Guidelines for Quoting, Paraphrasing and Summarizing

When you’re writing a paper you’ll be synthesizing information from a variety of sources. Sometimes you will directly quote it, sometimes you will summarize it and sometimes you’ll paraphrase it.

In all of these situations, you should cite your sources!

• When you quote a source, you use the author’s words exactly, and indicate that with quotation marks.
• When you paraphrase a source, you put it into your own words. This does not mean changing a few words by inserting synonyms, it means integrating the meaning of the original passage into your writing.
• When you summarize a source, you significantly condense the ideas in the original source — without adding your own interpretation or analysis.

For more information about Quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing contact your PCC Writing Center or try these online resources:

Purdue Writing Lab: Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing Resource

UCLA: Quoting, Paraphrasing and Summarizing in a Nutshell