When to quote, paraphrase, or summarize

1. When to quote, paraphrase, or summarize

2. When to Quote • Quote when the actual language of the passage is interesting and can add to your paper. Quoting adds credibility to your paper. • Ex. “As he [Canessa] walked he would pray. Every step became a word of the Lord’s Prayer” (281).

3. When to Quote? • Do not over-quote just to fill out your paper: your paper will look like a cut-and-paste version of someone else’s words.

4. When to Quote? • When quoting dialogue: Use the double quote mark ( “ ) followed by a space to begin the entire quotation, then enclose the spoken words in single quote marks (‘). Close the entire passage with a double quote ( ”). • Ex. “ ‘Why bother, anyway?’ Said Algorta. ‘What happens if they take photographs?’ Asked Fernandez.”

5. When to Paraphrase? • Paraphrase to retell information in your own words. • Do this when there is no purpose to keeping the original language of the text. • A paraphrase does not leave out information and is normally as long as the original text.

6. When to Summarize? • Summarize longer selections of a text, such as an entire scene. For example, you might summarize Canessa and Parrado’s entire hike out of the mountains.

7. When to Summarize? • You retell only the most important information. • A summary is almost always shorter than the original version.