How to use Paraphrase, Quotation, and Summary Properly in Academic Paper

We all use ideas we have gotten from other sources in our writing. On Hubpages, we can link to a source which gave us our ideas or which gives more information. In more formal writing, like for college, you will need to cite the sources with parenthesis or end notes. In both types of writing, it is more gracious and correct to name your source inside of your article. Here are some reminders of how to use and cite sources correctly:

• What is the difference?

Quoting is using the actual words that someone else said or wrote.

Paraphrasing is putting what someone wrote into your own words.

Summarizing is telling the main ideas that someone wrote, but not all the details.

• When do I use each?

Quote when something is said in a unique way or the person saying it has authority.

Paraphrase when you want to say all the details but there is nothing special about the person you are quoting or the way they said it.

Summarize when you want to give the general outline, or an overview of a lot of material.

• How can quoting, paraphrasing and summary help my writing?

All three can help you give support to your own ideas. Quotes, paraphrases and summaries can give you evidence, reasons and examples to prove your own points. Don’t use a source for your topic sentences. Quotes, paraphrases and summaries should be used as examples to support your own ideas.

• How to I cite a source?

With Internet writing, you can mention the name of the source at the beginning of your quote, paraphrase or summary and then provide a link.

In academic writing, you can mention the name of the source and give either a reference in parenthesis that tells the author’s last name and page number (MLA style) with a bibliography at the end, or else use a footnote (APA style).

• How do I mention the source in my own sentence?

When you mention a source, you need to at least tell the name of the writer.Usually, it is also good to tell the title of what you are quoting from too.Additionally, you can strengthen your writing if you explain how that source is going to support your idea.You can do this by including the claim you are trying to support in the sentence, and also by explaining the authority of the person you are citing.Here are some examples:

Good: According to John Miller, “Many mentors feel lost when they encounter children with problems impossible for them to understand” (Miller 23).

Better (includes claim with quote): John Miller explains that it is important for mentors to be trained because, without training, “Many mentors feel lost when they encounter children with problems impossible for them to understand” (Miller 23).

OR Best (includes claim and reason for quoting this authority): Mentors need to be well trained to be effective. John Miller, international director of Big Brothers, Big Sisters, says that mentor training is essential because “Many mentors feel lost when they encounter children with problems impossible for them to understand” (Miller 23).

• Are there rules about quoting?

Don’t use quotation very often. When should you use it? When the author says something in a unique way which would lose impact if you paraphrased or summarized, or when the author is a unique authority on the subject and quoting them makes your argument stronger. In general, I wouldn’t use more than one quote per page or per about 250 words, or 3-4 times in the average Hub page or college essay.

Use short quotes, not long ones. Most quotes should be only one or two lines of type. If it is longer than that, you should generally paraphrase or summarize.

Use quotation marks correctly. I have to include this one because so many of my college students do this incorrectly: quotes must be included INSIDE your own sentence and not as a sentence with quotation marks around it. Look this up if you aren't sure (see my Hub on using quotation correctly).

Incorrect: “Training is important for mentors” (Miller 23).

Correct : According to John Miller, “Training is important for mentors” (Miller 23).

• How can I do a correct paraphrase?

Paraphrasing is tricky because you don’t want to plagiarize the source by coming to close to it in your re-write.You must keep the original meaning but use different vocabulary and a different sentence structure. The best way to do a paraphrase is:

1. Read the passage carefully several times until you feel you understand what it is saying.
2. Without looking at the passage, write your own version of it, using your own vocabulary and way of phrasing.
3. Next, look back at the original and tweak your version to make sure it isn’t copying but does say the same thing.
4. Remember, the paraphrase should sound like your own writing, not the source you are quoting.
5. If your course uses Turnitin.com and your professor allows you to upload and look at your own papers, this is a wonderful way to see if your paper has too many words that are the same as your source.

• Do I have to change every word in a paraphrase?

No, if there are key words or special vocabulary in this subject, you can keep those in your paraphrase.Also, if there is one unique phrase you want to include, just use quotation marks around it.

• How do I let my reader know I am summarizing?

It is very important to give your reader clues that you are doing a long summary.

• You can do that by mentioning the author’s name at the start of the summary.
• Then as you continue, you can use author tags like “Jones says” or “she mentions” or “he explains” as you write.
• You can also use the name of the book or article instead of the author to break up the monotony of your writing.Example:

John Miller, in his article, “How to Mentor,” suggests many ideas for effective mentoring programs. One idea he promotes is xxxxx. Miller also says xxxxx. A final suggestion in the article is that xxxxxx (Miller 34).

Using quotation, paraphrase and summary correctly can make your writing stand out as more professional.If you have any other questions, leave a comment and I will be happy to answer them.