Using Sources Effectively

Using Sources Effectively: Paraphrasing and Quoting
Using Paraphrasing:
When you restate evidence or ideas from a source, but do not directly quote, you are
paraphrasing. Paraphrasing is important because it forces you to put information and
ideas into your own words. Sometimes this can be as plain as restating a simple idea or
statistic you found during the research process. Other times you must clarify complex
statements, transforming them into your own words. The process of paraphrasing
demonstrates a deeper understanding of the material because it requires writers to
synthesize information from the original source. The author of the original source must
always be cited.
Example
Original Source
When the 200th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party was celebrated in Boston, an
enormous crowd turned out, not for the official celebration, but for the “People’s
Bi-Centennial” countercelebration, where packages marked “Gulf Oil” and
“Exxon” were dumped into the Boston Harbor, to symbolize opposition to
corporate power in America.
--Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States, page 550
Paraphrase
A large crowd threw boxes labeled “Gulf Oil” and “Exxon” into Boston Harbor
during the 1976 bicentennial celebration of the Boston Tea Party. This unofficial
event represented public discontent with the power of corporations in America
(Zinn 550).
Strategies for Paraphrasing: All paraphrasing is putting the source’s information into
your own words. The following strategies can make the process more comfortable:
1) Imagine you are explaining the idea to a friend.
2) Avoid using the same sentence structure as the original source.
3) Do not use the original author’s wording or phrases.
4) Resist the desire to look at the original source when paraphrasing.
5) Consult a thesaurus if you cannot let go of the original author’s words.
6) If you must use any of the original source’s language, put it in quotation marks.
Why Paraphrase?: Paraphrase in order to demonstrate your mastery of the material.

Also, paraphrase when a synopsis of the source’s information would be more powerful in
your essay than a quotation. Most importantly, you should paraphrase because you do not
want your writing to rely heavily on another person’s words.
A Note on Summary: Using summary is similar to paraphrasing. When an author

summarizes they present a condensed version of ideas from a source. When summarizing
an entire text, writers normally focus on accurately representing the original author's
argument. When conducting research, writers often summarize the vital information
about a specific event or idea gleaned from a long description. Like paraphrasing, the
practice of summarizing allows a writer to gain a deeper understanding of the original
source.
Using Quotations:
There are many reasons to use quotations in your essays. One reason I would like to
emphasize is that when you perform close textual analysis using well-chosen quotations
can help focus your discussion as well as illustrate specific points you would like your
reader to pay attention to. But remember, your readers need to be able to tell how
quotations fit in with the rest of your argument.
Quote Sandwich: There are three steps to fitting a quote into your text successfully:
introduce it, state it, and interpret it. If the quote is not sandwiched between an
introduction and interpretation your reader may have a hard time understanding how it
relates to the content of your essay.
1) Introduction: Introducing your quote provides a smooth transition between your own
words and those of your source. When introducing your quote, give the reader an idea
of where it comes from and, when appropriate, an idea of how it relates to ideas
already present in your essay. For example:
Howard Zinn, in A People’s History of the United States, explains that during
the1700s…
In contrast, Russell Kirk argues… claims…admits…agrees…denies…
Doris Kearns Goodwin states… illustrates…implies…insists…writes…thinks…
2) Stating the Quote: When quoting, use only as much of your source’s words as
absolutely necessary. You should omit part of the quote if is not important for making
your point, but only when removing that section will not change the author’s original
meaning. Replace the removed section with an ellipsis (…) to make your reader
aware of the omission. For example:
In The Jungle, a socialist speaker tells his audience that “There are a million
people …who share the curse of the wage slave” (Sinclair 255).
3) Interpretation: In your essay, interpretations should follow all direct quotes.
Interpretation shows the reader why you, the author, included the quote and what the
quote’s role is in the overall structure of your argument. Without your interpretation,
the relationship between the quote and your original ideas will be unclear to the
reader because the reader may not understand the relevance of the quote. Whether
you are paraphrasing or quoting, it is vital that you interpret the information.

Using Sources Effectively

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Using Sources Effectively: Paraphrasing and Quoting

Why Paraphrase?: Paraphrase in order to demonstrate your mastery of the material.

A Note on Summary: Using summary is similar to paraphrasing. When an author

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