Undergraduate Research Guide—
Citing Sources
How Do I…?
Integrate My Sources
This guide will help you:
 Integrate sources you find
into your research
 Use the sources by quoting,
paraphrasing or
summarizing
 Understand the importance
of citing the information
you find and use
 Know where to get help
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This guide is intended to help you incorporate
sources into your paper. If you have additional
questions about using sources, contact your
class instructor, the Writers Workshop
(UGL Room 251) or Ask a Librarian:
http://www.library.illinois.edu/askus/
Why use Sources?
The use of sources is what separates a research paper from other
kinds of writing. Your paper needs documentation and evidence, of
course, it also needs to take part in the ‘conversation’ that other
researchers are having about your topic.
Acknowledging sources is a way of helping your reader hear and
understand this conversation. It should also help readers
recognize how your voice, as a student, writer and researcher,
differs from the rest.
Three Common Ways to Use Sources
1. QUOTE
Any time you use the exact wording found in a source it needs to be
"quoted." Use minimally and only when the source has written something
in an interesting/distinctive way.
2. PARAPHRASE
Putting an excerpt from a source in your own words, rephrasing but not
shortening it.
3. SUMMARIZE
Boiling down an excerpt to its essential points, like describing an entire
book in one or two sentences.
How Do I…?
Tips for Quoting, Paraphrasing & Summarizing
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Remember that all three methods require a citation!
Limit block quotes (long, direct quotations from a source)
as much as possible.
Avoid this: “A quotation from a source without any
explanation.” Always explain where a quotation is from
and why it’s interesting. Analyze its language and explain
its relevance to your research question.
Introducing and commenting on every quotation,
paraphrase and summary makes it easier to distinguish
your voice from the source’s voice.
Summaries are handy when you need to explain a lot of
sources in a small space, to help the reader understand
the background of your topic. Choose your words
carefully to emphasize the most relevant aspects of
longer passages.
Where to Get More Help
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UIUC’s Writers Workshop
Tips on using quotations
http://www.cws.illinois.edu/workshop/writers/tips/quotations
The OWL (Purdue’s Online Writing Lab)
Tips on quoting, paraphrasing and summarizing
http://www.owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/01/
Citation Styles
UGL page on how to cite sources
http://www.library.illinois.edu/ugl/howdoi/citations.html
Ask A Librarian
Contact us in person, or via phone, chat, email or text
http://www.library.illinois.edu/askus/
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