Paraphrasing and Summarizing: Techniques for Effective Academic Writing, Study notes of Technical English

Download Paraphrasing and Summarizing: Techniques for Effective Academic Writing and more Study notes Technical English in PDF only on Docsity! Paraphrasing and Summarizing ATASCOCITA CENTER LIBRARY: Why paraphrase or summarize? Although these terms are sometimes used interchangeably, they actually have different meanings… Paraphrasing involves a point-by-point rephrasing of the original article to express a larger idea without altering the author’s meaning. Your paraphrased passage should be close to the length of the original passage because you are not cutting down the original work. Paraphrasing does not mean that you change a few words and keep everything else the same. A rephrasing should be a complete restating of the points, including a change in sentence structure as well as language or word choice. Use when: You want to fully express the ideas of another author but do not want to use quotations. PARAPHRASING Summarizing involves condensing a large chunk of information into just a few lines. Essentially, you are just taking the most important points and highlighting them. Use when: You only want to borrow a few important points from another author without using a direct quotation. SUMMARIZING Correctly Paraphrased Passage Using MLA: …Little Red Riding Hood notices the difference in appearance and questions why her grandmother’s eyes are so large feature by feature. The wolf assures her each time that there is a reason for each of the abnormalities – she can do a better job of seeing her, hearing her, and hugging her (Softales). Original Text by Lott Softales: … “What big eyes you have, Grandmother!” “The better to see you with, my dear,” whispered the cunning wolf. “What big ears you have, Grandmother!” “The better to hear you with, my dear!” “What big hands you have, Grandmother!” “The better to hug you with, my dear” …” Note: The language and sentence structure of the paraphrased passage are very different from the original passage. Summarized Passage Using MLA: Red Riding Hood questions why the wolf does not look like her grandmother and the wolf makes up excuses (Softales). Original Text by Lott Softales: … “What big eyes you have, Grandmother!” “The better to see you with, my dear,” whispered the cunning wolf. “What big ears you have, Grandmother!” “The better to hear you with, my dear!” “What big hands you have, Grandmother!” “The better to hug you with, my dear” …” Note: Only the main point(s) of the passage are conveyed. “Why should I cite paraphrased or summarized passages? They are in my own words.” 3. Breadcrumbs: Your audience may want to do further reading on the ideas you bring up in your paper. By citing your information, you are leaving your readers a path back your original sources. Using the Little Red Riding Hood example, if I am writing a book on animal attacks, then I may want to read more about this incident that you have mentioned in your paper as material for my own work. Or, if I still doubt the credibility of the story you have paraphrased, I can hunt down the journal article for myself and confirm what you have written. Common Knowledge: You have a certain fact (the sky is blue) or a general idea (wolves can be dangerous to humans) that you are going to put in your paper. You then find that fact or common knowledge in the text that you are using as a source for your paper. Do you cite the information because it is in your source even though it is a “fact” or “common knowledge”? Will you be accused of paraphrasing/summarizing without citation if you do not? Common knowledge is a term applied to any bit of information that is known by wide group or community of people. It is generally accepted that anything in the realm of “common knowledge” can go without citation but first you need to determine if your fact or general idea is common knowledge. This can be tricky to determine. Common Knowledge: How to use a paraphrased or summarized passage in your paper: If paraphrasing is a point-by-point reworking of an author’s ideas and summarizing is a condensing of another’s ideas, your own ideas should come before and after a paraphrased or summarized passage in order to explain to your reader how it relates to your thesis. Example: Let us say that the thesis of your paper is “Many fairy tales were used as cautionary tales to warn young girls away from impropriety.” Your paper should look something like this: In Little Red Riding Hood, the wolf is not depicted as a savage animal but as a liar and deceiver. Little Red Riding Hood questions: why her grandmother’s eyes are so big; why her ears are so big; why her hands are so big. The wolf assures her each time that there is a reason for each of the abnormalities – she can do a better job of seeing her, hearing her, and hugging her (Softales). It is not enough just to attack her. He lies to her first to get her close enough so that he can easily gobble her up. Her naivety is what will lead her to her end. This represents the idea that bad things happen to a girl who is easily tricked. Red = The paraphrased passage from your source. White = Your ideas. Still having some trouble with paraphrasing or summarizing? Contact the library! You can call or email us! 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