This might feel formulaic and forced at first, but following these steps will ensure that you give each piece of evidence thorough attention.
What might this look like in practice?
[1] Humans and dolphins are not the only mammals with complex systems of communication. As a matter of fact, [2] some scientists have “speculated that the extensive frontal sinus of giraffes acts as a resonance chamber for infrasound production” ( [3] Baotic et al. 3). [4] Even though no definitive answer has been found, it’s possible that the structure of a giraffe’s head allows it to create sounds that humans may not be able to hear. This hypothesis supports the notion that different species of animals develop a sort of “language” that corresponds to their anatomy.
Humans and dolphins are not the only mammals with complex systems of communication. As a matter of fact,
some scientists have “speculated that the extensive frontal sinus of giraffes acts as a resonance chamber for infrasound production”
(Baotic et al. 3).
Even though no definitive answer has been found, it’s possible that the structure of a giraffe’s head allows it to create sounds that humans may not be able to hear. This hypothesis supports the notion that different species of animals develop a sort of “language” that corresponds to their anatomy.
A quick note on block quotes: sometimes you may find it necessary to use a long direct quote from a source. For instance, if there is a passage that you plan to analyze in-depth or throughout the course of the entire paper, you may need to reproduce the whole thing. You may have seen other authors use block quotes in the course of your research. In the middle of a sentence or paragraph, the text will break into a long direct quote that is indented and separated from the rest of the paragraph.
There are occasions when it is appropriate for you to use block quotes too, but they are rare. Even though long quotes can be useful, quotes long enough to block are often too long. Using too much of one source all at once can overwhelm your own voice and analysis, distract the reader, undermine your ethos, and prevent you from digging into a quote. It’s typically a better choice to
If, in the rare event that you must use a long direct quote, one that runs more than four lines on a properly formatted page, follow the guidelines from the appropriate style guide. In MLA format, block quotes (1) are indented one inch from the margin, (2) are double-spaced, (3) are not in quotation marks, and (4) use original end punctuation and an in-text citation after the last sentence. The paragraph will continue after the block quote without any indentation.
Signposts are phrases and sentences that guide a reader’s interpretation of the evidence you are about to introduce. Readerly signposts are also known as “signal phrases” because they give the reader a warning of your next move. In addition to foreshadowing a paraphrase, quote, or summary, though, your signposts can be active agents in your argumentation.
Before using a paraphrase, quote, or summary, you can prime your reader to understand that evidence in a certain way. For example, let’s take the imaginary quote “The moon landing was faked in a sound studio by Stanley Kubrick.”
What does each signpost do to us, as readers, encountering the same quote?
The original chapter, Interacting with Sources by Shane Abrams, is from EmpoWord: A Student-Centered Anthology and Handbook for College Writers
The position | Complete faith | Uncertainty | Cautious disbelief | “Duh” |
---|---|---|---|---|
“Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are a nutritious part of a child’s lunch.” | Most parents have wondered if “peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are a nutritious part of a child’s lunch.” | |||
“The bees are dying rapidly.” | Even though some people argue that “the bees are dying rapidly,” it may be more complicated than that. | |||
“Jennifer Lopez is still relevant.” | We can all agree that “Jennifer Lopez is still relevant.” | |||
“Morality cannot be learned.” | It should be obvious that “morality cannot be learned.” |
Baotic, Anton, Florian Sicks, and Angela S. Stoeger. “Nocturnal ‘Humming’ Vocalizations: Adding a Piece of the Puzzle of Giraffe Vocal Communication.” BioMed Central Research Notes , vol. 8, no. 425, 2015, pp. 1–11.
Quoting, Summarizing, and Paraphrasing Copyright © 2022 by Shane Abrams; Liz Delf; Rob Drummond; and Kristy Kelly is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.
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Visual: Screen opens to a background image with a person typing on a laptop and a notebook and pencil, along with the Walden University Writing Center logo. The title Walden University Writing Center and tagline “Your writing, grammar, and APA experts” appears on the screen. The screen changes to show the series title “Paraphrasing Sources" and the video title "Comparing Paraphrasing & Quoting.”
Audio: Guitar music.
Visual: Slide changes to a mostly gray slide with the heading: "Paraphrasing: One form of evidence." Below the heading are two blue circles comparing quotation and paraphrase:
Audio: A quotation is where the wording you’re using is identical to the original source. You are using, word for word, the exact same thing that the original source said. In a paraphrase, you are going to change your wording, change the sentence structure, and still keep the same information, but you're going to put it into your own words.
There is a little bit of a difference in citation between a quotation and a paraphrase. When you cite a quotation, you use quotation marks, you use the author, the year, and then a page number or paragraph number. In a paraphrase, you give the author and the year, and you can choose to give a page number, but it is not required.
One thing to keep in mind between paraphrasing and quoting is that we really want to be wary of using direct quotations too often. When you use a direct quotation, you're parroting someone else's information, kind of like a little parrot copies and imitates people's words. That is in essence what we're doing. When we use a direct quotation, we're not using our own words, we're using someone else's. It can be helpful to use someone else's words, but to do that often shows we're not critically engaging with the information. We're not really diving in and fully understanding it. I could copy and paste multiple quotations out of a source, but if I don't explain them, integrate them, or use them in any sort of way, why would anyone want to read my work? I’m simply repeating what someone else has already said. Be aware that quotations can be helpful, but you do really want to be wary of using them too often.
Paraphrases, however, are always going to be stronger. When you can take information and put it into your own words, it really shows that you are critically using that text. You're understanding it and are able to rearticulate it in a new and a fresh way.
So those are some differences and similarities in how to cite quotations and paraphrases, but also keep in mind that in academic writing, in general, we prefer writers use paraphrases over quotations.
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Psyd22: socialization processes.
Mark, J. (n.d.). [JPEG image of a Venn diagram comparing quoting, summarizing, and paraphrasing]. Retrieved October 6, 2021, from http://writingscape.com/summary-vs-paraphrase-vs-quote/
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Chapter 4: Summarizing the Work of Others
When to direct quote, paraphrase, or summarize, direct quotes.
A direct quote might be most familiar to you—using quotation marks (“ ”) to indicate the moments that you’re borrowing, when you reproduce an author’s words verbatim in your own writing. Use a direct quote if someone else wrote or said something in a distinctive or particular way and you want to capture their words exactly. Direct quotes are good for establishing credibility and providing evidence.
Paraphrasing is similar to the process of summary . When we paraphrase, we process information or ideas from another person’s text and put them in our own words. The main difference between paraphrase and summary is scope: if summarizing means rewording and condensing, then paraphrasing means rewording without drastically altering length. However, paraphrasing is also generally more faithful to the spirit of the original; whereas a summary requires you to process and invites your own perspective, a paraphrase ought to mirror back the original idea using your own language.
Paraphrasing is helpful for establishing background knowledge or general consensus, simplifying a complicated idea, or reminding your reader of a certain part of another text. It is also valuable when relaying statistics or historical information, both of which are usually more fluidly woven into your writing when spoken with your own voice.
Summary, as discussed earlier in this chapter, is useful for “broadstrokes” or quick overviews, brief references, and describing the state of knowledge. When you summarize, you reword and condense another author’s writing. Be aware, though, that summary also requires individual thought: when you reword, it should be a result of you processing the idea yourself, and when you condense, you must think critically about which parts of the text are most important.
Below, you can see three examples of these three tools. Consider how the direct quote, the paraphrase, and the summary each could be used to achieve different purposes.
Original Passage
“It has been suggested (again rather anecdotally) that giraffes do communicate using infrasonic vocalizations (the signals are verbally described to be similar—in structure and function—to the low-frequency, infrasonic “rumbles” of elephants). It was further speculated that the extensive frontal sinus of giraffes acts as a resonance chamber for infrasound production. Moreover, particular neck movements (e.g. the neck stretch) are suggested to be associated with the production of infrasonic vocalizations” (Baotic et al., 2015) .
Some zoological experts have pointed out that the evidence for giraffe hums has been “rather anecdotally” reported (Baotic et al., 2019, p. 3). However, some scientists have “speculated that the extensive frontal sinus of giraffes acts as a resonance chamber for infrasound production” (Baotic et al., 2019, p. 3). | Giraffes emit a low-pitch noise; some scientists believe that this hum can be used for communication with other members of the social group, but others are skeptical because of the dearth of research on giraffe noises. According to Baotic et al., the anatomy of the animal suggests that they may be making deliberate and specific noises (2019). | Baotic et al. (2019) conducted a study on giraffe hums in response to speculation that these noises are used deliberately for communication.
|
The video below highlights additional citations conventions worth noting that are demonstrated in the examples above (see Chapter 7 for more details on citing sources).
This section has been adapted from Chapter Five: Summary and Response in EmpoWORD: A Student-Centered Anthology and Handbook for College Writers by Shane Abrams, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.
Baotic, A., Sicks, F. & Stoeger, A.S. (2015). Nocturnal ‘Humming’ Vocalizations: Adding a Piece of the Puzzle of Giraffe Vocal Communication. BioMed Central Research Notes Vol . 8, no. 425. US National Library of Medicine. doi: 10.1186/s13104-015-1394-3.
An author reiterates a main idea, argument, or detail of a text in their own words without drastically altering the length of the passage(s) they paraphrase. Contrast with summary.
An author reiterates the main ideas, arguments, and details of a text in their own words, condensing a longer text into a smaller version. Contrast with paraphrase.
Writing Place Copyright © 2022 by Lindsay Cuff is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.
Home / Guides / Citation Guides / Citation Basics / Quoting vs. Paraphrasing vs. Summarizing
If you’ve ever written a research essay, you know the struggle is real. Should you use a direct quote? Should you put it in your own words? And how is summarizing different from paraphrasing—aren’t they kind of the same thing?
Knowing how you should include your source takes some finesse, and knowing when to quote directly, paraphrase, or summarize can make or break your argument. Let’s take a look at the nuances among these three ways of using an outside source in an essay.
The concept of quoting is pretty straightforward. If you use quotation marks, you must use precisely the same words as the original , even if the language is vulgar or the grammar is incorrect. In fact, when scholars quote writers with bad grammar, they may correct it by using typographical notes [like this] to show readers they have made a change.
“I never like[d] peas as a child.”
Conversely, if a passage with odd or incorrect language is quoted as is, the note [sic] may be used to show that no changes were made to the original language despite any errors.
“I never like [sic] peas as a child.”
The professional world looks very seriously on quotations. You cannot change a single comma or letter without documentation when you quote a source. Not only that, but the quote must be accompanied by an attribution, commonly called a citation. A misquote or failure to cite can be considered plagiarism.
When writing an academic paper, scholars must use in-text citations in parentheses followed by a complete entry on a references page. When you quote someone using MLA format , for example, it might look like this:
“The orphan is above all a character out of place, forced to make his or her own home in the world. The novel itself grew up as a genre representing the efforts of an ordinary individual to navigate his or her way through the trials of life. The orphan is therefore an essentially novelistic character, set loose from established conventions to face a world of endless possibilities (and dangers)” (Mullan).
This quote is from www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/orphans-in-fiction , which discusses the portrayal of orphans in Victorian English literature. The citation as it would look on the references page (called Works Cited in MLA) is available at the end of this guide.
Paraphrasing means taking a quote and putting it in your own words.
You translate what another writer has said into terms both you and your reader can more easily understand. Unlike summarizing, which focuses on the big picture, paraphrasing is involved with single lines or passages. Paraphrasing means you should focus only on segments of a text.
Paraphrasing is a way for you to start processing the information from your source . When you take a quote and put it into your own words, you are already working to better understand, and better explain, the information.
The more you can change the quote without changing the original meaning , the better. How can you make significant changes to a text without changing the meaning?
Here are a few paraphrasing techniques:
Let’s look at an example. Here is a direct quote from the article on orphans in Victorian literature:
“It is no accident that the most famous character in recent fiction – Harry Potter – is an orphan. The child wizard’s adventures are premised on the death of his parents and the responsibilities that he must therefore assume. If we look to classic children’s fiction we find a host of orphans” (Mullan).
Here is a possible paraphrase:
It’s not a mistake that a well-known protagonist in current fiction is an orphan: Harry Potter. His quests are due to his parents dying and tasks that he is now obligated to complete. You will see that orphans are common protagonists if you look at other classic fiction (Mullan).
What differences do you spot? There are synonyms. A few words were moved around. A few clauses were moved around. But do you see that the basic structure is very similar?
This kind of paraphrase might be flagged by a plagiarism checker. Don’t paraphrase like that.
Here is a better example:
What is the most well-known fact about beloved character, Harry Potter? That he’s an orphan – “the boy who lived”. In fact, it is only because his parents died that he was thrust into his hero’s journey. Throughout classic children’s literature, you’ll find many orphans as protagonists (Mullan).
Do you see that this paraphrase has more differences? The basic information is there, but the structure is quite different.
When you paraphrase, you are making choices: of how to restructure information, of how to organize and prioritize it. These choices reflect your voice in a way a direct quote cannot, since a direct quote is, by definition, someone else’s voice.
Although the purpose of both quoting and paraphrasing is to introduce the ideas of an external source, they are used for different reasons. It’s not that one is better than the other, but rather that quoting suits some purposes better, while paraphrasing is more suitable for others.
A direct quote is better when you feel the writer made the point perfectly and there is no reason to change a thing. If the writer has a strong voice and you want to preserve that, use a direct quote.
For example, no one should ever try to paraphrase John. F. Kenney’s famous line: “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”
However, think of direct quotes like a hot pepper: go ahead and sprinkle them around to add some spice to your paper, but… you might not want to overdo it.
Conversely, paraphrasing is useful when you want to bring in a longer section of a source into your piece, but you don’t have room for the full passage . A paraphrase doesn’t simplify the passage to an extreme level, like a summary would. Rather, it condenses the section of text into something more useful for your essay. It’s also appropriate to paraphrase when there are sentences within a passage that you want to leave out.
If you were to paraphrase the section of the article about Victorian orphans mentioned earlier, you might write something like this:
Considering the development of the novel, which portrayed everyday people making their way through life, using an orphan as a protagonist was effective. Orphans are characters that, by definition, need to find their way alone. The author can let the protagonist venture out into the world where the anything, good or bad, might happen (Mullan).
You’ll notice a couple of things here. One, there are no quotation marks, but there is still an in-text citation (the name in parentheses). A paraphrase lacks quotation marks because you aren’t directly quoting, but it still needs a citation because you are using a specific segment of the text. It is still someone else’s original idea and must be cited.
Secondly, if you look at the original quote, you’ll see that five lines of text are condensed into four and a half lines. Everything the author used has been changed.
A single paragraph of text has been explained in different words—which is the heart of paraphrasing.
Next, we come to summarizing. Summarizing is on a much larger scale than quoting or paraphrasing. While similar to paraphrasing in that you use your own words, a summary’s primary focus is on translating the main idea of an entire document or long section.
Summaries are useful because they allow you to mention entire chapters or articles—or longer works—in only a few sentences. However, summaries can be longer and more in-depth. They can actually include quotes and paraphrases. Keep in mind, though, that since a summary condenses information, look for the main points. Don’t include a lot of details in a summary.
In literary analysis essays, it is useful to include one body paragraph that summarizes the work you’re writing about. It might be helpful to quote or paraphrase specific lines that contribute to the main themes of such a work. Here is an example summarizing the article on orphans in Victorian literature:
In John Mullan’s article “Orphans in Fiction” on bl.uk.com, he reviews the use of orphans as protagonists in 19 th century Victorian literature. Mullan argues that orphans, without family attachments, are effective characters that can be “unleashed to discover the world.” This discovery process often leads orphans to expose dangerous aspects of society, while maintaining their innocence. As an example, Mullan examines how many female orphans wind up as governesses, demonstrating the usefulness of a main character that is obligated to find their own way.
This summary includes the main ideas of the article, one paraphrase, and one direct quote. A ten-paragraph article is summarized into one single paragraph.
As for giving source credit, since the author’s name and title of the source are stated at the beginning of the summary paragraph, you don’t need an in-text citation.
The fact is that writers use these three reference types (quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing) interchangeably. The key is to pay attention to your argument development. At some points, you will want concrete, firm evidence. Quotes are perfect for this.
At other times, you will want general support for an argument, but the text that includes such support is long-winded. A paraphrase is appropriate in this case.
Finally, sometimes you may need to mention an entire book or article because it is so full of evidence to support your points. In these cases, it is wise to take a few sentences or even a full paragraph to summarize the source.
No matter which type you use, you always need to cite your source on a References or Works Cited page at the end of the document. The MLA works cited entry for the text we’ve been using today looks like this:
Mullan, John. Orphans in Fiction” www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/orphans-in-fiction. Accessed 20. Oct. 2020
————–
See our related lesson with video: How to Quote and Paraphrase Evidence
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Citation Basics
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Direct quotations present the original writer’s or speaker’s words verbatim. Direct quotations can be formatted as run-in or block quotations.
Run-in quotations are woven into your text. They are usually prefaced or concluded with an independent clause or a noun and verb phrase (e.g., “Tom said,” “Jane says,”) identifying the speaker or writer.
Gerry stormed into the conference room: “The mandatory team meeting began at 3:00 p.m., but Joe didn’t show up.”
Susan said, “He went to the warehouse for supplies.”
“Well, he should have let us know,” replied Brian.
Kitchen blogger Bob Smith claims, “The new ACME dish soap will eliminate the need for electric dishwashers within five years.”
Run-in quotation fragments can also be incorporated into a sentence without an introductory phrase.
The researcher said his findings were “solid and represented the available data,” but admitted that “further study should be done if additional information comes to light.”
Visit “ How to Introduce Run-in Quotations ” for more information and detailed examples.
Block quotations are longer quotations presented as blocks of text indented from your own writing.
You can find additional guidance in my three-part block quotation series:
Block Quotations, Part 1: How to Introduce Block Quotations
Block Quotations, Part 2: How to Format Block Quotations
Block Quotations, Part 3: Block Quotation Issues and Concerns
When paraphrasing, you include someone else’s content, although not their exact words, in your own writing while maintaining the original writer’s or speaker’s thought or idea. Because paraphrasing doesn’t represent your own thought or idea (even if you put a lot of thought into how to write the paraphrased content), the original writer or speaker must be credited either directly in the sentence and/or in a citation, endnote, or footnote to avoid plagiarism. 1
According to Professor Sniffledorf, the new rocket technology will allow humans to land on Mars in 2031.
The new rocket technology will allow humans to land on Mars in 2031 (Sniffledorf, 2017).
The in-text citation in the example above, “(Sniffledorf, 2017),” would be accompanied by a corresponding entry in your reference list documenting the author’s or speaker’s name, the source’s location (journal, book, website, etc.), the publisher, and the year of publication, as well as the page numbers, if applicable. Citation formatting varies by style guide, so consult your preferred guide if you are required to follow a specific style.
Summarizing.
Summarizing is when you describe or explain the central ideas, themes, or most important information found in a source. You might read a whole 5-page article about an issue, but in your research paper you just describe the main points of that article in one sentence. Or you read an entire chapter of a book and summarize it in one or two sentences. Summarizing is taking a lot of information and explaining it in as few words as possible. But because you are explaining what you learned from a source , you need to include an in-text citation within the summarizing sentence.
Example: Summarizing an Entire Book
In a paper, a summary of a book might look like this in APA style:
In their book Geek Girl Rising , Heather Cabot and Samantha Walravens, highlight success stories of women working in technology and provide inspiration for girls wanting to break into this male-dominated industry (2017).
A direct quote includes the exact word-for-word sentences or phrases that you found in a source. When you copy and paste text into your paper, you are directly quoting that source. A direct quote must have quotation marks around it and it must include a citation to show the reader where those words came from.
Example: Direct Quote
Here is an example of a direct quote from a magazine article by Tracy Mayor in Computerworld titled “Women in IT: How Deep is the Bench?”.
A direct quote from this source would be written as follows (MLA style):
“In contrast, the industry shift away from nuts and bolts and toward hybrid skill sets – including higher-level analytics, process and project management, and user-centric social and mobile computing – could open up opportunities for women to move laterally into tech departments from other specialties” (Mayor 18).
Example: Paraphrasing a Source
Here is an example of a paraphrase from a magazine article by L. Mundy in Atlantic titled “ Why is Silicon Valley so awful to women? ”
In an APA Style paper, a paraphrase of page 71 of the source could be written as follows:
A former Facebook employee says the company does a good job of making it seem like a great place to work, a company that’s friendly and equitable to women, but she says women are often not included in social situations in which important company ideas and products are being introduced (Mundy, 2017, p. 71).
Paraphrasing is when you use your own words to explain something that you learned from a source. Paraphrasing can be a useful way to clearly explain the meaning of information you uncovered through your research. It’s a good way to describe what you’ve learned and also help the reader understand the significance of the information. It is NOT rearranging the words or replacing just a few words in the sentence. Paraphrasing is a common writing technique, but it’s also where many students unintentionally plagiarize.
Students unintentionally plagiarize because they:
To do a good job of paraphrasing, you have to make sure you are using only your words, not the author’s. First, read the original source and think about it. Make a few notes of what you think it means. After that, try explaining the author’s ideas in your own words. It’s helpful if you wait a little while between reading the source and trying to paraphrase it so that the author’s words aren’t quite so fresh in your mind. If there’s a word or phrase that you keep repeating when you try to paraphrase, then you probably should just quote it (with quotation marks and a citation).
Common knowledge is a term for facts that are generally well-known, not controversial, and easy to look up. When you state something that is common knowledge in your paper, you don’t have to include a citation because you are assuming that the reader already knows this information. Common knowledge can vary somewhat depending on who the audience for your research project is. If you aren’t sure whether something you are stating in your paper is common knowledge, always play it safe and include a citation.
Common knowledge examples (no citation required):
For more information about summarizing, direct quoting, and paraphrasing, check out tips from the Online Writing Lab (OWL) from Purdue University.
Digital Information Skills for Community College Researchers Copyright © 2022 by Serene Rock is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.
An important part of any academic discussion is citations. It highlights the existing works on a particular topic, enabling readers to track relevant research 1 to develop their arguments. Though the function of citation is simple, the learning process of correctly citing other articles can be challenging. There is an increased possibility of plagiarism if you incorporate others’ work or ideas without full or correct acknowledgment. As a research student or early researcher, you will come across rules for paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting in your research articles. These are essential strategies for citing existing research work to support or challenge your writings or arguments. You’ll use a combination of these in your assignments, dissertation, or research papers, so understanding their differences is important.
In simple terms, the difference between these three terms lies in the proximity of your writing to the source writing, but their use could be hindered for the following reasons. 2
This article compares and discusses paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting to help you become more comfortable with their usage.
Quoting involves using a direct quotation , where you quote the author verbatim to define or describe specific concepts. Use double quotation marks at the beginning and end of the quote, and use the exact words from the original text. It is important to cite the original source and name the author, or else your work could be considered plagiarized as there is software that easily detects this. Also, it is better to avoid long passages as direct quotes; limit them to one or two sentences. Another point to remember is to limit their instances in your paper. Use words/phrases such as stated , in the words of , etc., to indicate that you are using the author’s exact words. Discuss its meaning or add more information as needed so that the quotes fit logically in your writing.
Unlike quoting, paraphrasing involves rewriting the text; the aim is to explain the original and relevant idea in one’s own words as a basis to build an argument. You can avoid words such as mentioned or stated for paraphrased text, but cite the source to ensure the reader knows that you are borrowing ideas. Paraphrasing can be challenging to most ESL students as it requires a good command of paraphrasing and considerable time and effort in choosing the right active or passive verbs to introduce a paraphrase. 3 A common mistake to avoid is swapping words in the original sentence with their synonyms.
In academic writing, the preference is towards paraphrasing because it shows your understanding of the literature and allows you to present relevant evidence to your readers. Also, as it incorporates your own academic voice, you can avoid getting flagged by plagiarism detection tools, such as Turnitin.
When summarizing, you describe the original text without analyzing it. Your aim is to give your readers a broad overview of a subject. It involves placing the main ideas or points in your own words. Since your focus is on providing a general overview of the topic, summaries are often provided in the introductory paragraph. But remember to cite the summarized ideas.
The following is an example of a good paraphrase. It has the same ideas as the source text (quoted on the left) but with different wording and sentence structure.
“While the Sears Tower is arguably the greatest achievement in skyscraper engineering so far, it’s unlikely that architects and engineers have abandoned the quest for the world’s tallest building. The question is: Just how high can a building go?” (Bachman, 1990, p. 15). | While the Sears Tower is a world marvel, it remains unknown how much higher skyscrapers of the future will rise. (Bachman, 1990, p. 15). |
Developing your paraphrasing and summarizing skills will take time. So, it is important that you set aside a lot of time to practice these skills to perfect your writing.
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Writing in college often means using ideas from other sources. There are times when it may be best to quote the sources directly, while other times may be better served by paraphrasing or summary. In order to decide which technique to use, it is helpful to think about how you are using the information in your paper.
Definitions
How to decide which approach to use
Direct quotations can be useful when the exact wording of a statement is important. The exact wording of a quotation may be significant to your claim. In example 1 below, the contrast between adjectives are important to the claim. Also, direct quotation may be important when you want to make sure you are being precise in representing the author’s position. Finally, you might choose to use a direct quotation when the original statement is particularly well written or structurally persuasive. If a statement uses elements such as parallelism or alliteration, you might not be able to recreate that same effect. An important element of the quotation in example 1 is the parallel structure between "lowest and vilest alleys" and "smiling and beautiful countryside."
When Sherlock tells Watson "the lowest and vilest alleys in London do not present a more dreadful record of sin than does the smiling and beautiful countryside,” he intensifies suspense by equating innocence with evil ("The Adventure of the Copper Beeches" 502).
Paraphrasing is usually expected in research and argumentative essays. These type of papers benefit from paraphrasing because it shows that you understand the source and are therefore a reliable voice on that source. Paraphrasing can make the evidence more straightforward. Another reason to paraphrase is to adjust your tone for your audience. If the assignment asks you to write a presentation for your classmates, you do not want to quote scientific jargon. Your source is only persuasive and supportive if your readers understand it. The paraphrase of the quotation below is shorter, and more direct.
Original quotation: “In the case of Facebook, it has changed its format multiple times, and merged other literacy practices – email, instant messaging, games – into its structure in an attempt to keep users on the site” (Keller 2014, 74).
Paraphrase: Facebook has tried to hold on to its users by incorporating new functions like games and email (Keller 2014).
Summaries can also be used in reviews, research papers, and argumentative essays. They have a similar purpose as paraphrasing, but they condense a large work (i.e. an entire chapter, article, or book) into a shorter text such as a paragraph or a short essay. Summaries allow you to focus your description on the parts that are relevant to your discussion. Example 3 briefly summarizes Anne of Green Gables, focusing on Anne as a strong female character and could lead into a discussion of how the series teaches girls self-respect while also cherishing romance.
Anne of Green Gables is a book series that follows the life of an unruly red-headed orphan as she grows from an romantic adolescent into an independent young woman.
Writing Center consultants can help you if you aren't sure what style of source integration works best for an assignment. Some essays require a mix of methods. Consultants can help you determine if your writing needs a better balance of integration methods. If you are less familiar with one of the three uses of sources, the Writing Center can give you additional pointers.
See our section on how to incorporate sources for more on punctuating and introducing quotations. Also see our section on avoiding plagiarism to learn how to paraphrase and summarize.
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Transcriptome profiling of phenylalanine-treated human neuronal model: spotlight on neurite impairment and synaptic connectivity.
2.1. characterization of nt2/d1 cell differentiation into nt2/n in vitro, 2.2. phenylalanine treatment of nt2/n and cell viability assay, 2.3. rna sequencing quality control and mapping to the reference genome, 2.4. co-expressed and uniquely expressed genes, 2.5. principal component analysis, 2.6. analysis of differentially expressed genes, 2.7. gene set enrichment analysis and overrepresentation analysis of degs, 3. discussion, 4. materials and methods, 4.1. nt2 differentiation to nt2-derived neurons, 4.2. immunocytochemistry, 4.3. cell viability assay, 4.4. phenylalanine treatment, 4.5. rna extraction and mrna sequencing, 4.6. quality control, mapping to reference genome, and differential expression analysis, 4.7. gene set enrichment analysis and overrepresentation analysis, 4.8. qrt-pcr, 4.9. statistical analysis, supplementary materials, author contributions, institutional review board statement, informed consent statement, data availability statement, conflicts of interest.
Click here to enlarge figure
Treatment Group | Gene Name | Function | Differential Expression | Fold Change |
---|---|---|---|---|
2.5 mM Phe | KLF4 | Transcription factor | Up-regulated | 1.98 **** |
MT1E | Metal-binding protein | Down-regulated | 0.47 ** | |
PREX1 | Signaling protein (guanine nucleotide exchange factor) | Up-regulated | 1.63 * | |
5 mM Phe | WNT3A | Signaling protein | Up-regulated | 11.88 **** |
PREX1 | Signaling protein (guanine nucleotide exchange factor) | Up-regulated | 1.96 *** | |
CDH6 | Cell adhesion protein | Up-regulated | 2.60 * | |
LRP4 | Low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein | Up-regulated | 1.86 * | |
10 mM Phe | IGFBP3 | Binding protein (transcription regulator) | Up-regulated | 3.29 **** |
PREX1 | Signaling protein (guanine nucleotide exchange factor) | Up-regulated | 2.22 **** | |
LRP4 | Low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein | Up-regulated | 2.10 *** | |
CDC42BPG | Enzyme (protein kinase) | Up-regulated | 2.03 *** | |
SOX3 | Transcription factor | Up-regulated | 2.06 *** | |
CDH6 | Cell adhesion protein | Up-regulated | 2.24 ** | |
AEBP1 | Enzyme (carboxypeptidase) | Up-regulated | 2.24 ** | |
PPP1R13L | Enzyme (protein phosphatase) | Up-regulated | 2.10 * | |
PCSK9 | Enzyme (subtilisin-like proprotein convertase) | Up-regulated | 2.66 * | |
NTNG2 | Cell adhesion protein | Up-regulated | 1.83 * | |
GPR50 | G-protein coupled receptor | Up-regulated | 11.31 * | |
RASGRF2 | Nucleotide exchange factor | Up-regulated | 1.89 * | |
PRMT8 | Enzyme (arginine methyltransferase) | Down-regulated | 0.43 * |
The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content. |
Stankovic, S.; Lazic, A.; Parezanovic, M.; Stevanovic, M.; Pavlovic, S.; Stojiljkovic, M.; Klaassen, K. Transcriptome Profiling of Phenylalanine-Treated Human Neuronal Model: Spotlight on Neurite Impairment and Synaptic Connectivity. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024 , 25 , 10019. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms251810019
Stankovic S, Lazic A, Parezanovic M, Stevanovic M, Pavlovic S, Stojiljkovic M, Klaassen K. Transcriptome Profiling of Phenylalanine-Treated Human Neuronal Model: Spotlight on Neurite Impairment and Synaptic Connectivity. International Journal of Molecular Sciences . 2024; 25(18):10019. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms251810019
Stankovic, Sara, Andrijana Lazic, Marina Parezanovic, Milena Stevanovic, Sonja Pavlovic, Maja Stojiljkovic, and Kristel Klaassen. 2024. "Transcriptome Profiling of Phenylalanine-Treated Human Neuronal Model: Spotlight on Neurite Impairment and Synaptic Connectivity" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 25, no. 18: 10019. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms251810019
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COMMENTS
Paraphrasing. Paraphrasing is when you restate someone else's words, but not word for word. Example (original quote): "It's risky trusting employees as much as we do. Giving them as much freedom as we do. But it's essential in creative companies where you have much greater risk from lack of innovation.".
Differences and Similarities. There are a few major differences and similarities between the three writing techniques discussed. Quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing are similar in that they are all writing techniques that can be used to include the work of other authors in one's own writing. It is common for writers to use these strategies ...
Paraphrase Practice Now paraphrase the quote. Remember that when you paraphrase, you convey more detailed ideas than in a summary using different words and different sentence structures. Try this strategy: read the first 3 sentences from the quote multiple times for comprehension. Then, look away or cover the quote and
Quoting, paraphrasing and summarizing are similar in that they allow a writer to incorporate another writer's work into his or her own work. However, they are different in the methods of application. Quotation s are identical in every way to the original. To quote a source, write out the exact words in the original document and put those words ...
Paraphrasing. When we paraphrase, we are processing information or ideas from another person's text and putting them in our own words. The main difference between paraphrase and summary is scope: if summarizing means rewording and condensing, then paraphrasing means rewording without drastically altering length.
LabSimone A. Fried, TF Spring 2021Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing SourcesThe three most common te. iques for writing with evidence are direct quotes, summarizing, and paraphrasing. Direct qu. tes are probably what most people think of first as a way to use academic evidence. In the U. . we often teach children to support an argument by ...
Quoting Quoting is word for word or verbatim, relevant and usually brief, introduced or framed by your writing, in quotation marks (block quoting requires different formatting), and needs attribution and citation. Quoting or using quotations is the most common form of incorporating evidence into your writing.
Tips for quoting. Direct quotes should be kept as brief as possible. Paraphrasing and summarising should be used in preference to direct quoting where possible, as using direct quotes doesn't demonstrate as high a level of understanding in the subject matter and can disrupt the personal style and natural flow of your writing.
Quoting, Paraphrasing and Summarizing. Quotations must be 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 involves putting a passage from source material into your own words. A paraphrase must also be attributed to the ...
The screen changes to show the series title "Paraphrasing Sources" and the video title "Comparing Paraphrasing & Quoting." Audio: Guitar music. Visual: Slide changes to a mostly gray slide with the heading: "Paraphrasing: One form of evidence." Below the heading are two blue circles comparing quotation and paraphrase: Quotation. Identical ...
Research guides: PSYD22: Socialization Processes : Paraphrasing, Summarizing, Quoting
The main difference between paraphrase and summary is scope: if summarizing means rewording and condensing, then paraphrasing means rewording without drastically altering length. However, paraphrasing is also generally more faithful to the spirit of the original; whereas a summary requires you to process and invites your own perspective, a ...
What is summarizing? Next, we come to summarizing. Summarizing is on a much larger scale than quoting or paraphrasing. While similar to paraphrasing in that you use your own words, a summary's primary focus is on translating the main idea of an entire document or long section. Summaries are useful because they allow you to mention entire chapters or articles—or longer works—in only a few ...
It offers an alternative to using direct quotations and helps students to integrate evidence/ source material into assignments. Paraphrasing is also a useful skill for making notes from readings, note-taking in lectures, and explaining information in tables, charts and diagrams. How to paraphrase. Read the source carefully.
Direct Quotations and Paraphrasing Explained. You can use direct quotations or paraphrasing to include someone else's writing or speech in your own writing. Direct quotations can be formatted as run-in or block quotations. Today's post explains direct quotations and paraphrasing in more detail…and you can quote me on that!
8.2 Summarizing, Direct Quoting, & Paraphrasing Summarizing. Summarizing is when you describe or explain the central ideas, themes, or most important information found in a source. You might read a whole 5-page article about an issue, but in your research paper you just describe the main points of that article in one sentence. Or you read an ...
This article compares and discusses paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting to help you become more comfortable with their usage. Quoting. Quoting involves using a direct quotation, where you quote the author verbatim to define or describe specific concepts. Use double quotation marks at the beginning and end of the quote, and use the exact ...
A direct quote should be enclosed in quotation marks. Expressing a short passage in your own words. Paraphrasing involves completely rewriting the passage while retaining the meaning. Expressing a longer excerpt in your own words. Summarizing involves conveying the main ideas and main points of the source material.
Most of the time when you cite a source, you want to summarize or paraphrase. Direct quotations should be used sparingly when the situation meets the criteria above. When you do use direct quotations: Do not take the quote out of context. The author's meaning should not change. Be sure to integrate multiple sources within your text.
Another reason to paraphrase is to adjust your tone for your audience. If the assignment asks you to write a presentation for your classmates, you do not want to quote scientific jargon. Your source is only persuasive and supportive if your readers understand it. The paraphrase of the quotation below is shorter, and more direct. Example 2:
Matches the source word for word. 2. Usually, a short part of the text. 3. The cited part appears between quotation marks. DIRECT QUOTING 3. Reducing and shortening the whole piece. ALYANA NICOLE IBABAO (STEM SOURCES: Lab, P. W. (n.). Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing Purdue Writing Lab. Retrieved October 24, 2022, Attention Required ...
In comparing summarizing, paraphrasing, and direct quoting, we can use a Venn diagram to illustrate their similarities and differences. The similarities they all share include the fact that they all involve the use of other people's ideas to support your own arguments and that they all require citation to avoid plagiarism.
the graphic organizer that you need to use is the venn diagram to show compare and contrast ( similarities and differences ) differences: • Paraphrasing is when you take someone else's ideas or words and rephrase them as your own . To paraphrase means to restate someone else's ideas in your own language at roughly the same level of detail.
We used Venn diagrams for the visualization of the co-expressed and uniquely expressed genes for all Phe concentrations in comparison to untreated cells . We observed a markedly lower number of uniquely expressed genes in 1.25 mM-Phe-treated cells (89) compared to cells treated with higher Phe concentrations (468, 236, 690, and 3993 for 2.5 mM ...