Summary:
A summary is a condensed version of information from another source. Summaries usually highlight the main points discussed in a source.
When you summarize:
Paraphrase:
A paraphrase is a restatement of another person's ideas in your own words.
When you paraphrase, you must:
Paraphrasing tips:
Quoting:
Quotes are a word-for-word copy of what another author said.
When you quote:
Try Out These General Tips!
Your research paper needs to provide a balance between outside sources and your own original ideas.
When you paraphrase, summarize or quote another author, their ideas should be connected to your own.
See OWL Purdue's sample summary, paraphrase and quotation from an essay to get a better sense of how you can use sources in your own paper.
Signal Phrases
Use signal phrases to introduce a paraphrase, summary or quotation, such as "according to," "argues," "contends,"or "states."
After a quotation, summary or paraphrase, explain why the source is significant or how the idea relates to your own argument.
Your research paper ends with a list of all the sources cited in the text of the paper. This is called a Works Cited list.
See an example in the "Sample Paper & Works Cited List" box on this page.
Here are eight quick rules for this list:
If you're confused on how to cite sources in research papers, you're not alone! Check out this video for a step-by-step guide on using MLA source citation within your paper.
"MLA In-Text Citations (Step-by-Step Guide)." YouTube, 24 Mar. 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTaUHS1mnvw.