How to Use Quotations and Paraphrasing
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APA Citation Style
MLA Citation Style
Quotations vs. Paraphrasing
A quotation is taken word-for-word from the original text, and the author(s) of the source must be acknowledged. A paraphrase requires the writer to reword a idea from the source text into his/her own words. Like a quotation, the source author(s) must be acknowledged.
Why use quotations and paraphrasing?
There are a number of reasons why using quotations and paraphrasing is useful. Among them, writers can:
- Enhance the credibility of writing
- Provide support for claims
- Offer examples of specific aspects of a topic
- Highlight a position the writer wishes to agree/disagree with
- Call attention to a particularly striking concept in a text
In producing an original piece of academic writing, students are expected to coherently incorporate the works of others into their own writing, whether through paraphrasing or in-text citations. Failure do so may result in an incomplete assessment of a topic, unclear writing,or even plagiarism. The best way to ensure that students effectively incorporate the works of others into their own writing is to adhere to a 3-step template.
1. Introduce the quote: set the context
Any time the writer is going to quote a text or paraphrase an idea from that text, it is necessary to construct a context in which the quote/paraphrase can be viewed as appropriate. For example, consider the following example:
These days everyone knows that smoking is unhealthy. As Brandt (2006) notes, "Continued smoking or exposure to second-hand smoke leads to heart disease, lung cancer, and emphysema; in addition, smoking can intensify the effects of asthma and other respiratory conditions" (54).
While the first sentence above could serve as a topic sentence in a paragraph discussing the dangers of smoking, more context would be useful to ground the quote that follows. On possible revision could be as follows:
Fifty years ago, the effects of smoking were not well documented; however, recent studies have clearly demonstrated the dangers of consuming tobacco, both for smokers and non-smokers. As Brandt (2006) notes, "Continued smoking or exposure to second-hand smoke leads to heart disease, lung cancer, and emphysema; in addition, smoking can intensify the effects of asthma and other respiratory conditions" (54).
Note that the use of the phrase "these days" implies differential treatment in the past. This differential treatment (smoking as not dangerous, or even healthy) in the past can be used to introduce the quote that follows. Also, note that in the revised version above, the writer has commented on the dangers of smoking to non-smokers as well as smokers. This revised version above provides a more appropriate context for the use of the quote, thus rendering the quote itself more rhetorically effective.
2. Provide the quote/paraphrased idea
3. Significance: What does this quote/idea illustrate?
avoid hit and run quoting
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