ACADEMIC LANGUAGE AND LEARNING SUCCESS PROGRAM
Paraphrase, quote and summarise
Aim
The aim of today's workshop is to develop your skills in paraphrasing, quoting and summarising
in writing for academic purposes. You’ll learn that in each of these situations, referencing is
required. It is useful to understand the differences between these three processes. There are
specific conventions you must use when drawing from the writing of a published author in order
to support your own points. You need these skills because you will use them every time you
write an assignment. If you use these skills effectively, you will improve your assignment marks.
Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing means expressing an author's ideas in your own words. It is crucial that you keep
the original meaning. When writing essays, you will paraphrase what you read and reference it
by citing where you got the idea from. In short, a paraphrase must:
i. have the same meaning;
ii. be in your own words; and
iii. be referenced.
In order not to copy from the original text, follow these six steps:
1. Skim through the text to get a general idea of the meaning.
2. Read again for understanding only, i.e. read and think. You may have to read
more than once in order to understand. Stop reading before there is too much
information to understand. (It might be a chapter if the text is easy to understand, or
just a paragraph or a sentence if it is difficult to understand).
3. Skim through that section again, and this time make notes of the main points.
4. Close the book (or cover the article). Why do we do that?
5. Using only your notes and your understanding, rewrite it in your own words.
Have faith in your understanding.
6. Note where you read it for referencing later.
If you follow the steps above, then compare your paraphrase to the original text, you’ll probably
find the following:


The structure of the sentences is changed.
You will have used synonyms, i.e. chosen words that are more familiar to you. (Key
words that are specialised subject vocabulary do not need to be changed.)
‘Says’ is useful when you’re quoting researchers or critics. There are many
alternatives here: consider using ‘claims’, ‘suggests’, ‘implies’, ‘posits’, ‘states’,
‘argues’, ‘counters’, ‘indicates’, ‘demonstrates’ or ‘reveals’. Many of these can be
used as nouns (e.g. ‘Smith’s statement’ or ‘Johnson’s counter-argument’), which
can add variation to your sentences.


You may have retained unique or specialist phrases, and used quotation marks (“ “);
You may have changed the voice (active/passive);
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE AND LEARNING SUCCESS PROGRAM
Email: [email protected]
Ph: Linh Pallos (08) 8946 6557; Marian Davis (08) 8946 7238; Janice White (08) 8946 6322; Marilyn Kell (08) 8946 7598
2011
2
1. Active voice
Most writing guides recommend that you use active voice constructions because
sentences in this voice tend to be clear, precise and direct. However, different
subjects have different preferences. In active voice, the SUBJECT of the sentence
does the action.
Examples
Researchers
collected
data on the behaviour of children.
DOER/SUBJECT ACTION VERB
The study on the children reveals
that food affects behaviour.
DOER/SUBJECT
ACTION VERB
The education observers argue
that food affects behaviour.
DOER/SUBJECT
ACTION VERB
2. Passive voice
If your subject area states a preference for passive voice (e.g. Science), then the
RECEIVER of the action comes first in the sentence, and you may choose to omit
the doer of the action.
Examples
Data on behaviour of children
was collected
by researchers.
OBJECT OF THE RESEARCH PASSIVE VERB DOER AFTER VERB
The effects of food on children's behaviour
were revealed.
OBJECT OF THE STUDY
PASSIVE VERB (DOER OMITTED)
That food affects behaviour
was argued
observers.
OBJECT OF THE STUDY
PASSIVE VERB

by the education
DOER AFTER VERB
You may have changed word forms (such as nouns, adjectives);
Change the following phrases.
Example: a student that is hunting a job a job-hunting student
1. an event that shakes the world ____________________
2. a situation that produces fear ____________________
3. a public that goes to films ____________________
4. a woman who is oriented toward a career ____________________
5. a composition that has 500 words ____________________
6. a training program that is fast paced ____________________
7. an area that is stricken with poverty ____________________
In order to be true to the original author, identify his/her attitude to their subject (that is,
certain, uncertain, critical etc.) and make sure your paraphrase reflects this. E.g. “Johnson
(2001) seemed adamant when he stated that...” or “Johnson (2001) tentatively suggests
that... “.
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE AND LEARNING SUCCESS PROGRAM Email: [email protected]
Ph: Linh Pallos (08) 8946 6557; Marian Davis (08) 8946 7238; Janice White (08) 8946 6322; Marilyn Kell (08) 8946 7598
2011
3
Example of paraphrasing
Original text
Paraphrase
… the climate in most businesses and organisations
does not encourage open expression of feelings. The
necessity
of
hiding
feelings,
Organisational
Development practitioners believe, has a negative
effect not only on group member's willingness and
ability to solve problems constructively, but also on
job satisfaction and performance.
The emotional suppression encouraged by the
workplace negatively affects the employee's
problem solving ability, motivation, enjoyment
and productivity at work (Stoner & Wankel
1986).
From: Stoner, J A F & Wankel, C (1986) Management.
(3rd edn.), New Jersey, Prentice-Hall.
Activity
The two following examples of paraphrasing are not referenced academically because it is a
narrative from a magazine. Is the paraphrasing good or bad? Why?
Original text:
Left partially deaf by a childhood inflammation of the mastoid bones, Thomas Edison throughout
his life embraced the world of silence, revelled in its space, allowed it to empower him; as much
as any man, perhaps, he recognized silence as the territory of inspiration and cultivated its gifts.
Mark Slouka, “Listening for Silence”, Harper's Magazine
Paraphrase 1:
Mark Slouka, in his article “Listening for Silence”, states that Thomas Edison was left
partiallly deaf by a childhood inflammation of the mastoid bones. Because of this,
Slouka says, Edison embraced the world of silence and revelled in its space. Edison
recognized silence as the source of inspiration and cultivated it.
Paraphrase 2:
Mark Slouka, in his article “Listening for Silence”, cites Thomas Edison as an
example of a man enriched by his isolation from sound. A childhood problem had
damaged Edison's hearing; instead of feeling crippled, Edison appreciated the value
of quiet. Silence, Slouka explains, was a necessary source of inspiration for Edison.
Modified from http://novella.mhhe.com/sites/0072491329/student_view0/summary_and_paraphrasing.html#
Activity
Look at the paraphrase below. Is Brian’s statement acceptable or is it plagiarism?
Original
Passage
Still, the telephone was only a convenience, permitting Americans to do more
casually and with less effort what they had already been doing before.
Boorstin, D.J. (1973). The Americans: the democratic experience, New York: Random House.
Brian's
Version
Daniel J. Boorstin argues that the telephone was only a convenience,
permitting Americans to do more casually and with less effort what they had
already been doing before.
http://caspian.switchinc.org/~tutorials/mod6/txt/04par2.html
Summarising
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Ph: Linh Pallos (08) 8946 6557; Marian Davis (08) 8946 7238; Janice White (08) 8946 6322; Marilyn Kell (08) 8946 7598
2011
4
A summary is much shorter than the original source. When you summarise a passage, you first
need to identify the key ideas in the passage just as you do in paraphrasing, and then capture in
your own words just those key ideas relevant to your purpose. You don’t have space for
including details.
Many academic texts begin paragraphs with a topic sentence, which tells you the topic and claim
of that paragraph. Therefore, you can often summarise an academic article by reading just the
topic sentence from each paragraph, then rephrase the whole using your own words. Be sure it
makes a sensible whole.
Your summary must:
i. have the same meaning;
ii. be in your own words;
iii. be referenced; and
iv. be much shorter with only the main points of the text.
Activity
Do you think the summary below is a good one? Why?
Original text
Summary
Statistical analysis of the changes in radiographic
parameters of flat feet at final follow-up demonstrated
that the arch improved in each group but that the
children who wore special shoes or inserts had no
greater improvement than did the control children. We
concluded that the natural history of arch development
from age one to six years is for significant improvement,
but that the amount of improvement is not altered by
wearing a corrective shoe or insert.
Wenger's (1993) findings indicated that
wearing corrective shoes is of no more
benefit than ordinary shoes in improving
flat-footedness in children.
From: Wenger, D. R. (1993) Flatfoot and Children's
Shoes, in D. R. Wenger and M. Rang (eds.), The Art and
Practice of Children's Orthopaedics. New York; Raven
Press.
Activity
Example of summarising a newspaper article
Original text
Summary
“At a typical football match we are likely to see players Unsportsmanlike
behaviour
by
committing deliberate fouls, often behind the referee's footballers may cause hooliganism
back. They might try to take a throw-in or a free kick from among spectators. [9 words]
an incorrect but more advantageous position in defiance
of the clearly stated rules of the game. They sometimes
challenge the rulings of the referee or linesman in an
offensive way which often deserves exemplary
punishment or even sending off. No wonder spectators
fight amongst themselves, damage stadiums, or take the
law into their own hands by invading the pitch in the
hope of affecting the outcome of the match.” [100
words]
Source: http://www.mantex.co.uk/samples/summary.htm
Look at the short summary above. What words do 'unsportsmanlike behaviour' replace? What
words does 'hooliganism' replace?
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE AND LEARNING SUCCESS PROGRAM Email: [email protected]
Ph: Linh Pallos (08) 8946 6557; Marian Davis (08) 8946 7238; Janice White (08) 8946 6322; Marilyn Kell (08) 8946 7598
2011
5
Activity
Is Henry’s statement acceptable or is it plagiarism?
Original
Passage
In order to communicate effectively with other people, one must have a
reasonably accurate idea of what they do and do not know that is pertinent
to the communication. Treating people as though they have knowledge that
they do not have can result in miscommunication and perhaps
embarrassment. On the other hand, a fundamental rule of conversation, at
least according to a Gricean view, is that one generally does not convey to
others information that one can assume they already have.
Nickerson, R.S. (1999, November). How we know- and sometimes misjudge-what others know: imputing one's own
knowledge to others. Psychological Bulletin, 125 (6), 737-761.
Henry's
Version
Nickerson (1999) argues that clear communication hinges upon what an
audience does and does not know. It is crucial to assume the audience has
neither too much nor too little knowledge of the subject, or the
communication may be inhibited by either confusion or offense (p. 737).
http://caspian.switchinc.org/~tutorials/mod6/txt/04par2.html
We've touched briefly on paraphrasing and summarising. As you practice these skills, you will
find they become easier. Now we will consider direct quotations.
Quoting
Direct quotations of the author's words might be included when you want to retain unique or
specialist phrases, such as a seminal definition or statement. They can support your own
paraphrasing or summary, but are best used only occasionally (or not at all if this is specified by
your lecturer). Rather than use long quotes, you might consider using only those directly quoted
words you consider essential. Frequent use of direct quotations is discouraged in academic
writing. Why is that so?
Direct quotations must include the page number (or numbers if the quote extends over two
pages) in the in-text citation.
There are two different formats you must use for direct quotes of the author's words for:
 a quote of less than 3 lines;
 a quote of more than 3 lines.
A direct quote of less than 3 lines should appear within “double quotation marks” with the in-text
citation, (author, date and page number), following in parentheses.
For example:
New media are regarded as “one of the many catalysts in the transition from an era of
homogenization to an era of divergence” (Cope & Kalantziz 2010, p.94), offering multiple ways
for people to represent their diverse selves.
A direct quote equal to or more than 3 lines does not use double quotation marks because it is
formatted:
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Ph: Linh Pallos (08) 8946 6557; Marian Davis (08) 8946 7238; Janice White (08) 8946 6322; Marilyn Kell (08) 8946 7598
2011
6





as a separate 'paragraph' style within the main paragraph (with a line space before and
after the quoted text);
has single spacing;
is usually one font size smaller than the body text; and
is indented both left and right (e.g. 1cm); and
is followed by the citation (author, date, page number/s).
Here's an example:
The idea that books are linear and the Internet is multilateral is based on the
assumption that readers of books necessarily read in a linear way. In fact, the
devices of contents, indexing and referencing were designed precisely for
alternative lateral readings – hypertextual readings, if you like. (Kalantziz &
Cope 2010, p.89)
In this example, the citation is located after the full stop at the end of the quote because
the entire 'paragraph' is taken from a single source. In most cases, we place the citation
within the sentence, particularly when a paragraph contains references to more than one
author. Always check with your lecturer about any specific referencing requirements
they may have apart from the CDU Library Referencing guides available online.
Activity
Is Lindsay’s direct quotation below acceptable or is it plagiarism?
Original
Passage
Observing great white, tiger or bull sharks without protection is very risky
business. These predators grow large enough to view human-sized
creatures as prey. At times, they do attack swimmers or surfers. There is
growing evidence, however, that great whites do not seek humans (or
seabirds or sea otters) as food.
Klimley, A. P. (1996, November). Dances with sharks. Natural History, 105 (11), p. 54-56.
Lindsay's
Version
According to Klimley, observing great white, tiger, or bull sharks without
protection is very risky business. He states that, at times, they do attack
swimmers or surfers. However, there is growing evidence that great whites
do not seek humans (or sea birds or sea otters) as food (p. 55).
http://caspian.switchinc.org/~tutorials/mod6/txt/04par2.html
Review – note key points about each of the following, including format and referencing.
Paraphrase
Summary
Quote
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE AND LEARNING SUCCESS PROGRAM Email: [email protected]
Ph: Linh Pallos (08) 8946 6557; Marian Davis (08) 8946 7238; Janice White (08) 8946 6322; Marilyn Kell (08) 8946 7598
2011
7
Activity
Imagine that a student has been given the following essay title:
Compare and contrast what managers are supposed to do, according to textbook models,
with what they actually do, according to empirical studies of management.
The student decides that it would be a good idea to define the term "management" in her
introduction and chooses the following definition from a business encyclopaedia she consults in
the library.
"Management is a process that is used to accomplish organizational goals; that is, a
process that is used to achieve what an organization wants to achieve. An organization
could be a business, a school, a city, a group of volunteers, or any governmental entity.
Managers are the people to whom this management task is assigned, and it is generally
thought that they achieve the desired goals through the key functions of (1) planning, (2)
organizing, (3) directing, and (4) controlling."
Luft, R.L., 2000. entry on "Management". In MALONIS, J., ed.,"Encyclopedia of
Business", 2nd. ed., Detroit: Gale Group
The student then paraphrases the definition. Choose which of the sentences that follow the
extracts accurately describe the different paraphrases.
Paraphrase
1
In Luft's entry on ‘Management’, in the ‘Encyclopaedia of Business’ (Malonis (Ed.) 2000), he
states that the way a group of people working together achieves its aims is through its
managers. He then divides their responsibilities into four key roles: 'planning', 'organising',
'directing' and 'controlling'.
Paraphrase
2
Luft in his entry on ‘Management’ in the ‘Encyclopaedia of Business’ (Malonis (Ed.) 2000), states
that management is the method that is used to achieve organisational aims; that is, the method
that is used to achieve what an organisation wants to achieve. He makes clear that an
organisation could be a business, a school, a town, a group of people working voluntarily, or any
governing body. Managers are the people who this task is given to, and it is agreed that they
achieve what they want through the key activities of planning, organising, directing and
controlling.
Paraphrase
3
Management can best be defined as the system that is used for any organisation to succeed in
meeting its objectives. This organisation can take many forms and be large or small. The key
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE AND LEARNING SUCCESS PROGRAM Email: [email protected]
Ph: Linh Pallos (08) 8946 6557; Marian Davis (08) 8946 7238; Janice White (08) 8946 6322; Marilyn Kell (08) 8946 7598
2011
8
people in the accomplishment of these objectives are the managers. Their most important roles
in the process are, planning, organising, directing and controlling.
Mark the following five sentences true or false.
1. All the above paraphrases are acceptable because key vocabulary has been changed
2. None of the above paraphrases is acceptable because the last four "key functions" have
not been changed.
3. The second paraphrase is unacceptable because it is too close to the original.
4. The first paraphrase is unacceptable because it is shorter than the original.
5. The third paraphrase is unacceptable because it does not include a citation.
MODIFIED FROM: http://www.llas.ac.uk/materialsbank/mb107/Paraphrasing_and_Synthesising.html
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE AND LEARNING SUCCESS PROGRAM Email: [email protected]
Ph: Linh Pallos (08) 8946 6557; Marian Davis (08) 8946 7238; Janice White (08) 8946 6322; Marilyn Kell (08) 8946 7598
2011
9
ANSWERS
Paraphrasing exercise - is this acceptable practice or plagiarism?
No, this is not acceptable. Brian does acknowledge the source, but he has copied the
original statement almost word-for-word. He also does not supply quotation marks to
indicate the extent of his borrowing.
YES. This is PLAGIARISM. Brian does acknowledge this source, but he has copied the
original statement
almost word-for-word. He also does not supply quotation marks to indicate the extent of
his borrowing.
Quoting exercise - is this acceptable practice or plagiarism?
No, this is PLAGIARISM. Lindsay acknowledges Klimley and references his work, but
she does not include any QUOTATION MARKS and has copied the original statement
almost verbatim.
Yes, this is plagiarism. Lindsay includes a reference to the original work and that is
good. However, she has failed to supply QUOTATION MARKS around the content taken
from the original work. Someone reading this would think it is her words, but really she
has taken most of it exactly from the original passage.
Summarising exercise - is this acceptable practice or plagiarism?
Yes. This summary is acceptable. Henry has successfully paraphrased the original work
while also compressing them into two sentences. He does not try to rephrase the
original passage by just using different wording.
Sentences 3 and 5 are true, but sentences 1, 2 and 4 are false.
Although key vocabulary has been changed in all of the paraphrases, the second paraphrase is
too similar to the original. This is the case in terms of vocabulary, sentence structure and the
order of information.
It is not necessary to change the four last "key functions" in the paraphrases, as to do so would
risk changing the original content of the source.
Although the first paraphrase is shorter, the essential information has been included, so this is
not problematic.
Even though the third paraphrase is otherwise a good example of paraphrase, it is still very
important to reference your original source so as to avoid accusations of plagiarism.
ALLSP offers APA and Harvard referencing style workshops. Visit www.lba/all/allsp to
see our schedule and register online.
Interactive practice sites
Further test your knowledge of paraphrasing and summarising at the site below:
http://caspian.switchinc.org/~tutorials/mod6/quiz/index.html
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE AND LEARNING SUCCESS PROGRAM Email: [email protected]
Ph: Linh Pallos (08) 8946 6557; Marian Davis (08) 8946 7238; Janice White (08) 8946 6322; Marilyn Kell (08) 8946 7598
2011