Paraphrasing Summarizing and Direct Quoting For MLA Style

Paraphrasing, Summarizing, and Direct Quoting For MLA Style Compiled from the Purdue OWL Created April 2012 S

Paraphrasing S Involves putting a passage from source material into your own words S Does not require quotation marks S Usually shorter than the original passage, taking a somewhat broader segment of the source and condensing it slightly S Must be attributed to the original source

Summarization S Involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including only the main point(s) S Significantly shorter than the original and takes a broad overview of the source material S Does not require quotation marks S Must also be attributed to the original source

Direct Quotation S Must be identical to the original, word for word, using a small selection of the source S Requires quotation marks S Must also be attributed to the original source

Quotations, paraphrases, and summaries serve many purposes . S You might use them to. . . S Provide support for claims or add credibility to your writing S Refer to work that leads up to the work you are now doing S Give examples of several points of view on a subject S Call attention to a position that you wish to agree or disagree with S Highlight a particularly striking phrase, sentence, or passage by quoting the original S Distance yourself from the original by quoting it in order to cue readers that the words are not your own S Expand the breadth or depth of your writing

Quotations and MLA Style S MLA requires in-text citations when paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting directly. S The basic format for an MLA in-text citation is as follows: of Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a "spontaneous overflow powerful feelings" (263). Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263). Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263). S Notice how all three somehow have the author’s name and the page number.