Using Sources

Summarizing Paraphrasing Quoting Summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting Once you have located sources of information, you will want to include some of the information you have found in your research project. You may choose to summarize the information you have found, presenting a brief passage in your own words that presents the work of another author. More exact presentations of ideas might require that you paraphrase a writer's ideas--presenting a close approximation of a sources ideas or arguments but changing the words substantially to fit your paper. Often, paraphrases may contain brief quotes, especially when the author has used specific words or phrases that you wish to retain. Quoting another author's words should be used sparingly and only when the information cannot be summarized or paraphrased adequately or when the information needs to be presented exactly as in the original (i.e., to support an argument or proposition in your own work). Quotations should be woven into your own work in such a way that they retain your own sense and flavor, while being absolutely certain that your quotations are accurate--every word, capitalized letter, and punctuation mark in the original must appear exactly. And it is absolutely essential, whether you summarize, paraphrase, or quote the words and ideas of others, that you accurately cite your sources.

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