Summaries, Quotes and Paraphrases

Summary

• Restating in your own words to make it shorter

• Summarizes the main points of the article or several paragraphs of information

• Cite the source, the author’s last name in parentheses. . . (Johnson).

How to Summarize an Article

1. Briefly look the article over to get a general idea of its content

A. The title and author?B. Skim the first and last few paragraphsC. Pay attention to keywords that are in bold

or italicsD. Graphs, pictures, diagrams

How to Summarize an Article2. Read the article straight through– Check or underline main points– Look for important details– Look for definitions, lists or examples that

indicate key ideas3. Reread the areas you have identified as the

most important. See if you missed anything important.

How to Summarize an Article4. Take notes on the material. Circle or

write down key ideas and important quotes.

5. Write a brief summary.– Include the main ideas of the article– Don’t be overly detailed. – Limit your quotes. Only quote to illustrate

points you can’t put in your own words

Direct Quotes• A direct quote must be written EXACTLY as it

appears in the original work.• “A direct quote must be written EXACTLY as it

appears in the original work” (Schulze).

-“quotations” where the quote begins and ends-parenthetical reference: author’s family name***if your article does not have an another, use the first

main word of the title in quotations:“The Problem with Alcohol” ----- (“Problem”).

***Exceptions for direct quotes:

If you don’t need all of the words you can alter the quote and remove a few words, if. . . .

• it doesn’t change the meaning of the quote!• Use brackets and ellipses […] to alter the

quote

Example of Quote• We cannot guarantee that bad things will happen, but

we can argue that good things are not happening. It is the contention of this report that increasing numbers of young people are left to their own devices at a critical time in their development.

• “We cannot guarantee that bad things will happen, but we can argue that good things are not happening […] [I]ncreasing numbers of young people are left to their own devices at a critical time in their development” (Smith).

• Use the brackets [] to show that you changed something

Give it a whirl!Take out one article you intend to use for your

research essay

write a brief summary of your article (About 5 sentences is fine!)

Have your article and homework on finding credible sources out for me to check

Paraphrase: Your own version of a quote, presented in a new

form. • a paraphrase is a summary focuses concisely on a

single idea or quote, instead of the whole essay.Why Paraphrase?• You can incorporate the author’s ideas into your

essay by using your own words• it helps you control the temptation to quote too

much• a legitimate way (when accompanied by accurate

documentation) to borrow from a source.

ORIGINAL: “Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they overuse quotations in the final research paper” (Adams).

GOOD: In research papers, students often quote excessively, failing to keep quoted material down to a desirable level (Adams).

BAD: Students often use too many direct quotations when they take notes, resulting in too many of them in the last research paper.

How to write a paraphrase• Convey the quotation's central idea. • Paraphrase in your own words. Avoid the

original phrases and sentence structure • The words of the paraphrase are yours, but

the idea is not. Cite the author to avoid plagiarism.

• Condense the quote. Make sure your paraphrase is shorter and easier to understand than the original quote

What is a Bad Paraphrase?

A bad paraphrase is when you:

-simply substitute certain words with their synonyms

-copy the sentence structure of the original quotation.

ORIGINAL: “Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they overuse quotations in the final research paper” (Adams).

GOOD: In research papers, students often quote excessively, failing to keep quoted material down to a desirable level (Adams).

BAD: Students often use too many direct quotations when they take notes, resulting in too many of them in the last research paper.

When to quote and when to paraphrase?

Paraphrase as often as you can!-Put author’s ideas in your own words to write

your own research essay

When to quote:When the vocabulary is very technical or

particular and the idea can only be expressed by the experienced author

Your turn

1. Find 3 quotes that you think express important ideas in your article

2. Write down one paraphrase for each quote: -put each quote in your own words to convey the same idea

Study up!1. Read sample essay:

“Successful Families: Fighting for Their Kids.”

2. Review notes on summaries, quotes, and paraphrases. There will be a plagiarism quiz next week worth 5% of your final grade

For more information on summary and paraphrasing, visit these sites:

http://facpub.stjohns.edu/~roigm/plagiarism/Examples%20of%20paraphrasing.html

http://papyr.com/hypertextbooks/comp2/samppara.htm

A Caution about Plagiarism• Make sure you give credit where credit is due! If

you fail to document information that is not your own, you will be stealing.

• Examples of Plagiarism:-Not properly citing a source-Quoting too much-Doing a really bad paraphrase-Copying all or part of a friend’s paper-Copying all or part of a magazine or internet article-Copying all or part of a free essay from the internet.