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             Ways to Present Research

Direct Quotes

      When using quotes have students follow a quote with a statement such as “This is important because…”    

      Giving the similar sentence starters will be helpful in ensuring they understand the quote and its relevance.

Paraphrasing


Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they overuse quotations in the final essay. Probably only about 10% of your final copy should appear as directly quoted matter.


But remember, when we write we should use our own words whenever possible. Paraphrasing involves taking someone else’s ideas and rewording them . We need to keep the original meaning and present it in a new form. Basically, you are simply writing something in your own words that expresses the original idea.    

Paraphrasing Blocks of Text

Paraphrasing can be done with individual sentences or entire paragraphs.  

Paraphrasing Sentences

Original: Her life spanned years of incredible change for women.

Paraphrase: Mary lived through an era of liberating reform for women.  

 

Longer Passages


When working with longer passages you should find that when you paraphrase, the passage is shorter than the original. Summarizing the article is often a good idea.


 


 


  1.   When reading a longer passage, try first to understand it as a whole, rather than pausing to write down specific ideas or phrases.
  2. Be selective. Unless your assignment is to do a formal or "literal" paraphrase, you usually don’t need to paraphrase an entire passage; instead, choose and summarize the material that helps you make a point in your paper.
  3. Think of what "your own words" would be if you were telling someone who's unfamiliar with your subject (your mother, your brother, a friend) what the original source said.
  4. Remember that you can use direct quotations of phrases from the original within your paraphrase, but don’ t overdo direct quotes, the words of the essay need to be mostly yours.

 

Remember to:

  •          Reword   – Replace words and phrases with synonyms whenever you can.
  •          Rearrange   – Rearrange words within sentences to make new sentences. You can even rearrange the ideas presented within the paragraph.
  •          Realize   that some words and phrases cannot be changed – names, dates, titles, etc. cannot be replaced, but you can present them differently in your paraphrase.
  •          Recheck   – Make sure that your paraphrase conveys the same meaning as the original.