Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Direct Quoting

1. Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Direct Quoting Which one to use when and how

2. Using sources • Sources support your argument • It’s like having your boy in your corner in a fight • Sources make you look more credible • It’s your “I know what I’m talking about” card • Sources help broaden your and your reader’s understanding • They illustrate your point better than you could and lead you to more information you could include in your paper (and make it longer!)

3. How to include sources • There are three ways you can include a source: • Summarize • Paraphrase • Direct Quote

4. Summary • To summarize, you: • Shorten a large piece of text (anything from a paragraph to an entire book) down to just a few sentences • Focus on the most important aspects of the source • Use your own words

5. When to choose summarizing • Summaries are useful when: • The information you need to include in your paper is just an overview of the entire source • The whole source is too much to include

6. An example of summary • Source: • The Australian Clown Association manual • Summary: • The Australian Clown Association manual outlines the rules of the organization, lists the members, and explains when and where clown festivals will take place (www.aca.au).

7. Paraphrase • To paraphrase, you: • Rephrase a small piece of text (one or two sentences) in your own words • Focus on the idea of the sentence(s), not the wording

8. When to choose paraphrasing • Paraphrases are useful when: • The information you need out of the source is just one or two sentences • You do not want to directly quote the sentence(s) • The idea of the sentence is more important than the exact words of the original source

9. An example of paraphrasing • Source: • Australian Clown Association manual • Original: • The new clown will register his or her name with the clown registry no less than ten days before and no sooner than forty-five days before the first official performance. • Paraphrase • New clowns have to register the names they want to use ten days before they perform for the first time (www.aca.au).

10. Direct Quotation • To directly quote, you: • Place a piece of text from the original source in quotation marks • Use the exact wording found in the original source • Use a full sentence or two or part of a sentence with an introduction (see example).

11. When to choose a direct quotation • Direct quotations are useful when: • The exact words that the original source is important • The text you want to use is short

12. Example of a direct quote • Source: • Australian Clown Association manual • Original: • Clowning has been a long standing tradition in Australia that captivates the hearts of millions and advances Australian culture around the world. • Direct Quotation: • Steve Bean, the president of the Australian Clown Association, says that Australian clowning “captivates the hearts of millions and advances Australian culture around the world” (www.aca.au).

13. BUT! • You can’t just spout information you found as if it was your own. • THAT’S STEALING! (AND WILL EARN YOU A GREAT BIG ZERO) • Cite, cite, cite the source!