Paraphrasing, Summarizing, and Quoting

• Paraphrasing means conveying the material in your own words. It serves two purposes: it prevents you from plagiarizing, and it requires you to digest the material and rewrite it.
• Summarizing requires you to create a short, cohesive paragraph or paragraphs that are faithful to the structure and meaning of the original essay, but developed in your own words and containing only the essential elements of the original.
• Quoting is used when the author's exact words are needed. Use quotations when the author's words capture the essence of an idea accurately and briefly or in a stylistically powerful way.
• Avoiding Plagiarism -- follow this link to understand issues surrounding plagiarism.

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