QUOTATIONS, PARAPHRASES, SUMMARIES
A quotation uses the exact words of the original. Quotations must be identical to the original, using a narrow segment of the source. They must match the source document word for word and must be attributed to the original author.
A paraphrase is a restatement, in your own words, of a passage of text. Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from source material into your own words. Paraphrases are usually the same length as the source passage, sometimes a little shorter or longer than the original. A paraphrase must be attributed to the original source.
A summary is a relatively brief, objective account of the main ideas in a source passage. Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including only the main point(s). Summaries are significantly shorter than the original and take a broad overview of the source material. It is necessary to attribute summarized ideas to the original source.
Quote to maintain a passage which is particularly well-written / to present to the reader a passage which will be discussed in some detail / to set forth the exact wording (e.g., of a definition, law, etc.)
Paraphrase to retain the ideas in the original passage but put them in your own words, often because you want them to be clearer to your readers.
Summarize to condense a long, detailed passage.
Writers frequently intertwine summaries, paraphrases, and quotations. As part of a summary of an article, a chapter, or a book, a writer might include paraphrases of various key points blended with quotations of striking or suggestive phrases.
Quotations, paraphrases, and summaries serve many purposes. You might use them to . . .
provide support for claims or add credibility to your writing
refer to work that leads up to the work you are now doing
give examples of several points of view on a subject
call attention to a position that you wish to agree or disagree with
show what camp you are in, that you have read literature from the other camps, that you have been thorough in your research, or that you have read the classic works in the area
The original passage:
Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they overuse quotations in the final [research] paper. Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript should appear as directly quoted matter. Therefore, you should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking notes. Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers. 2nd ed. (1976): 46-47.
A legitimate paraphrase:
In research papers students often quote excessively, failing to keep quoted material down to a desirable level. Since the problem usually originates during note taking, it is essential to minimize the material recorded verbatim (Lester 46-47).
An acceptable summary:
Students should take just a few notes in direct quotation from sources to help minimize the amount of quoted material in a research paper (Lester 46-47).
A plagiarized version:
Students often use too many direct quotations when they take notes, resulting in too many of them in the final research paper. In fact, probably only about 10% of the final copy should consist of directly quoted material. So it is important to limit the amount of source material copied while taking notes.
METHODS OF PARAPHRASING
Method A. Look away from the source; then write.
1. Reread the original passage until you understand its full meaning.
2. Set the original aside, and write your paraphrase, using your own words.
3. Check your rendition with the original to make sure that your version accurately expresses all the essential information in a new form.
4. Use quotation marks to identify any unique term or phraseology you have borrowed exactly from the source.
5. Record the source (including the page).
Method B. While looking at the source, first change the structure, then the words.
For example, consider the following passage from Love and Toil (a book on motherhood in London from 1870 to 1918), in which the author, Ellen Ross, puts forth one of her major arguments:
Family survival was the mother's main charge among the large majority of London's population who were poor or working class; the emotional and intellectual nurture of her child or children and even their actual comfort were forced into the background. To mother was to work for and organize household subsistence. (p. 9)
1) Change the structure Begin by starting at a different place in the passage and/or sentence(s), basing your choice on the focus of your paper. This will lead naturally to some changes in wording. Or you could begin with one of the people the passage is about: "Mothers," "A mother," "Children," "A child." You might also break up long sentences, combine short ones, expand phrases for clarity, or shorten them for conciseness. In this process, you'll naturally eliminate some words and change others. Here's one of the many ways you might get started with a paraphrase of the passage above by changing its structure. In this case, the focus of the paper is the effect of economic status on children at the turn of the century, so the writer begins with children:
Children of the poor at the turn of the century received little if any emotional or intellectual nurturing from their mothers, whose main charge was family survival. Working for and organizing household subsistence were what defined mothering. Next to this, even the children's basic comfort was forced into the background (Ross, 1995).
Now you've succeeded in changing the structure, but the passage still contains many direct quotations, so you need to go on to the second step.
2) Change the words Use synonyms or a phrase that expresses the same meaning. It's important to start by changing the structure, not the words, but you might find that as you change the words, you see ways to change the structure further. The final paraphrase might look like this:
According to Ross (1993), poor children at the turn of the century received little mothering in our sense of the term. Mothering was defined by economic status, and among the poor, a mother's foremost responsibility was not to stimulate her children's minds or foster their emotional growth but to provide food and shelter to meet the basic requirements for physical survival. Given the magnitude of this task, children were deprived of even the "actual comfort" (p. 9) we expect mothers to provide today.
Exercise: Paraphrase the following passage from an article defending the existence of zoos, which are often criticized for depriving animals of their freedom.
Urban humans have become insulated from the reality of struggle and death that characterizes all life in the wild. Most of us see the biological world only in the censored electronic imagery of television. As a consequence, we imagine that the word freedom has biological significance, and fantasize about a peaceful kingdom. We think wild animals are free, happy, unstressed, stimulated and fulfilled. A moment's reflection shows that this attitude is a ludicrous perversion. Life in the wild is a constant struggle for survival.
Modern zoos, on the other hand, are not grim prisons. The extinction crisis we now face, particularly in the tropics, is a desperate one. Ultimately, we must preserve habitats wherever we can, and restore the damaged ones. Zoo education can motivate the first process and zoo science can help the second. The careful husbandry of small populations that zoos have developed is a recipe for dealing with shrinking wild populations. (Michael Duckworth “Born free”)