Transcript Using Text in Your Writing

Using Text in Your Writing
How to avoid plagiarism and
strengthen your writing
Adapted by Lenelle Wylie (2007)
from University of Houston, Victoria
Copyright 2003 by the Academic Center, the University of
Houston-Victoria, and Summer Leibensperger.
Created 2003 by Summer Leibensperger.
Revised 2005.
Citation and Quotation
What is Plagiarism?
 Plagiarism is the use of information (words,
sentences, and/or ideas and even the structure of
sentences and/or ideas) from another source that
is not properly credited.
 Plagiarism may be unintentional and may occur
even if a source is credited but is done so
improperly.
 In this lesson, we will look at how to avoid
plagiarism and improve your writing.
What Needs to be Cited?
 You must cite someone else’s words you quote,
words you summarize, words you paraphrase,
idea (interpretation, opinion, conclusion), data,
graph, photograph, drawing, table of
information, experiment, example, unique
concept, apt phrase, expression of common
knowledge, solution to a problem, speech,
video source (film, TV program), [and] the
structure or sequencing of facts, ideas. or
arguments. (p. 18)
 Harris, R. (2002). Using sources effectively: Strengthening your
writing and avoiding plagiarism. Los Angeles: Pyrczak Publishing.
What is Common Knowledge?
 Common knowledge may consist of commonly
known dates and factual information (i.e. the
Alamo fell on March 6, 1836, to Santa Anna; or
the chemical composition of water is H20) or
common sayings like proverbs or clichés
 Common knowledge does not need to be cited
What About Opinions About
Common Knowledge?
 You will need to cite opinions related to the
facts.
 It may be a well-known fact that the Alamo fell
on March 6, 1836, and that in Victoria the
school district is consolidated, but you will need
to cite someone’s opinion or interpretation of
those facts.
 Also, your sources may present both opinion
and factual information. Because that factual
information is part of an opinion, you will need
to cite the source.
What is the General Rule
About Citation?
 If in doubt, cite the source.
What are Some Strategies to
Avoid Plagiarism?
 1. Take careful notes when you research and clearly document
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whether you’ve directly quoted, paraphrased, or summarized the
material in your notes.
2. Keep photocopies of each source for easy reference.
3. Borrow from the source correctly. (Quoting, Summarizing,
Paraphrasing)
4. Credit the source of any ideas, whether directly quoted,
paraphrased, or summarized in your paper.
5. Make sure all cited information has an entry in your
bibliography or works cited page.
6. Give an adequate signal to your reader to show you are using
someone else’s words and include your own commentary to make
your argument.
7. Review your paper and consider your use of documentation
carefully.
Why Incorporate Text?
 By integrating source material into your
paper, you can add credibility,
complexity, and support to your
argument. In this lesson, we’ll look at
how to decide when to quote, paraphrase,
and summarize.
Rules for Incorporating Text
 1. Source material cannot make your points for
you. It can back up your points or provide
material for you to argue against; therefore, you
will typically have to introduce source material
and comment on how it helps prove your point.
Essentially, source material has no significance
without your commentary to provide context
and meaning.
Rules for Incorporating Text
 2. Choose important or significant information
that effectively relates to or supports your
points. (Depending on the type of paper you
are writing, you may need to present
information that does not agree or support the
points in your paper. Often times, you will have
to present the dissenting view in order to show
flaws, weaknesses, or other errors within the
opposing position.)
Rules for Incorporating Text
 3. Always be faithful to the meaning of
the source material that you include in
your paper. Do not take material out of
context.
 4. Cite appropriately and integrate the
quote, paraphrase, or summary into the
text effectively.
What is a Quote
 A quote is the exact wording of the
source material (either written or spoken).
Quotes match the original source word
for word.
When to Quote?
 1. Accuracy: You are unable to paraphrase or
summarize the source material without changing the
author’s intent.
 2. Authority: You may want to use a quote to lend
expert authority for your assertion or to provide source
material for analysis.
 3. Conciseness: Your attempts to paraphrase or
summarize are awkward or much longer than the source
material.
 4. Unforgettable language: You believe that the words
of the author are memorable or remarkable because of
their effectiveness or historical flavor.
Paraphrase
What is a Paraphrase?
 A paraphrase is a detailed restatement in your
own words of a written or sometimes spoken
source material. Apart from the changes in
organization, wording, and sentence structure,
the paraphrase should be nearly identical in
meaning to the original passage. It should also
be near the same length as the original passage
and present the details of the original.
When to Paraphrase?
 To change the organization of ideas for emphasis. You
may have to change the organization of ideas in source
material so that you can emphasize the points that are
most related to your paper. You should remember to be
faithful to the meaning of the source.
 To simplify the material. You may have to simplify
complex arguments, sentences, or vocabulary.
 To clarify the material. You may have to clarify
technical passages or specialized information into
language that is appropriate for your audience.
How to Paraphrase?
 Include all important ideas mentioned in the
original passage but not in the same order.
 Keep the length approximately the same as the
original.
 Do not stress any single point more than
another.
 Do not change the meaning by adding your own
thoughts or views.
 Do not use the original sentence structure
Five Steps to Paraphrasing
 1. Understand the meaning of the passage
thoroughly. You may have to read the passage
several times and consult a dictionary.
 2. Outline the passage or subdivide the
information into smaller sections. Remember
that the paraphrase must include all the
important ideas mentioned in the original
passage.
Five Steps to Paraphrasing
 3. Restate the information remembering the
following:
 1. Replace as many of the words as possible with
appropriate synonyms. Sometimes you may have to
substitute a phrase in place of a word, or a word in
place of a phrase.
 2. Change the order and structure of the ideas or
argument.
 3. Change the structure of the sentences. All of us
have our own writing style. Change the sentences to
reflect yours. Be careful not to change the meaning
by adding or leaving out any important information.
Five Steps to Paraphrasing
 4. Make sure that you are faithful to the
meaning of the source and that you have
accurately represented the main ideas.
 5. Cite appropriately and integrate the
paraphrase into the text effectively..
Paraphrase Practice
 Statements that seem complimentary in one
context may be inappropriate in another. For
example, women in business are usually
uncomfortable if male colleagues or superiors
compliment them on their appearance: the
comments suggest that the women are being
treated as visual decoration rather than as
contributing workers. (p. 323)
 ---Locker, K. O. (2003). Business and
administrative communication (6th ed.). St.
Louis, MO: Irwin/McGraw-Hill.
Paraphrase Practice
 Step 1: Reading the passage multiple times to
ensure understanding.
 Step 2: Identify the important ideas in this
passage:
 Appropriateness of statements is situational.
 Example is that working women may view
compliments about appearance as offensive.
 These compliments can be offensive because they
may imply women are decoration.
 Step 3: Restate the main points
Sample Paraphrase #1
 Words or expressions which appear favorable in one
situation might be improper in a different situation. For
instance, employed females are often uneasy when they
are given positive comments on their looks. These
remarks imply that the females are being viewed as
adornment instead of as productive employees (Locker,
2003).
 [Although this paraphrase does a good job of changing
the wording, it is not effective for two main reasons.
First, it follows the sentence structure of the original
passage too closely. Second, it fails to mention anything
about "male colleagues or superiors." It also follows
the same order or structure of ideas.]
Sample Paraphrase #2
 Some statements may be inappropriate in one context, even
though they are complimentary in another. Compliments by
male colleagues or superiors regarding a female coworkerﾕs
appearance, for example, often make the woman feel
uncomfortable. Instead of treating the women as contributing
workers, men obviously think of them as visual decoration
(Locker, 2003).
 [While this paraphrase does a better job of changing the
sentence structure, it also is uneffective. It uses too many of
the words from the original passage. Further, it changes the
meaning when it declares that "men obviously think of them
as visual decoration." It also follows the same order or
structure of ideas]
Sample Paraphrase #3
 Women may feel uneasy upon receiving ordinarily
positive comments on their appearance from male
coworkers or supervisors. To these women, the remarks
carry an implied meaning: instead of being thought of
as productive employees, they are actually being
viewed as just a pretty part of the atmosphere.
Depending on the situation, words or expressions which
appear favorable may actually be unsuitable in a
conversation (Locker, 2003).
 [This paraphrase is the most effective. In addition to
changing both the wording and sentence structure, it
includes all points and retains the meaning of the
original passage. It also changes the order of ideas.]
Exercise #1
 Using the Handout, Complete
Paraphrasing Exercise #1
Summarize
What is a Summary?
 A summary is a condensed version of a
passage. Similar to paraphrasing,
summarizing involves using your own
words and writing style to express
another author's ideas. Unlike the
paraphrase, which presents important
details, the summary presents only the
most important ideas of the passage.
When to Summarize?
 Summarize a passage when you simply want to
give your readers a brief overview of a text.
 To condense the material. You may have to
condense or to reduce the source material to
draw out the points that relate to your paper.
 To omit extras from the material. You may
have to omit extra information from the source
material to focus on the author’s main points.
 To simplify the material. You may have to
simplify the most important complex
arguments, sentences, or vocabulary in the
source material.
When do I Summarize?
 Summarize a passage when you
simply want to give your readers a
brief overview of a text.
How do I Summarize?
 When summarizing, follow the
guidelines listed below:
* Include only the main points of the
original passage
* Do not worry about following the
original order of ideas.
* Keep the length down to no more than
half the length of the original.
Four Steps in Summarizing
 1. Identify the main points of the passage. You will
not include all the details, as you do in a
paraphrase. Instead, only choose the most
important.
 2. Organize and present these main points in a
coherent way. Be careful not to use the author's
words or to follow the sentence structure of the
original passage.
 3. Make sure that you are faithful to the meaning
of the source and that you have accurately
represented the main ideas.
 4. Cite appropriately and integrate the summary
into the text effectively.
Sample Summary #1
 Height connotes status in many parts of the world. Executive
offices are usually on the top floors; the underlings work
below. Even being tall can help a person succeed. Studies
have shown that employers are more willing to hire men over
6 feet tall than shorter men with the same credentials.
Studies of real-world executives and graduates have shown
that taller men make more money. In one study, every extra
inch of height brought in an extra $1,300 a year. But being
too big can be a disadvantage. A tall, brawny football player
complained that people found him intimidating off the field
and assumed he "had the brains of a Twinkie." (p. 301)
 ---Locker, K. O. (2003). Business and administrative
communication (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Irwin/McGraw-Hill.
Find the Main Points
 Let’s first identify the main points in the
original passage.
 Topic sentence:
 Height connotes status in many parts of the
world.
 Main point:
 Even being tall can help a person succeed.
 Executive offices are usually on the top
 Being too big can be a disadvantage
Sample Summaries
 Summary A:Throughout the world, being tall will lead to
professional success. In fact, research shows that employers are
more likely to hire taller men and to pay them more, as compared to
shorter men with the same qualifications (Locker, 2003).
 [This summary is too brief. Further, it changes the meaning slightly,
giving the impression that being tall guarantees success.]
 Summary B: In most countries, height suggests status. For
instance, higher executives normally use top floors of office
buildings. Further, research shows that men over six feet tall are
more likely to be hired than those shorter than them but with the
same qualifications. Taller men also receive greater incomes,
possibly as much as $1,300 a year more than those only one inch
shorter than them. However, as a tall and muscular football player
points out, a disadvantage to being tall is that some individuals may
perceive you as threatening or even dumb (Locker, 2003).
 [This summary is too long. Instead of focusing on the main points,
it includes all of the details that are in the original passage.]
Sample Summaries
 Summary C: Though height may connote slowness to some
people, in the business world, it is almost universally
associated with success. For example, taller men are more
likely to be hired and to have greater salaries. Further, those
in top positions within a company are more likely to work on
the top floors of office buildings (Locker, 2003).
 [This summary is the most effective. In addition to including
all of the main points, it leaves out the unimportant details.]
Practice Summarizing Skills
 Using the Handout, Complete
Summarizing #1
Signaling the Use of Source
Material
Introducing Source Material
 Source material cannot make your points
for you. Essentially, source material backs
up your points; therefore, you will typically
have to introduce source material and
comment on how it helps prove your point.
 The reader has to be able to distinguish
source material from your commentary. (If
the reader cannot, then you are guilty of
plagiarism.)
Three Strategies to Signal the
Use of Your Source
 1. Introduce your Source with Dialog
Tags, Phrases, and Sentences
 2. Divide Your Sources
 3. Use Key Phrases
Strategy #1
Introduce Your Source
 Dialogue tags can signal the use of source
materials.
 You can try something as simple as John Doe says. To
punctuate a dialogue tag, when the source is directly
quoted, you typically use a comma.
 Let’s look at some examples:
 In the example below, the source material is directly
quoted.
 Shakespeare says, “that time of year thou mayest in me
behold (line 1).
 You also can use this strategy with summarized or
paraphrased material.
 Schayan (2001) indicates that minimal pair drills rely upon a
contrast of sound to accomplish the goals of auditory training.
Vary Your Dialog Tags
 Verbs to Use Instead of “Says/Said or
States/Stated”
 addresses, analyzes, contributes,
critiques, defines, discovers, disproves,
establishes, evaluates, examines,
formulates, identifies, proposes, questions,
recommends, reiterates, reports, suggests,
thinks, urges
Strategy #1
Introduce Your Source

Phrases add information to your source introduction
 According to Locker (2001), author of Business and
Administrative Communication, women may feel
uneasy upon receiving ordinarily positive comments
on their appearance from male coworkers or
supervisors.
 Sentences are another option to introduce a source
 In The Power of Myth, a conversation about
mythology, Joseph Campbell enlightens Bill Moyers
about how a dream differs from a myth: “Oh,
because a dream is a personal experience of that
deep, dark ground that is the support of our
conscious lives, and a myth is the society’s dream.
[...]” (p. 40).
Strategy #2
Divide Your Sources
 You can use this technique if you want to
add emphasis to the source material, or
cause your reader to mentally pause
between two pieces of source material.
 Two examples of this technique:
 “Despite changing membership over time,”
Dye (1995) states, “the Supreme Court has not
altered its policy regarding affirmative action as
a remedy for past discrimination” (p. 62).
 “Men lack heart,” writes Pascal, “they would
not make a friend of it” (p. 31).
Strategy #3
Use Key Phrases
 You may not need to quote entire sentences or
passages of a source to get your point across. In this
case, you may want to quote key phrases.
 Let’s look at a few examples:
 Reporter Jack Nimeson (2000) speculated in his
Opinions column whether modern cinema should be
“bemoaned for its lack of heart and intellect” (A-2).
 Locker (2000) indicates that Web searches can
yield thousands of results, unless the searcher is
careful to employ “wild cards,” which are symbols
(p. 380). These symbols allow for variations such
as plural endings.
Signaling Commentary
Two Steps to Incorporate
Commentary
 Use Parenthetical Citing
Shows the reader what information is
taken from others
 Make a Transition
Makes a clear distinction between cited
material and the ideas belonging to the
writer
Using Parenthetical Citing
 Directly Quoted Material Example
 Signaling your commentary can be easy with
directly quoted material because the quotation
marks mark the end of the cited material
 Example:
 Petrarch embarks on a physical journal hoping to gain
spiritual insight. He speaks of the mountain as a “very
steep and almost inaccessible mass of stony soil,”
and climbing it is a “most difficult task” (154).
Ultimately, Petrarch is as lost in the temporal
circuitous route as he is in the eternal route…
Using Parenthetical Citing
 Paraphrased/Summarized Example
 It can be more difficult to signal paraphrased or
summarized material.
 Example:
 Women may feel uneasy upon receiving ordinarily positive
comments on their appearance from male coworkers or
supervisors. To these women, the remarks carry an implied
meaning: instead of being thought of as productive
employees, they are actually being viewed as just a pretty
part of the atmosphere. Depending on the situation, words
or expressions which appear favorable may actually be
unsuitable in a conversation (Locker, 2003).
Making a Transition
 Whether you choose to paraphrase,
summarize, or directly quote material, you
will want to signal to your reader that you
are moving from the paraphrased,
summarized, or quoted material into your
commentary about that material.
 You can use transitional words or phrases
or complete sentences to signal to your
commentary of source material.
Examples of Transitional
Words/Phrases
 1. Among the most important problems preventing correct
pronunciation of the English language is that of interference.
Politzer and Politzer (1972) indicate that interference is when
an individual has an acquired sound system in his or her
native language, and that sound system interferes with
second language acquisition. Perhaps the most obvious
example of interference is when there is a phoneme in the
English language that has no counterpart in the learner’s
native language.
 In this example, we can see that the writer used “perhaps” to
signal commentary. He then goes on to discuss an example of
interference.
 2. Petrarch said he wished to climb Mount Ventoux “to see
what so great an elevation had to offer” (172). Indeed, he got
what he wished for in that the elevation of the body made
Petrarch realize he should be more concerned with the
elevation of the soul.
Complete Sentences without
Transitions
 You also can use a sentence without transitional words or phrases
to signal that you’ve begun commenting on the source.
 Example:
 The narrator sees a woman inside the wallpaper. She tells us “At night
in any kind of light, in twilight, candlelight, lamplight, and worst of all by
moonlight, It becomes bars! The outside pattern I mean, and the
woman behind it as plain as can be (584).” In this cry the narrator
reveals herself as insane. What we have yet to learn is that in this
insanity, she finds freedom.
 I’ve bolded the transition sentence in the example above. In the
paragraph from the paper about Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the
writer refers to the quote (similar to referring to “the research”) to signal
that she is beginning to comment on the quote.