EDU 259

Use signal verbs to introduce sources. Remember that the signal verb must be appropriate to the idea you are expressing.

These three ways of incorporating other writers' work into your own writing differ according to the closeness of your writing to the source writing.

Quotations must be identical to the original, using a narrow segment of the source. They must match the source document word for word and must be attributed to the original author.

Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from source material into your own words. A paraphrase must also be attributed to the original source. Paraphrased material is usually shorter than the original passage, taking a somewhat broader segment of the source and condensing it slightly.

Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including only the main point(s). Once again, it is necessary to attribute summarized ideas to the original source. Summaries are significantly shorter than the original and take a broad overview of the source material.

A good balance of the three would be 75% paraphrasing & summarizing, and 25% direct quotes.

The Purdue Owl describes specific forms of plagiarism and how students should avoid accidentally plagiarizing their work.