ExamplesofUsingDirectQuotes,

Paraphrasing,andSummarizing
Wordforwordquotation(directquote):
Definition:Usinganauthorslanguagewordforword(verbatim)
Waystoavoidplagiarism:
Usequotationmarksaroundtheauthorswords.
Useasignaloridentifyingphrasethattellswhoandwhatyouarequoting.
Addanintext(parenthetical)referenceattheendofthepassage.
Includeacitationattheendofyourpaper(WorksCited).

MLAExample:
RodriguezandBellancaobserve,Insomeurbanclassrooms,childrenarrive
withoutanynotionofsharingbehavior.Iftheyhavegrownupasstreetsurvivors,
withoutstrongearlymediationforsharing,theymaycometoschoolreadytodo
battletothedeath(135).

Or

Insomeurbanclassrooms,childrenarrivewithoutanynotionofsharing
behavior.Iftheyhavegrownupasstreetsurvivors,withoutstrongearly
mediationforsharing,theymaycometoschoolreadytodobattletothedeath
(RodriguezandBellanca135).

IncludeonyourWorksCitedpage:

Rodriguez,EleanorRenee,andJamesBellanca.WhatIsItAboutMeYouCant
Teach?:AnInstructionalGuidefortheUrbanEducator.2nd ed.ThousandOaks,CA:
Corwin,2007.

Paraphrasing:
Definition:Puttinganauthorsideasinyourownwords
Waystoavoidplagiarism:
Useasignaloridentifyingphrasethattellswhoandwhatyouareparaphrasing
Usethesameideasasintheoriginaltext
Useyourownwordswhenphrasing.Inmostcases,avoidusinganyofthesame
wordingthattheauthorusedunlessyouputakeyterminquotationmarks.
Addanintext(parenthetical)referenceattheendoftheparaphrase.
Includeacitationattheendofyourpaper(WorksCited).

MLAExample:
Originalpassage:

AnnieOakley'slifespannedyearsoftremendouschangeforAmericanwomen.Bythe
timeofherdeathin1926,Americanswerecelebratingtheliberated,urbanfocused,
moderntimesoftheJazzAge.Womenhadwontherighttovote,worelessrestrictive
clothes,andfollowedachangingidealthatwaslooseningsomeoftherestrictionson
women'srolesandbehaviorthathadreignedthroughthenineteenthcentury.
Incorrectparaphrasing:

AnnieOakleyslifespannedyearsofsignificantchangesforAmericanwomen.Bythe
timeshediedin1926,womenhadthevote,worelooserclothing,andembracedthe
freedomfromrestrictive19th centuryrolesandbehaviors.

(Soundstoomuchliketheoriginalpassage.Alsothesentencestructureistoosimilarto
theoriginaltext.)

Correctparaphrasing:

AsdiscussedinthebiographyonPBSsAmericanExperiencewebpage,sharpshooter
AnnieOakleylivedthroughaperiodofmanyliberatingchangesforwomen,fromthe
Victorianerathroughthefirstquarterofthe20thcentury.Examplesincludevotingrights
forwomenaswellasthefreedomtowearcomfortableandpracticalclothing(Annie
Oakley).

IncludeonyourWorksCitedpage:

AnnieOakley:InaMansWorld.AmericanExperience.2006.PBSOnline.19May
2008.<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/oakley/sfeature/sf_excerpts.html>.

Summarizing:
Definition:Condensinganauthorsideastoamoresuccinctstatement
Waystoavoidplagiarism:
Useasignaloridentifyingphrasethattellswhoandwhatyouaresummarizing.
Useaquickdescriptionofthemainpointsofthepassage.
Useyourownwordsandphrasing.Inmostcases,avoidusinganyofthesame
wording.
Addanintext(parenthetical)referenceattheendofthesummary.
Includeacitationattheendofyourpaper(WorksCited).

MLAExample:
Originalpassage:

By1964,therewereanestimated33,500restaurantsintheUnitedStatescalling
themselvesdriveins,butonly24,500offeredhotfood,theremainderbeingicecream
andsoftdrinkstandsprimarily.Layoutvariedfromdriveintodrivein,butthreeprincipal
spacescouldalwaysbefound:acanopycovereddrivewayadjacenttothebuilding,a
kitchen,andacarhopstationlinkingkitchenandparkinglot.Thesmallestdriveins
offeredcarhopserviceonly,butmanyalsofeaturedindoorlunchcountersandbooths,
sometimesonthescaleofthecoffeeshop.

Summary:

InthechapterQuickServiceRestaurantsintheAgeofAutomobileConvenience,The
authorsnotethatbythemid1960s,nearly35,000selfproclaimeddriveinrestaurants
intheUnitedStatesexisted.Mostservedhotmealswhileothersservedjusticecream
andsoftdrinks.Nospecificblueprintdefinedthetypicaldriveinhowever,three
characteristicsdescribethisnewtypeofcasualeatingestablishment:acovered
driveway,akitchen,andacarhopstation(JackleandSculle55).

IncludeonyourWorksCitedpage:

Jackle,JohnA.,andKeithA.Sculle.FastFood:RoadsideRestaurantsinthe
AutomobileAge.Baltimore:JohnsHopkinsUP,1999.

Commonknowledge:
Definition:Afactthatissowellknownthatitcanbefoundinnumeroussourcesand
thereforedoesnotneedtobecited.

Examplesofcommonknowledge:

ThestatebirdofCaliforniaistheCaliforniaQuail.

TheDodohasbeenextinctsincethemidtolate17thcentury.

TheredtailedhawklivesintheLivermorearea.

Examplesofdetailedinformationthatneedstobecited:

Adultquailbegintomolttheirplumageinmidsummer,whilethechicksarebeing
reared(Leopold105).

TheprimarycausesoftheDodosextinctionwerethedestructionoftheforest
(whichcutofftheDodo'sfoodsupply),andtheanimalsthatthesailorsbroughtwith
them,includingcats,rats,andpigs,whichdestroyedDodonests(Dodo).

MostoftheRedtailedHawkmigrationinthewesternUnitedStatesoccursfrom
earlyOctobertoearlyNovember(Liguori42).

IncludeonyourWorksCitedpage:

Dodo.AmericanMuseumofNaturalHistory.19May2008.
<http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/expeditions/treasure_fossil/Treasures/Dodo/
dodo.html?dinos>.

Leopold,A.Starker.TheCaliforniaQuail.Berkeley,CA:UCPress,1977,105.

Liguori,Jerry.HawksfromEveryAngle.Princeton,NJ:PrincetonUP,2005,42.

MoreHelpwithCitations:
LPCCitationStyleGuides
Otherexamplesofparentheticaldocumentation