Guidelines for Quoting, Paraphrasing and Summarizing
Research Help Appointments
Need help with your research? A reference librarian is like a tutor for finding and citing information. Schedule an appointment to get uninterrupted individual time with a librarian.
When you’re writing a paper you’ll be synthesizing information from a variety of sources. Sometimes you will directly quote it, sometimes you will summarize it and sometimes you’ll paraphrase it.
In all of these situations, you should cite your sources!
- When you quote a source, you use the author’s words exactly, and indicate that with quotation marks.
- When you paraphrase a source, you put it into your own words. This does not mean changing a few words by inserting synonyms, it means integrating the meaning of the original passage into your writing.
- When you summarize a source, you significantly condense the ideas in the original source — without adding your own interpretation or analysis.
For more information about Quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing contact your PCC Writing Center or try these online resources:
Purdue Writing Lab: Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing Resource