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Citing Sources Ethically

You must give credit to the authors and researchers who influenced your work and document any data or other information you use that is not considered common knowledge.

Paraphrasing, summarizing and quoting

Word art, paparaphrasing

Learning how and when to paraphrase, summarize and quote Will demonstrate that you have mastered the material.

Summaries:

  • Are comprehensive but concise.
  • Give a preview of the material covered.
  • Focus on key concepts, not supporting details.
  • Significantly shorter than the original source.
  • Take a broad overview.

Paraphrases dig a little deeper into the source material than summaries and provide more details. A proper paraphrase shows that you understand your sources well enough to express them in your voice—while giving credit to the originators of those ideas.

Quotes should be used sparingly to add punch to your paper. Long, drawn out quotes slow down the narrative and also suggest that the writer doesn’t have a good grasp of the material. But quoting a pungent turn of phrase coined by a source can add flavor to your text.

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