Quoting, Paraphrasing, & Summarizing

To successfully write research papers, students must learn the skills of quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing.

Quoting

Quotation marks are used any time a student cites (or quotes) another person's exact words. Often the quotation is introduced by the use of a colon or a comma.  Quotation marks are used at both the beginning and end of the quote.  In research papers, the words enclosed in quotation marks must be followed by a listing of the exact source of those words. Go to How to Use Quotations Page

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is similar to quoting.  However, instead of using the exact words, the ideas of the original source are kept and usually shortened. 

An example of paraphrasing is the sentence: 

In the introduction of his new book, Walter Cronkite points out that all newsmen are biased (1).

A correct paraphrase lists both the idea and its originator.  Notice that the page from which this idea is paraphrased is listed immediately following the sentence so that the reader could find it for himself if he wanted to.

Summarizing

Summarizing is closely related to paraphrasing.  Again, the exact words are not used and the ideas of the original source are kept and usually shortened. Summarizing, however, takes more than a single point into account.

An example of summarizing is the sentence: 

In his first chapter, Cronkite argues that while all newsmen are biased, they are not biased for the same reasons. Some have personal agendas, others are seeking promotion or attention, and others are ignorant of their own bias (10-15).

Notice that instead of shortening and emphasing a single point, summarizing allows writers to bring together a number of key points in a small amount of space. 

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