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Writing & Communication : Quoting, Summarizing & Paraphrasing Sources
Quoting, Summarizing & Paraphrasing Sources: sub-module 2 of 2 of writing your essay
When incorporating sources into your work, there are several ways to represent another author’s ideas while supporting your own. Summarizing is when you write a brief description of the main ideas or concepts in an essay, article, or story. Paraphrasing expresses an author’s ideas from a source but is written using your own words. Quoting, on the other hand, uses the exact words of the source to highlight a key point or phrase.
Whenever you use a source, whether you summarize, paraphrase, or quote—you must cite it- opens in a new window properly.
Tips
- Express the idea in your own words.It is not enough to change a sentence or passage by simply replacing some words with their synonyms.
- Never “drop” a quotation into your writing.Always introduce the quotation and explain it after.
- You don’t always have to use a quotation to make your point.You can get the key point and express it in your own words (paraphrasing and/or summarizing).
- Acknowledge where your information and ideas comes from.Both paraphrased and quoted passages must be acknowledged using an appropriate citation system – usually MLA or APA – both within your piece and in a stand-alone page at the end of a paper.
- Make use of resources for citation help. Your college library staff and online resources can be real allies in helping you negotiate the intricacies of proper citation.
Avoiding Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the intentional or unintentional use of someone else’s words or thoughts without giving proper credit to the author. Plagiarism usually means improper or inadequate citation when:
- Using facts or research presented in a paper without citing them.
- Using an author’s ideas about a certain topic without citing him or her.
- Intentionally copying from another source, such as, a textbook, another person’s essay, an Internet source.
Make sure that you are giving appropriate credit when you use:
- Another person’s idea, opinion or theory.
- Any facts, statistics, graphs or drawings.
- Another person’s actual spoken or written words.
- A paraphrase of another person’s spoken or written words.
- When something is common knowledge you don’t have to cite it. Anything that is commonly known by the audience reading your essay can be used without citation. For example:
- Jean Chretien is the former prime minister of Canada. (common knowledge)
- Jean Chretien appointed Bertha Wilson first woman justice of the Supreme Court of Canada in 1982. (not common knowledge – requires citation)
- Often plagiarism begins in the note-taking stage. When taking notes, students sometimes think that if they put information in their own words, it doesn’t need to be cited. This is not the case.
- Pay attention when copying down direct quotations. When a word is misspelled or a quote is worded incorrectly, it also qualifies as plagiarism.
- Always distinguish between paraphrases and direct quotes.
- Learn citation methods. opens in new window Both MLA and APA styles have specific guidelines and formats for citing quoted or paraphrased
- Find out from your professor which style format he or she wants you to use (e.g. MLA, APA, Chicago Manual, etc.)
- Check spelling and grammar when copying quotes. The biggest insult to a writer is to be misquoted or quoted with a spelling error.
- Log or record quotations as you are reading so that you know where you got them from and can easily locate citation information.
- Remember that you will never get in trouble for citing, but you may get in big trouble for not citing. It is always better to cite the quotes that you have, rather than trying to pass them off as your own words and ideas. It is not only your academic career that is at stake, but also your own personal integrity.
Study Tools
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A Guide to Summarizing Opens in a new windowUse this tip sheet to help you write summaries.
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Paraphrasing Opens in a new windowUse this tip sheet for help paraphrasing information.
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Using Quotations Opens in a new windowUse this tip sheet to remember how and when to use quotations.
Methods of Incorporating Sources
Using Quotations
Quotations are a useful way to bring the exact words of a source into your writing. They can add credibility, highlight a key idea, or capture language that’s especially powerful or precise. Knowing when and how to use quotations effectively will help you strengthen your work while keeping your voice as the main focus.
Watch this video to learn how to include quotations in a seamless and effective way.
Answers to Your Quotation Questions
A quotation, or quote, is someone else’s thoughts or ideas used word-for-word in writing in order to provide evidence or support.
Quotations are only one of the ways that you can integrate sources into your writing. Here are the reasons you might choose to use a quotation instead of a paraphrasing or summarizing:
- The quotation is worthy of further analysis.
- The author’s words are particularly strong or memorable (the passage cannot be adequately expressed in another way).
- The quotation lends credibility to an argument by enlisting the support of an authority on the topic.
If the exact wording of an argument is not important, consider paraphrasing or summarizing the passage.
When you include a quotation, it is helpful to integrate the quote into your sentence or paragraph by giving some context to the quotation. The following verbs and phrases are among those commonly used to introduce quotations:
- writes
- claims
- says
- According to X,
- Explains
- Suggests
- Argues
- In X’s view,
- States
- Concludes
- Demonstrates
- In the words of X,
All quotations should be credited to the source in both the paper and in a Works Cited page. Some well-known style guides include the MLA, the APA, and the Chicago Manual. Quotations are formatted differently depending on their length. The following examples are in the MLA style.
Short quotations
Normally, quotations should be integrated into the paragraph while maintaining the flow of the paper. Short quotations are identified by the use of quotation marks. Punctuation within a quotation should remain unchanged except for the last period in the sentence, which should instead appear after the citation.
Example
In reference to the time period of “A Tale of Two Cities,” Dickens writes, “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times” (11).
Long quotations
A quotation that is longer than three lines should be formatted as a block quotation. Long quotations should only be used when absolutely necessary as they may disrupt the flow of a paper and are sometimes viewed as an attempt by the writer to lengthen the paper. Note that quotation marks are not used for block quotations and that the citation sits outside of the ending period. Long quotations should be introduced with a colon after the lead in.
Example
“A Tale of Two Cities” begins with a passage that effectively uses anaphora and oxymora to illustrate the parallels and contradictions present in the story:
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, . . . we had everything before us, we had nothing before us . . . – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only. (Dickens 11)
Altering the source’s words
A quotation may have to be altered because it is too long, or its tense or grammatical structure is different from the rest of the paper. Missing text is indicated with an ellipsis (. . .). Other changes to the text should be within square brackets.
Example
Dickens describes the great divide between the rich and the poor before the French Revolution as, “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times, . . . we had everything before us, we had nothing before us” (11). At the end of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” Prospero wishes to return to a real life in Milan, where “every third thought shall be [his] grave” (V.i.308).
A quotation should be followed by an analysis of its importance. It should provide support for, but never take the place of, the writer’s argument. As such, the writer should try to avoid ending a paragraph with a quotation.
What's the Difference?
When working with sources, it’s important to understand the difference between summarizing and paraphrasing. Both involve putting information into your own words, but they serve different purposes. Below is a quick comparison to help you decide when to use each approach.
Paraphrase
- Rewords the original text using your own language
- Focuses on a smaller section (e.g., one sentence or paragraph)
- Maintains the original meaning and detail
- Often similar in length to the source
- Used to clarify or simplify complex ideas
- Common in academic writing when you want to reference a source closely without quoting
- Requires citation
Summary
- Condenses the main ideas into a shorter form
- Covers larger portions of text (e.g., multiple paragraphs, full article)
- Omits less important details and examples
- Much shorter than the original
- Useful for giving a broad overview or highlighting key points
- Common in research reviews, abstracts, or study notes
- Also requires citation
Summarizing a Source
A summary is a brief description of the main ideas or concepts in an essay, article or story, written in your own words. It helps focus on the essential information while leaving out unnecessary, 'filler', details. It helps readers quickly understand the core message of the original material without including unnecessary details. A good summary should be objective, avoiding the inclusion of your own ideas, interpretations, or opinions. Instead, it focuses on capturing the essence of the original work while giving proper credit to the author.
Watch this video to learn how to summarize effectively.
How to Write a Summary
Before you create a summary/response, complete a careful reading of the text. You can use a pen, pencil, or highlighter and mark the reading as you go to help you understand what you read. Here are some suggested notations you can use:
- Put stars next to information that feels important.
- Circle new words that you are unfamiliar with.
- Draw question marks next to passages that are unclear.
- Write questions you have and connections you make in the margins that occur as you read.
- Use any other symbols that help you find meaning in the text.
When you are done reading and marking, answer the following questions:
- What is the topic of the reading? This is a word or phrase that answers the question: “What is the text about?”
- What is the main idea/thesis of the entire essay/article? This is the most important thing being said about the topic. It is a general statement that all of the information in the reading supports. It can be a lesson or important point that is made. This statement reflects and unifies the entire meaning of the reading.
- What evidence is used to support the thesis or main idea you wrote down? Identify the big ideas in the reading that explain and support the main idea/thesis.
- What is in the reading that made you draw the conclusion as to what the main idea/thesis is?
Capture the most important ideas from the text and shorten and paraphrase them. The summary should be a concise-but-thorough, fair, objective restatement of the original text. It should reflect the author’s viewpoint, not your own.
Consider starting your summary paragraph by typing the title of the reading, followed by the author’s name, and the main idea. For example, an opening line of a summary/response might look like this:
Example
In “Son of Saddam,” Don Yaeger states* that Uday Saddam used his position of authority to abuse and scare athletes instead of motivating them. (*Pick an appropriate present tense verb: claims, explains, defends, insists, asserts, compares, warns, observes, condemns, suggests, refutes, shows, etc.)
Follow this by explaining the textual support for your statement in your own words.
After the first mention of the author’s full name, refer to him or her only by the last name, e.g. “Smith argues” instead of “John argues” or “John Smith argues.”
Tip: To ensure that you are using your own words, put away the source material after you read it. This will force you to use your own words instead of making small changes to the original text.
Once your summary feels complete, take out the text you read and your summary and compare the two for accuracy. Check your summary to make sure the following elements are included and accurate:
- A main idea/ thesis
- Appropriate and adequate evidence that backs the main idea/thesis
- A summary statement (restatement of the main idea/thesis)
- Transitions that move the reader from one idea to the next, e.g. in short, in summary, furthermore, and in addition.
Paraphrasing a Source
Paraphrasing is the rewording of a passage into one’s own words and is typically applied to shorter sections of text, such as a single paragraph, rather than an entire essay or story. It is most often used with non-fiction materials to restate information for use as a secondary source in academic writing. While paraphrasing helps convey factual content clearly and concisely, it is less effective with fiction, which relies heavily on descriptive language that is difficult to capture without losing its original tone and nuance.
How to Paraphrase
- Write Without Looking After reading the original source, look away and try to write the idea in your own words. This helps you focus on meaning rather than wording and reduces the risk of copying sentence structure too closely.
- Give It Time Take some initial notes, then set them aside for a day or two. Returning later can give you a fresh perspective and help you focus on the core ideas instead of the exact phrasing.
- Restructure the Passage Start your version at a different point in the original paragraph. Changing the order of ideas encourages you to rethink how the information is presented, leading to more original sentence construction.
- Revise Sentence Length Combine short sentences where appropriate or break up long ones. This helps improve flow and can make your paraphrase clearer and more concise.
- Use New Vocabulary Swap out words and phrases from the original for synonyms or alternative expressions. Be sure to avoid using the same wording repeatedly, especially when paraphrasing multiple parts of a source.
- Only use a limited number of words from the original, or else it will be necessary to use quotation marks.
- Keep the paraphrase approximately the same length as the original.
- It is necessary to cite paraphrased passages directly after the paraphrase, not only in the 'Works Cited' list or bibliography.
- Try to use paraphrasing as an alternative to using direct quotes, which should be reserved for remarkable words/phrases that can’t be expressed in any other words.
- Understand the article as a whole before you paraphrase. It is important to understand what the article is about and what the author’s stance on the topic is before you try to explain what he or she is saying.
- Do not merely replace words with synonyms. It is necessary to restate the whole meaning in a completely different way. Synonym – a word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another in the same language.