1. Skills for Essay Writing owl.english.purdue.edu/

2. Puttingthe main idea(s) into your own words Uses only main point(s) Much shorter than the original 3. A10-page article can be summarized in 1-2paragraphs A 1-page article 1-2 sentences Movie or book 1-2 paragraphs 4. Putting a passage into your own words About the same length as the original If rewording is too similar to the original, itsplagiarism 5. Paraphrasing is great in essays becauseit proves you really know your material.From Lindsay Radcliffe, UTSA Tutor and NCB Instructor 6. Example: Original: Giraffes like Acacia leaves and hayand they can consume 75 pounds of food a day. Paraphrase: A giraffe can eat up to 75 poundsof Acacia leaves and hay everyday.From http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples/examples-of-paraphrasing.html 7. Select a single paragraph from your full-length article. Then, translate it into your own words. Change both the vocabulary and thesentence structure to free yourself from theauthors voice. From Lindsay Radcliffe, UTSA Tutor and NCB Instructor 8. Using someones direct words Use quotes to: support your ideas preserve special or elegantlanguageFrom Lindsay Radcliffe, UTSA Tutor and NCB Instructor 9. Dont string quotes together or put themback to back. Example (dont do this) John Smith said, children can be very stubborn if youdont give them what they want, but then said thatadults can be equally stubborn and act like children.Rosy Campo disagreed. Both children and adults have atendency to be obstinate regardless of the situation. Better John Smith and Rosy Campo are on differing sides of theargument that children and adults can be stubborn whetheryou appease them or not. 10. Save quotes for when you think it is crucialto present someones exact words. Learn how to add your own connections andcomments. Be engaged in the research. 11. Always cite your source when summarizing, paraphrasing, or quoting: According to Dr. Smith, children show stubbornness when Smith found in his study that children show stubbornness when 12. No need to cite common knowledge. Knowledge that is widely known Examples: Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president. The U.S. declared independence in 1776. You cannot vote until you are 18. 13. Learningin the Academy: AN Introduction to the Culture of Scholarship, Creighton University, College of Arts & Sciences http://puffin.creighton.edu/ccas/forms/Learnin ginAcademy.pdf Avoiding Plagiarism: Mastering the Art ofScholarship, a UTSA Publication ofStudent Judicial Affairs. SFU Library- Subject Research website http://www.lib.sfu.ca/researchhelp/subjectguid es/engl/classes/EssayArch.htm