Paraphrasing and citation
Using Sources
Very few of us would qualify as the expert on pretty much any topic, and, as a result, we have to resort to research to help us understand and support our arguments. The less we know about a topic, the more research we need to do. We use research to help us understand a topic and source material of all kinds in our writing in order to provide essential support for our OWN ideas. Similarly, when you read an essay you expect the author to provide support with cited sources for their claims as well. In fact, this expectation is pretty much a rule. As critical thinkers if you don’t see any source material in an article that’s making claims (as opposed to reporting well known facts) you should immediately feel skeptical about what’s being said.
Paraphrasing is for when we want to condense somebody else’s ideas into a concise idea in our own words. Even though we are not quoting, we still need to cite.
Quoting is for when we want to share something that is written so wonderfully that we know we can’t paraphrase it adequately. We might also quote if whatever we are quoting is particularly concise and our paraphrasing it would end up taking up considerably more words.
Both quoting and paraphrasing are for supporting our OWN ideas, and, as a result, must be contextualized for the reader.
How to Quote or Paraphrase
First off, make sure that what you’ve selected SUPPORTS your ideas and is not your idea. Remember, source material is designed to help make your claims believable. It should not BE your claims.
Second, give your source material a context. Introduce a quote or paraphrase with a sentence or a few words of your own that explain what point the quote is supporting. If the material needs additional explanation to make it clear how it supports your ideas, add a sentence or two after clarifying its meaning. You want the reader to understand how you see the research material increasing your argument’s effectiveness. Don’t make them guess.
Make sure all your source material has an introductory phrase in the same sentence such as, “Dr. Smith says. . . “ Don’t expect a quote to stand on its own.
See pp. 54-55 in Real Questions
Look at the essays you’ve read across the semester for ideas of how paraphrases are introduced:
You’ll notice how sources are incorporated using phrases like:
“Lewis argues . . .”
“In his essay, Lewis declares. . .
“According to Clare. . .”
“Lewis suggests. . .
“I disagree with Lewis when he says. .
“Dr Gray advocates. . ..”
“She and others stated. . .”
“Scholars have explained. . .”
“Data has been offered that states . . .”
Other ways to introduce source material:
“Researchers have found . . .
“Consider the following statement. . .
“In fact, Lewis argues . . .
“Studies show . . .”
“As Clare points out . . .”
“As stated in the essay, . . .
After the paraphrase, you then must explain/elaborate on that paraphrase. Why have you included it? How does it contribute to your point?
In text citation format: Introduction, citation, analysis.
Paraphrasing and plagiarism
The internet has made plagiarism much easier to do and much easier to catch. Anytime we use someone else’s work as our own, we are plagiarizing. It can take many forms, however.
1. if we copy material off the web and insert it into our work, that’s plagiarism.
2. If we copy our neighbors work or work out of a book, that’s plagiarism.
3. If we rewrite some of the words of our neighbor’s work or a books or the internet, that’s plagiarism.
4. If we rewrite the words completely but the idea is someone else’s, that’s plagiarism.
5. If you work with a friend and you both have the same exact phrases, that’s plagiarism.
You may be wondering at this point. Just what is NOT plagiarism? There are two things really: what you have thought of and written ON YOUR OWN, and common knowledge. Common knowledge are facts or information that most people know as true. You don’t need to cite that that White House is in Washington D. C. or that John Adams was the 2nd president. These are facts that are part of common knowledge.
Given how many different ways we can plagiarize, there are two really important things to remember:
- Cite everything if you even look at a source of any kind
- Put everything into your OWN words. Not one or two of your own words but entirely into your own words.
Some tips for avoiding plagiarism
1. Take notes using your OWN words
2. Always write down with your notes where the notes came from so when you go back to your notes later you have a source to cite.
Assignment: Look at “Is Cyber-War or Cyber Terrorism a Genuine Threat?” p. 41 in Eng117 book.
- Find three paraphrases that are cited and underline them.
- Write three paraphrases for your own essay that model that structure that Easton uses including the introductory piece to the paraphrase, the paraphrase and the analysis.
- For example, the paraphrase on p. 42 (bottom of the page, left column) is introduced by “David Talbot, “Moore’s Outlaws” notes that . . . You would model this by stating an author from one of your essays and what he/she notes that might be useful in your essay.
- If you can’t figure out how to model one of the paraphrases, pick another.
- Do correct MLA in-text citation and end of text works cited for the sources that you use.
Assignment on your own essay:
Select a paragraph from an essay in the book or that you brought with you that you could use in your essay (of at least six sentences) and do the following. You will turn this in.
- Paraphrase one sentence from the paragraph
- Paraphrase three sentences from the paragraph
- Paraphrase the entire paragraph in one sentence
- Insert one of your paraphrases into your essay draft
- You may need to rewrite some of the paragraph.
- Be sure to cite correctly!
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