "[insert quotation here]."

  • X disagrees when she/he writes, "[insert quotation here]."

  • X complicates matters further when he/she writes, "[insert quotation here]."

Explaining 

  • Basically, X is warning that [insert your explanation here].

  • In other words, X believes [insert your explanation here].

  • In making this comment, X urges us to [insert your explanation here].

  • X is corroborating the age old adage that [insert your explanation here].

  • X's point is that [insert your explanation here].

  • The essence of X's argument is that [insert your explanation here].

(adapted from They Say / I Say, 2nd ed.)

Borrowed from D204 Research Handbook

Here are some verbs to help you introduce summaries, paraphrases and quotations:

acknowledges
agrees
analyzes
argues
asks
asserts
balances
begins
believes
claims
comments
compares
complains
concedes
concludes
confirms

connects
considers
contends
contradicts
contrasts
points out
prepares
promises
proves
questions
recognizes
recommends
refutes
rejects
remarks
reports

reveals
declares
demonstrates
denies
describes
develops
discusses
distinguishes
between/among
emphasizes
endeavors to
establishes
estimates
explains
expresses
finds

focuses on
grants
illuminates
illustrates
implies
indicates
informs
insists
introduces
maintains
means
negates
notes
notices
observes
offers
 

Borrowed from D204 Research Handbook

Avoid quoting or paraphrasing from a source within a source when possible.

FIND THE ORIGINAL FROM AN ACADEMIC JOURNAL

  • Use the in-text citation to locate the source in the references
  • Using the title in the full reference, search for that article in a library database or Google Scholar
  • EXAMPLE: Soil Moisture Dominates...

FIND THE ORIGINAL FROM A POPULAR ARTICLE

  • A popular newspaper or magazine article should describe the study being reported on.
  • Sometimes there is a direct link to the original.
  • If there is no link, use as much of what is provided to search for the original study/article in a library database or Google Scholar
  • EXAMPLE: A Hairy Truth About Your Sense of Touch