Paraphrase, Summarize, or Quote?

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When you are writing research papers and academic prose, it is always difficult to determine how you should document and introduce readers to your sources. The sources you utilize during your research is known as supporting evidence, which assists readers when they want to verify or substantiate the claims within your document. Most writers think their works cited page is their saving grace, but more is required for a successful paper.

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is the process of reading a section of a primary or secondary source and rephrasing it in your own words. Usually the paraphrased text is more succinct and refined, capturing the writer’s major points or stance on an issue. Paraphrasing also happens to be the easiest way to get caught plagiarizing, because although they are your words, you are using the author’s original ideas. For each passage you paraphrase, you need to cite the author at the end of the section.

Quoting

Many students think quoting is the easiest way to cite your sources because you simply copy and paste the quote into your word processor. More often than not, quoting actually is more difficult, as a good writer must adapt the quote to fit in with the rest of the text. Avoid quoting in your papers, and if you must, limit it to a sentence. Quotes need to be integrated into the work, and cannot be simply inserted. Standalone quotes should encompass a major idea or be substantial to the paper.

Summarizing

Summarizing is the hardest, but most rewarding, method of citing your sources. Since paraphrasing and quoting utilize the author’s ideas, a summary requires the writer to think and analyze the material rather than translate it into their native tongue. Summaries take an entire article or chapter, break down the key points, and provide a shorter and condensed version that reads like your own. Often times students find it easier to paraphrase sections of an article, and then write the summary for the paper.

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Research Papers Are More than Evidence

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Chances are if you attended school in the United States, you learned how to write a research paper using the traditional style taught across the world. The traditional research paper teaches students how to source material and cite their research, but fails to teach them how to make assertions and claims of their own. Most students know how to paraphrase and quote text, but when it comes time to create thesis statements, arguments, and judgments, they are lost in the woods.

The sources you use are often referred to as evidence in your paper, but while an important element of academic prose, it is not the only thing you need to include in the paper. Theoretically, researching topics for papers is supposedly an essential component of the learning process. In the age of the Internet and electronic media, researching is a matter of reading the text and translating (i.e. paraphrasing) the author’s ideas into your own. The information read during the process is often lost a few minutes later. Students do not retain information because the process of taking notes is skipped because they paraphrase on-the-fly switching between a web browser and word processor.

The byproduct of technology and laziness is a (possibly) well-written essay that contains tons of ideas, statements, and evidence, but none of it is organic. All of the information comes from someone else, but is presented in a diluted form students claim to be their own work. They often forget plagiarism is also considered stealing someone else’s ideas not just words. Claiming a work as your own constitutes paraphrasing each paragraph of an article into your own, even if it passes TurnItIn.com or CopyScape.com, known plagiarism detection search engines.

Has the Internet and widespread use of computers caused students to become lazy, or have younger generations forgot the true meaning of plagiarism?

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Creating A+ Papers in Four Easy Steps

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If you have ever sat down to write a paper only to stare at a blank screen for hours on end, chances are taking the wrong approach to academic writing and research. Even the world’s best journalists and authors cannot sit down and write without going through the writing process. In a relatively simplified form, the writing process entails creating a thesis, compiling an outline, and writing the first draft. You really didn’t think it ends there, did you? Of course not, because the fourth step, editing, proofreading, and revising, is perhaps the most important step.

Creating a Thesis

Your thesis statement varies based on the type of assignment you are producing, but generally should define the goal or purpose of your document. A thesis statement provides the foundation for the rest of the essay, as your goal most of the time is to support or reject your thesis based on academic research. Create a narrow thesis statement, which helps ensure your paper is succinct and concise, free of generalized content. Once you have a specific thesis, it is only natural to begin identifying points that support your thesis, which is the basis for your outline.

Create an Outline

Thoroughly research your thesis and identify three to five major points of interest. You will need more or less points based on your desired page count. On a sheet of paper, summarize each of the main points in a separate sentence, and place a roman numeral before it. Next, under each main point, list three points that support the topic. Define the topics in a sentence, like you did above, and label them A, B, C, etc. Under each letter, list three pieces of evidence to support the claim or assertion, and label them 1, 2, 3, etc.

Write the Paper

The last part is simple write your paper! You did most of the work above, so expand upon each point in your outline to create a strong essay. Ensure you review your paper before submitting it, so there are not any embarrassing typos, spelling errors, or inaccuracies.

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