SummaryParaphraseQuotation

Summary

Condensed

In your own words

Concise, but not telegraphic

Paraphrase

Not condensed

In your own words

Most useful method of incorporating source material

Also a useful study aid

Quotation

Exact words.

Any additions or deletions must be indicated with [brackets] or ellipses: . . . indicates less than a full sentence has been

deleted . . . . indicates that one or more full sentences

have been deleted

Errors in the original are left intact and indicated by [sic]

When to Quote

To add the power of an author’s words to support your argument

To disagree with an author’s argument

To highlight particularly eloquent or powerful phrases or passages

To compare and contrast specific points of view

To note the important research that precedes your own

When to Summarize

To establish background or offer an overview of a topic

To describe knowledge (from several sources) about a topic

To determine the main ideas of a single source

When to Paraphrase

To clarify a short passage from a text

To avoid overusing quotations

To explain a point when exact wording isn’t important

To explain the main points of a passage

To report numerical data or statistics (preferred in APA papers)

Prefer Paraphrase

In most situation, paraphrase will be the most effective option.

Paraphrase uses your own words, so it blends well into the text.

Paraphrase creates an better understanding of the source material

Paraphrase Practice

Using the information on pages 44 & 45, define the idea of a “Coasean ceiling” and a “Coasean floor” by paraphrasing Shirky.

A “Coasean ceiling” is . . .

Summary Practice

The final paragraph on page 51, and the subsequent paragraph on page 52 offer details on Garrett Hardin’s “Tragedy of the Commons.” Summarize these two paragraphs in 50 words or less.