Paraphrasing Essay

Paraphrasing and summarizing atomic number 18 very similar. Both involve taking ideas, language or phrases from a antecedent and crafting them into new sentences within your makeup. In addition, summarizing let ins flux the source material into just a few lines. Whether paraphrasing or summarizing, address is perpetually habituated to the designer. Below is a career interpreted from Raymond S. Nickersons How We Know-and some time Misjudge-What Others Know Imputing unrivaleds Own Knowledge to Others. Psychological Bulletin 125.6 (1999) p737. In order to nonify stiffly with other people, maven must commence a evenhandedly accurate idea of what they do and do not agnize that is pertinent to the communication. Treating people as though they lose knowledge that they do not live with bum yield in miscommunication and perhaps embarrassment. On the other hand, a fundamental rule of conversation, at least according to a Gricean view, is that one principally does not co nvey to others information that one plenty assume they already deport. here(predicate) is an instance of what would be considered plagiarism of this passage For powerful communication, it is necessary to have a fairly accurate idea of what our li stricters know or do not know that is pertinent to the communication. If we assume that people know something they do not, then miscommunication and perhaps embarrassment may result (Nickerson, 1999). The reservoir in this example has exampled overly m both of Nickersons accepted records and phrases such as effective communication, accurate idea, know or do not know, pertinent, miscommunication, and embarrassment. Also note that the passage doesnt have an opening go after to indicate where use of the Nickersons material begins. A citation at the end of a paragraph is not sufficent to indicate what is being credited to Nickerson. here(predicate) is an example, in APA style, that is considered acceptable paraphrasing of this pas sage Nickerson (1999) suggests that effective communication depends on a more often than not accurate knowledge of what the audition knows. If a speaker assumes too a great plentitude knowledge approximately the subject, the audience go forth either misunderstand or be bewildered however, assuming too little knowledge among those in the audience may cause them to feel patronized (p.737). Here the writer re-words Nickersons idea ab away what determines effective communication. The writer re-phrases generally accurate knowledge into reasonably accurate idea. In the second sentence,the writer re-words Nickersons ideas about miscommunication and embarrassment employ instead the words misunderstand, bewildered, and patronized. Nickerson is given credit from the starting time as the source of the ideas. This is an example of a successful paraphrase because the writer understands the ideas espoused by Nickerson, and is able to put them into her get words while being wakeful to giv e him credit. Here is an example, in APA style, that would be considered acceptable summarizing of this passage Nickerson (1999) argues that clear communication hinges upon what an audience does and does not know. It is crucial to assume the audience has neither too much nor too little knowledge of the subject, or the communication may be inhibited by either confusion or offense (p. 737). Notice that the writer both paraphrases Nickersons ideas about effective communication and compresses them into two sentences. Like paraphrasing, summarizing passages is a tricky endeavor and takes lots of practice. If youre ever in doubt about whether your summary or paraphrase might be accidental plagiarism, ask your t separatelyer.Example of Editing captain The novel Fight Club works to make multiple things in terms of theme, for one thing it tries to show the destructive tendencies of humanity, how in many ways people are geared towards the destruction of themselves, just now the movie in an y case tried to reject this idea, to show that we can never embrace this aspect of ourselves, because if we do well end up just like that, in destruction, and as the main character find out in the end, whats to a greater extent grave is making connections with people and catch others rather than living just now for your egotism and breaking any rules which disagree. Edited The novel Fight Club work to accomplish numerous things thematically, for one it attempts to express the tendencies of mankind to devolve to embrace self destruction, and on the other it attempts to show how this can be nothing but futile. If we simply embrace self destruction then we fail to see the richness and value of the people around us, and we simply live to break rules, which is no way to live at all.Effective ParaphrasingA successful paraphrase is your possess explanation or description of anotherpersons ideas. Paraphrasing in academic writing is an effective way to r res publica, condense, or clar ify another writers ideas while to a fault providing credibility to your pro hold argument or analysis. art object successful paraphrasing is essential for strong academic writing, unsuccessful paraphrasing can result in unintentional plagiarism. Look through the paraphrasing strategies below to better understand what counts as an effective paraphrase.Ineffective Paraphrasing StrategiesWhen paraphrasing, there are a few super C mistakes you should receive to revoke 1. Avoid switching out or changing around of a few words in an causations sentence(s) for use in your paper. 2. Avoid failing to acknowledge (through an in- schoolbook citation or direct quotes) the outside source from which you obtained your information or ideas. Exception When paraphrasing, you do not have to directly cite common knowledge. Common knowledge is information that is widely kn induce and can be found in multiple situations. For example, writing that Ronald Reagan was a U.S. Republican president would be considered common knowledge, so it would not direct to be cited. However, when in doubt, it is always better to cite than run the risk of plagiarism. 3. Acknowledging the author in an in-text citation but failing to include quotation label around any terms or phrasing that you have borrowed from the author. Note that any of the unsuccessful elements of paraphrasing are considered plagiarism in your essay, even if these paraphrasing missteps are unintentional.Effective Paraphrasing StrategiesIf youre having trouble paraphrasing a text effectively, try following these steps1. reread the true passage you wish to paraphrase, reflexioning up any words you do not recognize, until you think you understand the full kernel of and intention shadow the authors words. 2. Next, cover or hide the passage. Once the passage is hidden from view, write out the authors idea, in your own words, as if you were excuseing it to your instructor or classmates. 3. After you have finished writing, regulate your account of the authors idea against the original. While comparing the two, ask yourself the following questions hand I accurately addressed the authors ideas in a new way thatis comical to my writing style and scholarly voice? possess I tried to replicate the authors idea or have I simply variegated words around in his/her original sentence(s)? 4. Next, look for any borrowed terms or portionicular phrases you have taken from the original passage. Enclose these terms and phrases in quotation marks to indicate to your readers that these words were taken directly from the original text. 5. furthest, include a citation, which should contain the authors name, the year, and the page or paragraph number (if available), directly following your paraphrase.Examples of ParaphrasingHere is the original source an author might use in a paperDifferentiation as an learningal approach promotes a balance between a assimilators style and a students ability. Differentiated instru ction provides the student with options for kneading and internalizing the content, and for constructing new learning in order to further academically. Here is an example of bad paraphrasing of the source. Even though the student is citing correctly, emphasised words are simply synonyms of words used in the original source. You can also see how the sentence organize is the same for both the original source and this paraphrase. Differentiation is a way to encourage mateity between the approach and giving of the student (Thompson, 2009). This type of instruction gives students incompatible ways to deal with and grasp information, and for establishing new learning to move on in education (Thompson, 2009). Here is an example of a better way to paraphrase the source. In this example, the author has taken the essential ideas and information from the original source, but has worded it in her own way, using unique word choice and sentence structure. The author has condensed Thompsons (2009) information, including what is relevant to her paper, but leaving out extra details that she does not needed. Teachers use differentiated instruction to help students learn, allowing the teacher to cater lessons to the way each student learns and each students scientific discipline (Thompson, 2009). See more at http//writingcenter.waldenu.edu/295.htmsthash.EKKl31Ro.dpufParaphrasing and summarisingIn line of business to quoting directly, by summarising or paraphrasing an authors ideas you are able to put your interpretation of an authors ideas andto integrate them more fully into the structure of your writing. Paraphrasing is generally used when you wish to refer to sentences or phrases in the source text. It is particularly useful when you are dealing with facts and definitions. Paraphrasing involves rewriting a short section from the source text in different words whilst keeping the same meaning. Summarising is generally used when you wish to refer to ideas contained in a long text. Summarising enables you to reduce the authors ideas to let on points in an outline of the discussion or argument by omitting unnecessary details and examples. Whether you summarise or paraphrase, you will close up need to include a reference citing the source of the ideas you have referred to. A process for paraphrasing and summarisingMany students find the following process useful for summarising and paraphrasing information. Read the text conservatively you may need to read the text several times, and check the meaning of terms you do not understand in a dictionary. Identify and underline the key words and main ideas in the text, and write these ideas down. Consider these points as a alone and your purpose for using this information in relation to the structure of your assignment. You may be able to gathering the ideas under your own headings, and arrange them in a different sequence to the original text. Think about the situation of the author, i.e. critical, supportive, certain, uncertain. Think about appropriate reporting verbs you could use to describe this attitude. Think of words or phrases which mean roughly the same as those in the original text. Remember, if the key words are specialised vocabulary for the subject, they do not need to be changed. (see Using synonyms below.) Using your notes from the above steps, draft your summary or paraphrase. When you have finished your draft reread the original text and compare it to your paraphrase or summary. You can then check that you have retained the meaning and attitude of the original text.Using synonymsTo paraphrase a text, you can use a variety of techniques, such as synonymous words, synonymous word forms, or synonymous phrases. For example, the student text below has used synonymous word forms(scanners scanner, use using) (in bold), synonymous words (convert recreates) (in bold italics), and synonymous phrases (their eyes the scanner eye) (in italics).Original sourcescanners c onvert analog data into digital information scanners use junior-grade electronic components (called CCDs, PMTs, or CISs) as their eyes Student textA scanner recreates an image such as a graphic using small electronic components referred to as the scanners eyes Changing word formsA common approach to changing the word forms in a sentence is to change the main verb into a noun, or less commonly to change the main noun into a verb. For example, compare the two sentences below Original sourceScanners convert analog data into digital information.Paraphrased sentenceThe conversion of an image such as a graphic by a scanner occurs Re-ordering main ideas some other way of paraphrasing is to change the order of the main ideas in a sentence. One way of doing this is to change the active voice to peaceable voice or the passive voice to active voice. The active voice focuses on who or what is bear upon by a process or event, whilst the passive voice focuses on the event or process. For examp le compare the use of scanners convert and the conversion of in the examples above. For further information on the use of active and passive voice see the grammar tutorial.Paraphrasing is the process of presenting another authors content in your own words, while maintaining the meaning of the passage. It is useful when the author uses difficult-to-understand language and structure, when you want to focus on a different element of the passage or when your audiences are different (for example, the author wrote an academic paper, and you are a newspaper reporter). However, paraphrasing can also lead to plagiarism (using another authors work or ideas as your own) if your sources are not appropriately and explicitly cited.Other People Are ReadingHow to Paraphrase Without PlagiarizingTypes Of ParaphrasesInstructions1Change the voice of the sentences from active to passive voice and vice versa. For example, Educators prefer teaching lower grades can live Teaching lower grades is preferr ed by educators. This is helpful when you want to focus more on the object rather than the subject of the sentence. 2Change the wording of a passage using synonyms. A thesaurus can prove quite useful for this task. Children transgress their language by interacting with those around them can become Kids acquire language skills by communicating with people close to them.Sponsored LinksSoftLayer positive SiteMore Custom Hosting From A Trusted Source. 247 Support. Chat straight. SoftLayer.com/Asia-Pacific3Change the verb of the mood to subjunctive if you want to paraphrase a wish, a request or an unrealistic situation. You can also change subjunctive mood to indicative. For example, The minister requested that his assistant bring the documents, can become The minister asked his assistant to bring the documents. 4Change the order of the sentences elements without altering the mood of the verb of the voice to stress the most chief(prenominal) part for your work. For instance, John Day (an imaginary person) was a successful writer, pol and businessman, can be John Day is famous for his success as a businessman, politician and writer. 5 persona nicknames or colloquial terms to change a passages wording. You can change New York City to the Big Apple, for instance, or refer to night shift as the graveyard shift. However, this technique is not acceptable when writing a formal paper.Read more http//www.ehow.com/how_8759404_easily-paraphrase.htmlixzz2jBcfjEacParaphrasing correctly can prevent plagiarizing. When you paraphrase, you simply express someone elses ideas in your own words. Unlike a brief summary, a paraphrase contains more detail, according to the Purdue Online report Lab (OWL). Although you have reworded the original, you must use in-text citations, parentheses containing the source of the information, in the required format. Paraphrasing may involve changes in vocabulary, continuance, parts of speech and sentence structure.How to Write a ParaphraseHo w to Teach Students How to Paraphrase1. Synonym ReplacementAt its simplest level, paraphrasing involves replacing original wording with synonyms. Consider this original sentence from Claudia Kalbs Newsweek article, Painkiller Crackdown, While the DEA says OxyContin is a valuable drug, it is concerned that many doctors who are prescribing the medications dont know enough about it and are not conveying the dangers to patients. . . . If a student made only these replacements useful for valuable, worried for concerned, know for understand and explaining for conveying some paraphrasing would result, but much of the original would remain, resulting in partial plagiarism. Reduction of ClausesAnother method of paraphrasing involves changing clauses to phrases. For example, the clause, while the DEA says OxyContin is a valuable drug could become a more succinct phrase, claiming Oxycontins value. If a student links this approach with synonym replacement, more effective paraphrasing occurs .Sponsored LinksDownload Free PC SoftwareDownload Free PC Manager Software. Easy File Transfer. Download Now mobogenie.com/download-pc-softwareParts of SpeechChanging parts of speech may assist in paraphrasing. Consider another original sentence from Kalbs Newsweek article Last week the spotlighton OxyContin intensified as the Drug Enforcement Administration announced a national strategy to combat the painkillers shit use. . . . If a student restructured the sentence, changing parts of speech, some paraphrasing would occur The Drug Enforcement Administration last week spotlighted OxyContin more intensely and made an announcement of a national strategy, which combats using the painkiller illegitimately. However, this paraphrasing lacks originality and again results in partial plagiarism.Change of StructureChanging the sentence structure adds to the value of the paraphrase, reflecting the writers interpretation of the authors thoughts. Consider this original wording from the Newswee k article OxyContin was positive to do good relieve debilitating pain. But since the powerful drug debuted in 1996, it has become increasingly known for a dangerous side effect the potential for serious addiction. By beginning with a phrase and changing the structure, a writer could create the following First appearing in 1996, Oxycontin claimed to relieve unnecessary suffering. Today, however, experts know it can pose an addictive threat (Kalb 38). These restructured sentences also include synonym replacement (appeared for debuted) and changes in parts of speech (addictive for addiction). With the Modern Language Association (MLA) in-text citation, this paraphrasing avoids any trace of plagiarism by corporate trust multiple forms of paraphrasing.Read more http//www.ehow.com/info_8410412_types-paraphrases.htmlixzz2jBcsVmxvHow to Teach Students How to ParaphraseBy Hilary Riepenhoff, eHow ContributorSharePrint this articleTeaching students to paraphrase takes time and practice.Parap hrasing is an essential skill for students to obtain. Without paraphrasing, students are at risk for plagiarism. It is important to lay the ground work for successful instruction of paraphrasing through explanation of key constructs, modeling and practice of the skill. solely through practice and constant feedback will a students paraphrasing ability grow.Activities for Paraphrasing InformationDifference Between Summarizing & ParaphrasingInstructions1.1Teach the key varietys between retelling, summarizing and paraphrasing. Author of Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Retelling, Emily Kissner suggests, the three concepts are similar, but are different in development, formation, and final product. Summaries contain main ideas, some supporting details and are in chronological order, yet shorter in length. Retelling is orally sharing information, while recalling important information from the text. According to Purdues Online Writing Lab, successful paraphrasing puts the information from t he passage in your own words, while attributing the original source. It is shorter in length because you abbreviate the information. 2Remind students that although paraphrased material is not in quotes, one must credit the original source. Explain that making small changes in wording, rearranging the original quote or failing to cite the source is plagiarism.Sponsored LinksDownload Free PC SoftwareDownload Free PC Manager Software. Easy File Transfer. Download Now mobogenie.com/download-pc-software3Indiana University of Bloomingtons Writing Tutorial wait on suggests teaching several key strategies, including to rewrite using your own words while covering the quote you are paraphrasing to avoid the urge to copy also check your paraphrased work to ensure you have not accidentally written anything word for word from the original and that the information included is correct. 4Begin small by introducing paraphrasing with sentences instead of lengthy paragraphs. Ensure students understa nd information stated in each sentence. Consider a students ability levels in reading. 5Model the concept of paraphrasing to students. Show students what good paraphrasing looks like. Give examples based on appropriate change in words and structure. Prepare examples and have students explain their reasoning on whether the paraphrasing is correct or not. 6Provide students the opportunity to orally paraphrase sentences in their own words. Work as a group to recognize what works with a students paraphrased responses and what does not. Instant feedback guides students toward correct paraphrasing. Independent practice then evaluates student progress and growth.Read more http//www.ehow.com/how_8783769_teach-students-paraphrase.htmlixzz2jBd4uoZvParaphrasing and Summarizing dressThis resource was written by Tony Cimasko.Last edited by Allen Brizee on August 7, 2009 .SummaryThis resource contains the practice exercise on paraphrasing and summarizing to help you learn how to apply the guidel ines in this section to your own writing. Take a look at the text below (excerpted from Expert WikipediaWont Go Away, So Learn How to Use It by Maggie Morris) and the following attempts at paraphrasing and summarizing. The first four are not adequate, but the last one is. Look at each of the four inappropriate attempts, and decide what exactly makes each inappropriate. The popularity of Wikipedia makes it important that users learn to use the online cooperative encyclopedia as a starting point for their look for rather than as the final word, says a Purdue University communications expert. Students are addicted to Wikipedia, and teachers fight it with stern pass judgment policies and restrictions on its use, says Sorin A. Matei, an assistant professor in the subdivision of Communication. But Wikipedia is here to stay and, despite penalties, people are likely to continue using it. adaptation 1 The popularity of Wikipedia makes it important that users learn to use the online coll aborative encyclopedia as a starting point for their look for. Students are addicted to Wikipedia, and teachers fight it with stern evaluate policies and restrictions on its use, says Sorin A. Matei, an assistant professor in the surgical incision of Communication. strain 2 The popularity of Wikipedia makes it important that users learn to use the online collaborative encyclopedia as a starting point for their research. Students are addicted to Wikipedia, and teachers fight it with stern demolishing policies and restrictions on its use, says Sorin A. Matei, an assistant professor in the Department of Communication (Morris). discrepancy 3 Wikipedia is popular, which makes it vital that users learn to use the online collaborative encyclopedia as a beginning point for their research. Students are addicted to Wikipedia, says Sorin A. Matei, an assistant professor in the Department of Communication, and teachers fight it with stern grading policies and restrictions on its use (Morris) . recital 4 Wikipedia is popular, which makes it necessary to learn using the online collaborative encyclopedia as a beginning point for their research. Students are addicted to Wikipedia, says Sorin A. Matei, an assistant professor in the Department of Communication, and teachers fight it with stern grading policies and restrictions on its use (Morris).Version 5 Sorin A. Matei of Purdue University says that because students are addicted to Wikipedia and will continue to rely on it, it is important for teachers to help them to use Wikipedia as a place to begin research, rather than as a final source. Matei also says that penalties are unlikely to be effective (Morris).Version 5 is correct. Here the student feature her own paraphrasing with a quotation of striking language of the original text. She made certain her words and those taken directly from the source fit together she quoted accurately and cited her source. Some of the information is consolidated, and the specific kinds of penalties given by teachersa minor detailare left hand out.Answers for Paraphrasing and Summarizing ExercisesThis resource was written by Tony Cimasko.Last edited by Allen Brizee on November 5, 2008 .SummaryThis resource contains the answers for the ESL exercises on paraphrasing and summarizing. Paraphrasing and SummarizingThe popularity of Wikipedia makes it important that users learn to use the online collaborative encyclopedia as a starting point for their research rather than as the final word, says a Purdue University communications expert. Students are addicted to Wikipedia, and teachers fight it with stern grading policies and restrictions on its use, says Sorin A. Matei, an assistant professor in the Department of Communication. But Wikipedia is here to stay and, despite penalties, people are likely to continue using it.Version 1 The popularity of Wikipedia makes it important that users learn to use the online collaborative encyclopedia as a starting point for their resear ch. Students are addicted to Wikipedia, and teachers fight it with stern grading policies and restrictions on its use, says Sorin A. Matei, an assistant professor in the Department of Communication.This version would be considered blatant plagiarism. The text is excerpted almost word for word without using quotation marks appropriately, without giving credit to the original author. Some words have been cut out, but the original authors language is still quite obvious.Version 2 The popularity of Wikipedia makes it important that users learn to use the online collaborative encyclopedia as a starting point for their research. Students are addicted to Wikipedia, and teachers fight it with stern grading policies and restrictions on its use, says Sorin A. Matei, an assistant professor in the Department of Communication (Morris).Credit is given to the original author (Morris), but quotation marks are still not used, and the language still closely resembles the original writing.Version 3 Wi kipedia is popular, which makes it vital that users learn to use the online collaborative encyclopedia as a beginning point for their research. Students are addicted to Wikipedia, says Sorin A. Matei, an assistant professor in the Department of Communication, and teachers fight it with stern grading policies and restrictions on its use (Morris).The original author is given credit, and technically the passage is correct, but the writer suggests that Morris main point is teachers reactions. In fact, Morris is emphasizing the importance of Wikipedia, and talks about teachers reactions as a secondary point.Version 4 Wikipedia is popular, which makes it necessary to learn using the online collaborative encyclopedia as a beginning point for their research. Students are addicted to Wikipedia, says Sorin A. Matei, an assistant professor in the Department of Communication, and teachers fight it with stern grading policies and restrictions on its use (Morris).The quotation is essentially accu rate, quotation marks are used, and Morris is given credit. The bigger problem is that the writer made no attempt to use his or her own language, to integrate the quotation into their ownwords. The smaller problem is the lack of ellipses (. . .) to indicate where the writer took out part of the quotation.Version 5 Sorin A. Matei of Purdue University says that because students are addicted to Wikipedia and will continue to rely on it, it is important for teachers to help them to use Wikipedia as a place to begin research, rather than as a final source. Matei also says that penalties are unlikely to be effective (Morris).Version 5 is correct. Here the student combined her own paraphrasing with a quotation of striking language of the original text. She made certain her words and those taken directly from the source fit together she quoted accurately and cited her source. Some of the information is consolidated, and the specific kinds of penalties given by teachersa minor detailare left out.Paraphrasing & Summarizing ExerciseThis is the last part of Wallaces procure & Plagiarism tutorial.Pl relieve read the following passages to garner an understanding in the art of paraphrasing. More practice is available via Web links on the Student go past to Copyright .Original passageNobody called him Abeat least not to his facebecause he loathed the nickname. It did not befit a respected professional whod struggled hard to overcome the limitations of his frontier background. Frankly Lincoln enjoyed his status as a lawyer and politician, and he desire money, too, and used it to measure his worth. By the 1850s, convey to a combination of talent and sheer hard work, Lincoln was a man of substantial wealth. He had an annual income of around $5,000the equivalent of many times that todayand large financial and real-estate investments. Oates, Stephen B. Our Fiery Trial Abraham Lincoln, John Brown, and the Civil War Era. Amherst, MA University of Massachusetts Press, 1979. p. 65 Incorrect paraphraseNo one used Lincolns nickname, Abe, because he detested it. It didnt gowith a lawyer and politician who had worked to get away from the restrictions of his country heritage. Lincoln liked his new position, and his wealth, and used it to gauge his status. By mid-century, his skill and labor had made him a fairly wealthy man. He had a yearly income of approximately $5,000 equal to several times that now and hefty business and land commitments. ** This is incorrect because it uses the same basic structure as the original with some word changes and does not credit the author. Correct paraphraseBy the middle of the century, Lincoln enjoyed life as a hearty-respected lawyer and politician, having acquired a position of status and wealth that was well removed from his early frontier background. He now was bringing in $5,000 a year (this translates to $87,500 in 1997 dollars Derks, 2), and had substantial financial and real estate investments. As a consequence, he di sliked being called Abe because of its association with his rural heritage. (Oates, 65) ** This is correct because it portrays the ideas of Oates passage and gives Oates credit for his ideas. The writer has used his own words to present those ideas and has used quotation marks for those phrases that are from Oates. The writer has also included additional research on the value of the income and has sited the source for that as well.Correct summarizationWhen we think of Abraham Lincoln, the image of a wealthy lawyer is not the first that comes to mind. A man, who worked hard, struggled and came from a less than ideal background is often the picture we invoke. However, it is an partial portrait. Mr. Lincoln was successful both professionally and financially even by todays standards. (Oates, 65) ** This is also correct. It summarizes Oates ideas completely in the writers own words, but gives Oates credit for the ideas.Chapter ObjectivesTo understand and applying critical reading strate gies.To develop the understanding of summary in various rhetorical modes such as narrative fiction, personalized essay, and technical writing (figures and tables). To define and instruct students on the three skills ofincorporating research into their writing summary, paraphrase, and quotation. To review models and apply concepts of summary, paraphrase, and quotation through practical applications and exercises. To understand the concept of plagiarism and learn techniques to avoid it through various examples and exercises. Although the papers you write will be your ownyour own voice, your own purpose, your own thesis statement, introduction, conclusion, and motif/transition sentencesthere will be times when you will want to integrate source material to help you support your assertions. Integrating sources such as information from books, newspapers, magazines, interviews or websites, is done in one of three ways summary, paraphrase, and quotation. The purpose of this chapter is to teach you these three basic concepts of writing, so you can incorporate research into your writing without plagiarizing. These skills are addressed first because you will need them in all college writing you produce no matter what the course subject. In fact, this process will begin with synthesis and analysis essays which appear later in this book.What is a Summary?A summary is a brief restatement, in your own words, of the content of a passage. You should focus on the central idea of the passage, and, in a condensed form, relay the passages main points reflecting the order in which they occur. In most situations a summary is approximately one quarter the length of the original passage. A summary will not include minor details, repeated points, or any of your own opinions and conclusions. You will use summary when you want to present the main points of a lengthy passage in order to develop or support the discussion of your essay. How to Write SummariesRead the passage carefully.In order to summarize information, you must first be able to understand it. This requires careful critical reading. Read the passage completely the first time to gain an overall understanding of the piece, as you re-read the piece, begin making margin notes that identify important points, shifts in thoughts, and questions you may have. You will also want to consider at this point what the significance of the whole piece is, what the parts of the essay that fit into the whole are, and how the points are organized tosupport the whole. Finally, you will want to divide the passage into stages of thought, which you will later develop into the body paragraphs of your rough draft. A section or stage of thought in a passage is usually several paragraphs in length. You can identify these more easily by looking for transitional sentences at the beginning or end of paragraphs thatsummarize what has come before or set the stage for what is to follow. Write one-sentence summaries of each stage of thought.Once you have determine the stages of thought in the passage, create a one-sentence summary for each stage of thought. This sentence must be in your own words, and it must illustrate your understanding of the passage. This is often the most difficult part of summary writing because you may be tempted to use the writers words or structure, which would be plagiarism. It is always a good idea to put the original passage aside at this point and summarize what you have read in the section using your own understanding and thinking skills. Write a thesis a one- or two-sentence summary of the entire passage. Now look over all the sentences you have created for your stages of thought. Once again, you will work to condense information as you summarize the essence of the passage in one or two sentences, thereby creating your thesis statement for your rough draft. Another hint is to remember that the thesis will be the first sentence of the summary draft, and it includes the passages s ubject and the claim that the author is making about that subject. Write the first draft of your summary.At this point you are ready to draft your summary essay. Depending on whether you have been depute to write a short summary or a longer summary, you can structure your summary in one of two ways combine the thesis with your list of one-sentence summaries (short summary) or combine the thesis with your list of one-sentence summariesplus significant details from the passage (longer summary). Check your summary against the original passage.After completing your draft, you will want to make sure the content of your information has completely and accurately summarized the passage without plagiarizing or adding any of your own personal opinion. Now, return to the original text and compare your draft against it. Revise your summary.In revising your summary, combine sentences and insert transitions where necessary to make your summary clear and coherent. Edit for grammatical correctness . Compare the length of the summary to the original.Summaries, as general rule, should be no longer than one-fourth of the original passage, although they could be much shorter, depending on your purpose in summarizing the original.What is a narrative?A narrative is a story, a retelling of a persons experiences. It can be imaginary, in which the narrator is a created character (fiction), or it can be biographical (non-fiction), in which the narrator is actually the author. Note non-fiction narratives are referred to as essays, or personal essays. Summarizing a narrative will be about different from summarizing an expository essay because it will most likely not have a direct thesis statement, and its stages of thought will be developed through descriptive events or time periods rather than through factual evidence or logical explanations of the subject. In summarizing a narrative, you will give a synopsis or overview of the storys events and relate how these events affect the cent ral character. However, the steps of reading/rereading, dividing stages of thought, writing one-sentence summaries, writing a thesis, drafting, and revising will be primarily the same.Summarizing Figures and TablesFigures and tables are in essence summaries themselves they present a pictorial overview of material and are often used because they communicate information more understandably and quickly. Below are different types of graphic devices Pie Charts show relative proportions or percentages.Graphs relate one variable to another. They are effective in showing trends or cause-and-effect relationships. Tables present numerical data in rows and columns for quick reference and are most effective when the writer wants to emphasize numbers, particularly when a great deal of data is being displayed.What is a Paraphrase?A paraphrase is very similar to a summary in that you use your own words to communicate to your reader what the original passage has stated however, an important differe nce between the two is that the paraphrase is approximately the same length as the original rather that one quarter of its length, as a summary is. In a paraphrase, instead of only restating the writers main points, you will follow the onward motion of the writers ideas sentence by sentence. In other words, each sentence in the paraphrase corresponds to a sentence in the original, the main difference being, of course, you have replaced the language of the original with your own language. Paraphrasing is used most effectively when you want to present material written in language that is abstract, archaic, or super technical, and you feel your audience will better understand the material in your words.What is a Quotation?A quotation records the exact language in a source. You should use quotations sparingly, because every quotation contains the voice of the writer who composed the text. Using too many quotes obliterates your voice and is a clear indication that you have not successf ully synthesized your source material with your own writing. It is often a red flag to your audience that either you may not have completely understood the source or you have not taken the time paraphrase the information for them. Used wisely, however, quotes can add credibility and interest to your paper.When to quoteUse quotations when another writers language is particularly memorable and will add liveliness to your paper. Use quotations when another writers language is so clear and economical that to make the same point in your own words would, by comparison, be ineffective. Use quotation when you want the solid spirit of a source to lend authority and credibility to your own writing. Incorporating quotations into your sentencesQuotations should never stand by themselves without an attribution. Work the material into your sentence as naturally as possible, using appositives to identify the speakers or authors of the quote. Always credit your sources with an attribution in the text or in a formal citation, depending on the level of formality of your assignment. Use ellipses (three spaced periods)to indicate that material has been omitted from the quote. If you are deleting the end of a quoted sentence, or if you are deleting entire sentences of paragraphs before continuing a quotation, add a period before the ellipsis. Use brackets whenever you need to add or substitute words in order to clarify meaning for your audience.What is Plagiarism?Plagiarism is generally defined as the attempt to pass off the work of another as ones own. At any time in your writing if you are using the thoughts or words of another source, you must document where you read or found the information by giving credit to its author this is done by using parenthetical citation and a works cited page which will be discussed in further detail in chapter seven. With the ease of the Internet for research and the ability to cut and paste information from websites, plagiarism can become quit e tempting, especially if procrastination haunts your life and you find that your oral paper is due the next morning. However, most plagiarism is unintentional. Poor note taking skills and synthesizing of source material can lead you to overlook placing parenthetical citations where they are necessary. Unfortunately, most professors treat unintentional plagiarism the same as intentional plagiarism because the student is ultimately responsible for his/her own work.Avoiding PlagiarismYou can avoid plagiarism by being aware of the follow rules of thumb and by practicing using sources appropriately. Remember summaries, paraphrases, and quotes all receive documentation because all are the thoughts or words of another person. Remember when writing summaries and paraphrases you must communicate the source information into your own words (your own language and sentence structure). Always check your summary or paraphrase against the original after writing it. If you find four words in a rowi dentical between the two, then you know you have not properly summarized/paraphrased the information, and you would be guilty of plagiarism.