Quoting, summarising and paraphrasing

Quoting, summarising and paraphrasing

Read the following definitions from the OWL (http://owl.english.purdue.edu) and match them to the three strategies. You will need to match all three before you check your answers.

a)	*********** involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including only the main point(s). It is necessary to attribute the ideas to the original source. After *********** your text will be significantly shorter than the original and take a broad overview of the source material.	Choose... summarising paraphrasing quoting
b)	************ involves putting a passage from source material into your own words. When *********** a text, you must attribute the original source. ************ material will usually make it shorter than the original passage, taking a somewhat broader segment of the source and condensing it slightly.	Choose... summarising paraphrasing quoting
c)	******* means reproducing the exact words of the original, using a narrow segment of the source. Must indicate clearly that these are not original words and be attributed to the author.	Choose... summarising paraphrasing quoting
Correct, well done! Incorrect, the answer is a) summarising b) paraphrasing c) quoting. Your answer has been saved.

Read the following statement and decide if it is true or false.

Referring to the work of others can add credibility to your own writing.

	a)	True
	b)	False
Correct, well done! Incorrect, the answer is true. By citing the work of others you position yourself within the current debate. Your answer has been saved.

Read the following statement and decide if it is true or false.

You can use lengthy quotations from the work of others to express ideas that you find difficult to put into words.

	a)	True
	b)	False
Correct, well done! Incorrect, the answer is false. While it is not plagiarism to use lengthy quotations from the work of others, it is not good academic practice. You should aim to have no more than 10% direct quotation in your work - in other cases you should paraphrase or summarise. Your answer has been saved.

Read the following statement and decide if it is true or false.

Referring to other researchers can call attention to a point that you wish to emphasise.

	a)	True
	b)	False
Correct, well done! Incorrect, the answer is true. It is easier to emphasise a particular point if you have evidence from others to support it. Your answer has been saved.

Read the following statement and decide if it is true or false.

By referring to the work of others you can highlight many points of view on a single subject.

	a)	True
	b)	False
Correct, well done! Incorrect, the answer is true. By citing the work of others you can include many points of view. This can be particularly useful if you want to argue against a particular point of view in that you can cite the arguments for that position then cite counter arguments to support your own standpoint. Your answer has been saved.

Read the following statement and decide if it is true or false?

You can use a particularly striking phrase from someone else's work by quoting directly.

	a)	True
	b)	False
Correct, well done! Incorrect, the answer is true. If you find a phrase that encapsulates what you want to say especially clearly and succinctly, it is acceptable to quote it directly in your own text. For example, if the aim of a family planning policy is to make 'every child a wanted child' it may be better to cite that phrase than try to paraphrase it as, say, 'every child will thus be the result of a carefully considered decision to raise a family.' It is, however, essential that you acknowledge the author of the phrase and put quotation marks ("" or '') around the quoted text. Your answer has been saved.

How to summarise/paraphrase

There are different approaches to summarising and paraphrasing texts but some methods are more effective than others. Imagine that you have to summarise a technical paper, read the following tasks and decide the order in which you should carry them out.

1. look at the original text and check the main points

2. proof read your summary

3. write your summary in your own words

4. write notes in your own words summarising the key points as you remember them

5. put the original text to one side

6. read the text until you are sure you understand it

	a)	6,5,4,1,3,2
	b)	6,4,1,5,3,2
	c)	6,1,4,5,3,2
Correct, well done! Although there isn't really a right answer to this question as it's up to you to find the method that suits you best, this method works for many people. There isn't really a right answer to this question as it's up to you to find the method that suits you best, using 6,5,4,1,3,2 works for many people. 6. read the text until you are sure you understand it 5. put the original text to one side 4. write notes in your own words summarising the key points as you remember them 1. look at the original text and check the main points 3. write your summary in your own words 2. proof read your summary The first stage is to make sure you understand the text. Many people find it easier to do this without trying to write notes, although you may want to highlight or underline key points. Secondly put the original text away. This is often counter-intuitive but the great advantage it gives you is that you will not be tempted to copy whole phrases or sentences from the original text. If you summarise in your own words from the outset you are far less likely to fall into the trap of accidental plagiarism. So, stage two put the original away and stage three write notes summarising the key points. At this stage it is sensible to check the facts of the original in case you have mis-reported anything and then move on to stage five and write your full summary. Finally, proof read your summary. As noted above, summarising and paraphrasing are similar processes. Both involve rewriting an original text in your own words but although the paraphrase is likely to be longer than the summary. However, exactly the same technique can be used for both processes. The key is always to think of the key points that you need to draw out. Your answer has been saved.

Summarising

The following examples show responses to different summarising and paraphrasing tasks. Decide in each case which you think is the most successful piece of rewriting. Remember that the summary must report all the key points in the summariser's own words. The original text is taken from the introduction to 'Malaria: a handbook for health professionals' (Malaria Consortium, 2007, Macmillan Education).

Read the following paragraph and summarise it so that it is about half the original length.

For hundreds of years malaria has been one of the most important human diseases in the world. An eradication campaign in the 1950s and 1960s was effective in eliminating the disease from some parts of the world, mainly in parts of Europe and North America, and in reducing it in other places. Notwithstanding this success, malaria still kills over a million people each year and causes between 300 and 500 million clinical cases. Approximately 80% of the deaths and 90% of the clinical cases occur in sub-Saharan Africa, where young children and pregnant women are particularly at risk. Every year about a million children under five years of age die from malaria. Malaria also remains a major public health problem in Asia and parts of Latin America, where the disease affects people of all ages. Malaria disproportionately affects poor countries and communities, and hinders socio-economic progress of individuals, households and countries.

	a)	Malaria has long been one of the world's most important diseases. Despite the success of eradication campaigns in the 1950s and 1960s, especially in Europe and North America, it is still responsible for the deaths of more than a million people annually. In addition to this, between 300 and 500 million are reported every year. By far the highest percentage of cases (80% of deaths and 90% of clinical cases) occurs in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly among children and pregnant women. Malaria is a disease which particularly affects poor countries at individual, household and country level.
	b)	For centuries malaria has been an important human disease. Although an eradication campaign in the 1950s and 1960s was effective in eliminating the disease in Europe and North America, malaria still kills over a million people each year and causes between 300 and 500 million clinical cases. Most of the deaths and clinical cases occur in sub-Saharan Africa, especially among young children and pregnant women. Every year approximately a million children under the age of five die from malaria. The disease also remains a major public health problem in Asia and parts of Latin America. The disease disproportionately affects the poor and hinders socio-economic development among individuals, households and communities.
	c)	Despite the success of 20th century eradication campaigns, malaria continues to be one of world's most important diseases, especially among poor communities and countries. It is responsible for over a million deaths and 300 to 500 million clinical cases every year. In Sub-Saharan Africa, where by far the highest percentage of cases occurs, children and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable. Malaria is also still a problem in Latin America and Asia among all age groups.
Correct, well done! Incorrect, Summary c) is the best summary. It meets the requirements of the brief by reducing the text by a half. It mentions all the key points but changes the structure of the paragraph so that it does not sound the same. It repeats the figures of a million deaths and 300 to 500 million clinical cases as the bolding in the original texts indicated that this was the most important point in the original text. Summary a) is slightly too long and by using much of the word allowance on supplying details of the exact percentages of cases found in sub-Saharan Africa, does not have room to make even brief mention of the situation in Asia and Latin America. Summary b) is definitely too long but more seriously, is guilty of plagiarism. Your answer has been saved.

More summarising

Please read the following paragraph from the Young Lives Policy Brief, The Social Impacts of Trade Liberalisation: how can childhood poverty be reduced? (http://www.younglives.org.uk/pdf/publication-section-pdfs/policy-briefs/policy_brief1.pdf) and summarise it in one sentence. When you have finished, check your answer to see how similar it is to the suggested response.

While it is likely the FTA (free trade agreement) will have a positive long-term effect on economic growth, YL (Young Lives) research suggests that impacts will differ markedly across sectors of the economy and geographical regions with consequences for how children experience poverty. A key finding is the differential impact of trade between urban/rural locations and different geographical regions. Whereas the FTA is predicted to generate an overall welfare gain of approximately 2 per cent of household expenditure for most urban sectors, the estimated welfare loss among the bottom decile of rural households is likely to be around nine per cent. Findings show that in urban areas childless households stand to gain more from trade liberalisation than households with children, while the opposite is true in rural areas, where children tend to be regarded as 'productive assets'. The FTA might reduce the probability of children attending school by 0.3 per cent in rural areas, but increase the probability of attending school by 0.2 per cent in urban areas. Although the figures might seem marginal, they illustrate the differential impacts on urban and rural children, which are likely to exacerbate existing regional inequalities.

	a)	Young Lives research has shown the benefits of the Free Trade Agreement for children living in urban Peru.
	b)	Children in rural areas of Peru will have their chance of attending school reduced under the new Free Trade Agreement while children in urban areas will have their probability increase by 0.2 per cent according to Young Lives research.
	c)	Young Lives research suggests that although the free trade agreement will have a beneficial effect on long term economic growth, children living in rural areas will be worse off as a result.
	d)	The FTA in Peru will increase the probability of children in urban areas attending school but reduce it in rural areas, according to Young Lives research.
	e)	Young Lives research suggests that children living in rural areas in Peru will be disadvantaged by the Free Trade Agreement compared with children in urban areas.
Correct, well done! The correct answer is c) a) Does not mention any disadvantages associated with the Free Trade Agreement b) Is too specific in some areas (e.g. 0.2 per cent) but does not mention the long term benefits. d) FTA is not spelt out and the long term benefits are not mentioned. e) Does not mention the long term benefits. Your answer has been saved.