How to Incorporate Your
Sources: Quoting,
Paraphrasing, and
Summarizing
How do you get sources into your
essay?
• Quoting
• Paraphrasing
• Summarizing
Quoting
When you include the words of another in your essay, this
is called a direct quote.
Direct quotes must be
1. Placed in quotation marks*
2. Integrated properly
3. Cited using an in-text citation
4. Cited using a works cited page entry
*Why do I have to use quotation marks if I use an in-text
citation? It’s simple: Quotation marks indicate that these
words were actually written by another. An in-text citation
only indicates that the idea came from another.
Paraphrasing
In SCW, the editors state that a paraphrase is you
“restat[ing] the author’s ideas in your own words (McWhorter
589). By “your own words,” the editor McWhorter means that
“you use different sentence patterns and vocabulary but keep
the author’s intended meaning” (McWhorter 589). Also,
paraphrases take up about as much space as the original
material.
Paraphrases must be
1. In your own words
2. Integrated/Clearly credited to the source
3. Cited using an in-text citation
4. Cited using a works cited page entry
Summarizing
In short (no pun intended!), a “summary is a brief
statement of major points”-- “only the main ideas, not
the details” (McWhorter 63). Additionally, a summary “is
about on-fifth of the original” (McWhorter 63). Like a
paraphrase, a summary is also in your own words.
Summaries must be
1. In your own words
2. Integrated/Clearly credited to the source
3. *You need an in-text citation if you’re summarizing
an act or a scene.
4. Cited using a works cited page entry
Before we move on, what does it
mean to integrate a source?
You’ll notice that quotes, paraphrases, and summaries must
be integrated. To integrate a source means essentially to
set it up or introduce it properly in your essay. Integrating
requires that you use your own words to set up your use of
the source. An introductory phrase or clause is the most
direct way to set up. Here’s an example:
John Merlin claims, “The only problem with all these
pointed barbs is that few of them withstand close
scrutiny” (545).
The introductory phrase that I’ve used is “John Merlin
claims.”
Integrating, continued
The example that I just provided was for integrating a direct
quote. How do you integrate for a paraphrase or a
summary?
The editors of your textbook write, “When integrating
paraphrases or summaries, you may sometimes decide not to
use an introductory phrase. In these instances, be sure that
the source material is clear to the reader. If an in-text citation
is in the wrong spot, readers may not be able to tell whether
an idea is yours or the source’s” (McWhorter 610). So, if you
choose to blend in your paraphrase or summary, you must
make sure that your use of an in-text citation clearly signals to
the reader that this is not your idea. Otherwise, you are
plagiarizing.
*I highly recommend integrating paraphrases and summaries
How do I know whether to quote,
paraphrase, or summarize?
• Whenever you use a
source, you are utilizing
the authority of or
behind the source,
either to uphold that
authority or to negate it.
• As you move from
quote to paraphrase to
summary, you move
farther away from
(though not completely
away from) the source.
Your source
Direct
quotes
Paraphrase
Summary
When should I quote?
• If you wish to directly utilize the authority of your
source (either to uphold or negate it)
• If the writing in your source is exceptionally clear,
unique/striking, or eloquent
• If you wish to use and/or expand upon terminology
(key terms) that your source first came up
with/introduced.
When should I paraphrase?
• If the writing/language in your sources is plain or
unclear for any reason
• If you wish to indirectly borrow the authority of your
source (either to uphold or negate it)….When you
indirectly borrow the authority of your source by
paraphrasing, you, in a way, retain more of your own
authority, shine as the author of your own essay.
When should I summarize?
• If you need to condense the main idea(s) of a
source
• If the main ideas rather than the details are important
for your own essay
• If you need to succinctly establish prevailing views
on your topic
Works Cited
McWhorter, Kathleen, ed. Successful College Writing.
4th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010. Print.