Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing

Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing

Quotations, paraphrases, and summaries serve many purposes.

You might use them to:

• provide proof or credibility to your own writing
• refer to work that leads up to the work you are now doing
• give examples of two or more points of view on a subject
• add depth or breadth to your writing
  

What are the differences between quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing?

Quoting

Quotations must match the source document word for word, and must be attributed to the original author:

"That Americans are getting heavier is especially hard to deny the day after Thanksgiving. But America's weight problem has less to do with holiday binges than with everyday choices and circumstances," a New York Times (UNDERLINE) editorial states.

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is putting the ideas of another person into your own words using your own sentence structure. A paraphrase simplifies a selection, it does not necessarily shorten it. Paraphrased material must also be attributed to the original source:

In the New York Times (UNDERLINE) editorial on youth obesity, the writer explains how the poor's choice of cheap, high-calorie food versus affordable, fresh, nutritious food may have a greater influence on obesity than genetics.

Summarizing

To summarize, you must put the main thoughts or ideas into your own words, but it is only necessary to include the "main points." Summarizing cuts a selection down to about one-third of its original length. Its purpose is to shorten a passage without sacrificing its basic meaning. Once again, it is necessary to attribute the ideas to the original source:

A New York Times (UNDERLINE) editorial describes how choice and circumstances influence America's problem with obesity more than overeating.

Paraphrased material is often somewhat shorter than the original, and summarized material usually significantly shorter.