Summarizing and Paraphrasing
Summarizing and Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing
TWO SIDES OF THE
SAME COIN
Learning outcomes
At the end of this lesson, you should be
able to :
Summary:
Summary example 2
Source:
People whose professional activity lies in the
field of politics are not, on the whole,
conspicuous for their respect for factual
accuracy.
Summary :
Summary example 3
Source:
Failure to assimilate an adequate quantity of
food over an extended period of time is
absolutely certain to lead, in due course, to a
fatal conclusion.
Summary:.
Summary example 4
Source:
The climatic conditions prevailing in the British
Isles show a pattern of alternating and
unpredictable periods of dry and wet weather,
accompanied by a similarly irregular cycle of
temperature change
Summary:.
Language use
Write in the present tense and omit personal
pronouns e.g. I and me
Use verbs to indicate summarized information
e.g. suggests, states, writes, argues, etc.
Use transitional words for a smooth, logical
flow of ideas.
Paraphrase using your own vocabulary and
sentence structure. Make the tone and style
your own.
If quotations are used, remember quotation
marks
Getting started
Read until you understand the text and feel
you can explain in your own words
Recall the information using the 6 question
words: Who? What? Where? When? Why?
How?
Remember to cite the writer of the text e.g.
Hanlon ( 1984) states or
According to Hanlon (1984)
Summarize the short article on saving books
Stress Anxiety
Original Paraphrased
Original Paraphrased
Original Paraphrased
In the US, the PSE device is
used for pre-employment The PSE device is used in
interviews, with questions such America to ask
as Have you ever used prospective employees if
marijuana? and for monthly they have ever taken
checks with branch managers,
narcotics and to question
asking questions like, Do you
suspect any present employees financial managers about
of cheating the company? possible fraud in the
which at least prevents a company. This is a
manager from setting his own prevention against branch
pace to investigate possible
managers conducting
suspicious behavior.
their own investigations.
Technique 5 : simplifying abstract ideas
Original Paraphrased
A plagiarized version:
Students often use too many direct
quotations when they take notes,
Original text: Students resulting in too many of them in the
frequently overuse direct final research paper. In fact, probably
quotation in taking notes, and only about 10% of the final copy
as a result they overuse should consist of directly quoted
quotations in the final material. So it is important to limit
[research] paper. Probably only the amount of source material copied
about 10% of your final while taking notes.
manuscript should appear as
directly quoted matter. An acceptable summary:
Therefore, you should strive to When
limit the amount of exact writing the final
transcribing of source research paper, students
materials while taking notes are advised to limit direct
(Lester, 1976).
quotations taken from
sources (Lester, 1976).
A good paraphrase
1. Reread the original passage you wish to paraphrase, looking up any words you do not recognize, until you
think you understand the full meaning of and intention behind the author's words.
2. Next, cover or hide the passage. Once the passage is hidden from view, write out the author's idea, in your
own words, as if you were explaining it to your instructor or classmates.
3. After you have finished writing, check your account of the author's idea against the original. While
comparing the two, ask yourself the following questions:
Have I accurately addressed the author's ideas in a new way that is unique to my writing style and scholarly
voice?
Have I tried to replicate the author's idea or have I simply changed words around in his/her original
sentence(s)?
4. Next, look for any borrowed terms or particular phrases you have taken from the original passage. Enclose
these terms and phrases in quotation marks to indicate to your readers that these words were taken directly
from the original text.
5. Last, include a citation, which should contain the author's name, the year, and the page or paragraph
number (if available), directly following your paraphrase.
OriginalSentence: "It turns out to be very difficult, for instance, to unlearn or ignore bad
information--even when we know it is wrong or should be ignored." --Joseph T. Hallinan, Why We
Make Mistakes Get Why We Make Mistakes from Amazon.com
Paraphrase: Even when we are told that some information is wrong and should be disregarded, we
still find it hard to forget it or avoid it. --adapted from Joseph T. Hallinan, Why We Make Mistakes
Paraphrase: When leaders regularly share information, give decision-making authority, and allow
autonomy, they empower their employees. --adapted from Paul Marciano, Carrots and Sticks Don't
Work
OriginalSentence: "Learning occurs best when new information is incorporated gradually into to
the memory store rather that when it is jammed in all at once. --John Medina, Brain Rules
Get Brain Rules from Amazon.com
Paraphrase: The best way to learn something it is to study it a little at a time instead of trying to
memorize it all at the same time. --adapted from John Medina, Brain Rules