paraphrasing and summarizing quizlet

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Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing

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This handout is intended to help you become more comfortable with the uses of and distinctions among quotations, paraphrases, and summaries. This handout compares and contrasts the three terms, gives some pointers, and includes a short excerpt that you can use to practice these skills.

What are the differences among quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing?

These three ways of incorporating other writers' work into your own writing differ according to the closeness of your writing to the source writing.

Quotations must be identical to the original, using a narrow segment of the source. They must match the source document word for word and must be attributed to the original author.

Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from source material into your own words. A paraphrase must also be attributed to the original source. Paraphrased material is usually shorter than the original passage, taking a somewhat broader segment of the source and condensing it slightly.

Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including only the main point(s). Once again, it is necessary to attribute summarized ideas to the original source. Summaries are significantly shorter than the original and take a broad overview of the source material.

Why use quotations, paraphrases, and summaries?

Quotations, paraphrases, and summaries serve many purposes. You might use them to:

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

Writers frequently intertwine summaries, paraphrases, and quotations. As part of a summary of an article, a chapter, or a book, a writer might include paraphrases of various key points blended with quotations of striking or suggestive phrases as in the following example:

In his famous and influential work The Interpretation of Dreams , Sigmund Freud argues that dreams are the "royal road to the unconscious" (page #), expressing in coded imagery the dreamer's unfulfilled wishes through a process known as the "dream-work" (page #). According to Freud, actual but unacceptable desires are censored internally and subjected to coding through layers of condensation and displacement before emerging in a kind of rebus puzzle in the dream itself (page #).

How to use quotations, paraphrases, and summaries

Practice summarizing the essay found here , using paraphrases and quotations as you go. It might be helpful to follow these steps:

• Read the entire text, noting the key points and main ideas.
• Summarize in your own words what the single main idea of the essay is.
• Paraphrase important supporting points that come up in the essay.
• Consider any words, phrases, or brief passages that you believe should be quoted directly.

There are several ways to integrate quotations into your text. Often, a short quotation works well when integrated into a sentence. Longer quotations can stand alone. Remember that quoting should be done only sparingly; be sure that you have a good reason to include a direct quotation when you decide to do so. You'll find guidelines for citing sources and punctuating citations at our documentation guide pages.

Paraphrasing vs. Summarizing: What Is the Difference?

Published October 22, 2020. Updated May 19, 2022.

Paraphrasing vs. Summarizing Definition

Paraphrasing is the act of transforming text or speech into your own words. Summarizing is all about recording the main idea of a text or speech.

Overview of Paraphrasing vs. Summarizing

Paraphrasing and summarizing are similar tools for changing text or speech, but there are a few key differences between the two.

Summarized text is much shorter. The beauty of summarization is skimming over the less important bits and just writing the main points. By contrast, a paraphrased text can be shorter, longer, or about the same length as the original. A paraphrased text makes all the same points as the original text, only in a unique way. Summarized text may skip over multiple less essential points or entire sections of a text. Paraphrasing is the better choice when every idea in a text is important. Summarizing is better when the main idea of a text is sufficient.

In this article, you’ll learn:

• The difference between paraphrasing and summarizing
• Why and how to use paraphrasing and summarizing
• Examples of paraphrasing and summarizing
• How to paraphrase and summarize while avoiding plagiarism

What Is Paraphrasing?

Paraphrasing is the act of transforming text or speech into your own words. You might read or listen to the text, and line by line, digest the ideas and re-express them in your own words.

When you paraphrase, you can make ideas simpler, clearer, more relevant to your audience, or more impactful. In the end, your paraphrased text can be shorter, longer, or around the same length as the original with the same meaning but entirely different wording.

Paraphrasing allows you to avoid quoting large chunks of text or speech (risking plagiarism) while communicating the most important points of your original source.

There are a few different situations in which you may want to paraphrase:

• When another writer’s or speaker’s work must be used
• When an individual’s ideas have greater resonance than the writing itself (i.e., an academic paper vs. a poem)
• When you feel an individual’s writing or speech needs to be simplified for accessibility, space, and so on.

Is Paraphrasing Plagiarism?

The essence of paraphrasing is to take another’s idea and use it for your own purposes, so naturally, the question of plagiarism must be raised. Luckily, paraphrasing is not plagiarizing so long as it is entirely original text and you cite the source of your paraphrase.

Even though your words are your words, paraphrasing involves borrowing another’s ideas, which is why citing the source of your paraphrase is essential.

Find tips below for paraphrasing properly and avoiding plagiarism.

How to Paraphrase Properly

Here are steps to follow to paraphrase properly:

• Read through the text once or twice before paraphrasing, noting ideas and key phrases to include.
• Brainstorm ways to rephrase key ideas and phrases from the original source. You can use a thesaurus to find synonyms for important words.
• Going by your memory, express the original source in your own words.
• Check and double-check your work to ensure it is 100% original.

Examples of Paraphrasing

In Life on the Mississippi , Mark Twain occasionally uses meandering language that could be paraphrased for brevity or understandability. Read the below passage from Life on the Mississippi , and think about how you’d paraphrase it:

The Mississippi is well worth reading about. It is not a commonplace river, but on the contrary is in all ways remarkable. Considering the Missouri its main branch, it is the longest river in the world—­four thousand three hundred miles. It seems safe to say that it is also the crookedest river in the world, since in one part of its journey it uses up one thousand three hundred miles to cover the same ground that the crow would fly over in six hundred and seventy-five. It discharges three times as much water as the St. Lawrence, twenty-five times as much as the Rhine, and three hundred and thirty-eight times as much as the Thames.

Here is a paraphrased version of the text:

The Mississippi River is very interesting and worthwhile to learn about. It’s quite unique, being the longest river on Earth at four thousand and three hundred miles. It’s also very crooked, taking one thousand and three miles in one spot to travel what could have been six hundred and seventy-five miles if it flowed in a straight line. It’s also uniquely waterlogged, with triple as much water as the St. Lawrence River, twenty-five times as much as the Rhine River, and three hundred and thirty-eight times as much as the Thames River.

Here is a text that you might want to paraphrase to make it more understandable. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius was written in the first century AD, so a modern audience might appreciate a modernized version of the text.

Of my grandfather Verus I have learned to be gentle and meek, and to refrain from all anger and passion. From the fame and memory of him that begot me I have learned both shamefastness and manlike behaviour. Of my mother I have learned to be religious, and bountiful; and to forbear, not only to do, but to intend any evil; to content myself with a spare diet, and to fly all such excess as is incidental to great wealth.

Here’s a paraphrased version of the text:

My grandfather, Verus, taught me to be humble, avoiding giving in to my temper or other temptations. His legacy and my memory of him taught me modesty and how to be a good man. My mother taught me piety and never to cause evil, whether I intended to or not, as well as never to overindulge myself with food or other pleasures that come with being wealthy.

What Is Summarizing?

Summarizing is all about recording the main idea of a text or speech. Rather than going line by line, focus on expressing, in your own words, the most important concept(s) of your source material. (Think back to the example of telling a story to your friends. Just hit the highlights!)

The fact that you don’t go line-by-line, carefully “translating” the text into your own words makes summarizing an easier task. The downside is that your summary won’t be as comprehensive or useful as a paraphrased text might be. A summary is also much shorter than the original.

There are a few different situations in which you may want to summarize:

• When only the main ideas of a text need to be used
• When only an overview of a work is sufficient
• When a work needs to be simplified for brevity or readability

Is Summarizing Plagiarism?

Another perk of summarizing is that it’s much easier to avoid plagiarism than it is when paraphrasing. By putting large-scale ideas into your own words rather than specific lines and points, you run a much smaller risk of wrongfully copying another’s work.

Find tips below for summarizing properly and avoiding plagiarism.

How to Summarize Properly

Here are steps to summarize properly:

• Read through the text once before summarizing, noting ideas and key phrases to include in your summary.
• Brainstorm ways to condense the key ideas in the original source.

Examples of Summarizing

When reading literature, it can be helpful to understand the basic idea of a text by summarizing it. Check out the opening two paragraphs of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice , and ask yourself how you would summarize it:

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.

However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters.

Here’s a possible summary that’s short, sweet, and to the point:

The narrator opens with a proclamation that every rich man must want to get married. It’s such a well-known fact that everyone automatically assumes it, including the family this novel is about.

Here’s another example of a different kind of text you may want to summarize. The below excerpt from Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech “I Have a Dream” is packed full of great rhetorical devices, and summarizing might help to grasp the core of his meaning.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

Here’s a possible summary of this excerpt:

King emphasizes the idea that the events of 1963 are a historical moment of change, and things will not go back to normal until African-Americans are granted the rights they deserve.

What Is the Difference Between Summarizing and Paraphrasing?

While paraphrasing and summarizing are similar tools for changing text or speech to suit your needs, there are a few key differences between the two.

• Summarized text is much shorter. The beauty of summarization is the ability to skim over the less important bits and just hit the highlights! By contrast, a paraphrased text can be shorter, longer, or about the same length as the original.
• On the same note, paraphrased text makes all the same points as the original text, only in a unique way. Summarized text may skip over multiple less essential points or entire sections of a text.
• Paraphrasing is the better choice when every idea in a text is important. Summarizing is the better choice when the main idea of a text is sufficient.

Key Takeaways

• Paraphrasing is the act of transforming text or speech into your own words.
• Summarizing is all about recording the main idea of a text or speech.
• The difference between summarizing and paraphrasing is that summarized text is shorter. Paraphrased text keeps all the points of the original text, whereas summaries do not.

Works Cited

Aurelius, Marcus. Meditations. Penguin Books, 2014.

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice . Oxford University Press, 2008.

Martin Luther King I Have a Dream Speech – American Rhetoric , 20 Aug. 2020, www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm.

Twain, Mark. Life on the Mississippi. Goldmann, 1988.

More on plagiarism:  What is Plagiarism?  | Types of Plagiarism | Avoiding Plagiarism   | Consequences of Plagiarism | How to Paraphrase | Paraphrasing Tools | Plagiarism Checker

Published October 22, 2020

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Summarizing & Paraphrasing

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What is paraphrasing?

rephrasing and original statement

summarizing and shortening

taking someone else's words

a type of summarization

Why may a paraphrase be used?

to give a broad overview of an article or text

to better fit the author's original ideas into an essay

to significantly shorten a quote

to summarize

When can paraphrasing be used?

in adocumentary

on a news report

in a formal essay

all of the above

Which of the following statements best describes how to paraphrase information?

Copy the sentence and then put it in quotations.

Copy the sentence, put it in quotations, and cite the source.

Determine key words in the sentence and replace one or two of them with words that have similar meanings.

Determine key words in the sentence and replace most of them with words that have similar meanings. Rewrite the sentence in your own words, and add a citation at the end.

What is the difference between paraphrasing and summarizing?

summarizing shortens, whereas paraphrasing only rephrases

summarizing rephrases, whereas paraphrasing shortens

paraphrasing always lengthens whereas summarizing only sometimes lengthens

paraphrasing and summarizing are the same thing

Which of the following is the best paraphrase of this statement?: We were able to save the day thanks to teamwork and innovative thinking.

We saved the day with teamwork and creative thinking.

Because we worked together and used innovation, we made it work.

Thanks to innovative thinking and teamwork, we were able to make it work.

We were able to save the day together.

Which of the following is NOT something you have to change when paraphrasing?

sentence structure

order of ideas

How are paraphrasing and summarizing different from one another?

A paraphrase does not have to change sentence structure and order of ideas while a summary does.

A paraphrase does not need to be cited while a summary does.

Both are reworded; however, a paraphrase is a condensed version of the original, while summarizing maintains the source's length

Both are reworded; however, a summary is a condensed version of the original, while paraphrasing maintains the source's ideas

Do not quote more than ___% of your paper.

Choose the best paraphrased version of this sentence:

A high school student usually has summer reading assignments.

A high school student always has homework assignments in the summer.

It is common for students in high school to have summer reading assignments.

Usually school aged students have summer reading assignments.

Most summer school students have high school reading to do.

Dragonflies have six legs, but they can't walk.

Dragonflies have six legs but cannot walk, and I think that this is odd.

Dragonflies have six legs.

Even though they have six legs, dragonflies can’t walk.

Although dragonflies have six legs, they fly.

Choose the best paraphrased version of this question:

Are schools going to frisk a kindergartner or search the backpack of a second grader to see if they’re hiding candy with peanuts inside?

Schools will get X-Ray machines to check for peanuts.

Schools are only going to check backpacks for peanuts.

Schools are only going to check kindergarten students.

It is unlikely that schools will make all students get searched for peanuts.

Banning peanut products would be unenforceable.

Police would check people for peanuts.

It would not be possible to completely stop people from bringing peanuts.

Police and people would not be able to eat peanuts.

It would be instantly possible to check for peanuts.

Which of the following statements best describes how to summarize information?

Determine the main ideas of the source and then put them into your own words.

Which of the following statements about summarizing is true?

A summary is a thought that is true but is not in the passage.

A summary is specific, detailed information contained in the passage.

A summary is always found in the last sentence of the passage.

A summary is an overview of what the passage is about.

When some people think about Texas, they think of cowboys on the open range-herding cattle up a dusty trail. However, Texas has much more than open prairie with large herds of cows. There are the mountains of West Texas, the piney hills of east Texas, and the emerald waters off the coast of Padre Island. Texas also has large coastal harbors with numerous sailboats, powerboats, inland lakes, rivers, swamps of southeast Texas with alligators and other exotic wildlife.

Which of the following summarizes the passage above?

There are a lot of cows in Texas.

There are many different, varied parts of Texas.

There are alligators in the swampland of southeast Texas.

Texas is one of the biggest states in the United States.

Is the passage below an accurate paraphrase that helps clarify the meaning of the original text? Select Yes or No.

Original Text: Toward the end of the 1800s, the Industrial Revolution caused a change in many people's employment. When agricultural work in rural areas became harder to find, many left to seek industrial work in urban areas.

Paraphrase: The Industrial Revolution in the late 1800s changed what jobs were available. People left farms in the country to work in factories in the cities.

Is this passage an accurate paraphrase that helps clarify the meaning of the original text?

Original Text: During the Industrial Revolution, working-class families took for granted that their children would need to be employed to help support the family.

Paraphrase: At the time of the Industrial Revolution, some children wanted to work in factories.

Article title: “Plumber Caught Dancing On The Job Has All The Fly Moves”

Original : “The video of Topen’s dancing has racked up more than 400,000 views since it was posted on YouTube last week, and the plumber says he’s already been approached in public for his autograph.”

Which is the best paraphrase to use in a paper?

The video has racked up more than 400,000 views since posted on YouTube last week, and the plumber has even been approached for his autograph.

Even though the YouTube video of the dancing plumber was only posted last week, it has already had more than 400,000 views. Topen has become an almost instant celebrity as strangers have even asked him for autographs (“Plumber Caught Dancing On The Job Has All The Fly Moves”).

The dancing plumber whose video went viral after it was posted on YouTube has already been asked for autographs.

A plumber has been asked for this autograph after the video was posted online ("Plumber Caught Dancing On The Job Has All The Fly Moves").

Article: "Cellphones and Tablets Keep Kids Awake"

Original: According to the study, 72% of all children and 89% of adolescents have at least one device in their sleep environment.

Which is the best example of a summary for this passage?

One study found that the majority of children have one or more devices with them at all times ("Cellphones and Tablets Keep Kids Awake").

More than half of children sleep with devices in their room.

The study concluded that a minimum of one device is present in most young people’s sleeping environments.

The study claims that 72 percent of children have at least one device in their sleep environment, and so do 89 percent of adolescents.

Which is the best example of a paraphrase for this passage?

The study concluded that a minimum of one device is present in most young people’s sleeping environments ("Cellphones and Tablets Keep Kids Awake").

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• / What is the difference between quotation, paraphrase, and summary?

Writing in college often means using ideas from other sources. There are times when it may be best to quote the sources directly, while other times may be better served by paraphrasing or summary. In order to decide which technique to use, it is helpful to think about how you are using the information in your paper.

Definitions

• Quotation reproduces a statement word-for-word as it appears in its original source
• Paraphrase explains a statement by using your own words and sentence structure
• Summary explains a statement using your words, but typically condenses a larger statement into a shorter explanation

How to decide which approach to use

Direct quotations can be useful when the exact wording of a statement is important. The exact wording of a quotation may be significant to your claim. In example 1 below, the contrast between adjectives are important to the claim. Also, direct quotation may be important when you want to make sure you are being precise in representing the author’s position. Finally, you might choose to use a direct quotation when the original statement is particularly well written or structurally persuasive. If a statement uses elements such as parallelism or alliteration, you might not be able to recreate that same effect. An important element of the quotation in example 1 is the parallel structure between "lowest and vilest alleys" and "smiling and beautiful countryside."

When Sherlock tells Watson "the lowest and vilest alleys in London do not present a more dreadful record of sin than does the smiling and beautiful countryside,” he intensifies suspense by equating innocence with evil ("The Adventure of the Copper Beeches" 502).

Paraphrasing is usually expected in research and argumentative essays. These type of papers benefit from paraphrasing because it shows that you understand the source and are therefore a reliable voice on that source. Paraphrasing can make the evidence more straightforward. Another reason to paraphrase is to adjust your tone for your audience. If the assignment asks you to write a presentation for your classmates, you do not want to quote scientific jargon. Your source is only persuasive and supportive if your readers understand it. The paraphrase of the quotation below is shorter, and more direct.

Original quotation:  “In the case of Facebook, it has changed its format multiple times, and merged other literacy practices – email, instant messaging, games – into its structure in an attempt to keep users on the site” (Keller 2014, 74).

Paraphrase: Facebook has tried to hold on to its users by incorporating new functions like games and email (Keller 2014).

Summaries can also be used in reviews, research papers, and argumentative essays. They have a similar purpose as paraphrasing, but they condense a large work (i.e. an entire chapter, article, or book) into a shorter text such as a paragraph or a short essay. Summaries allow you to focus your description on  the parts that are relevant to your discussion. Example 3 briefly summarizes Anne of Green Gables, focusing on Anne as a strong female character and could lead into a discussion of how the series teaches girls self-respect while also cherishing romance.

Anne of Green Gables is a book series that follows the life of an unruly red-headed orphan as she grows from an romantic adolescent into an independent young woman.

What can the Writing Center do to help?

Writing Center consultants can help you if you aren't sure what style of source integration works best for an assignment. Some essays require a mix of methods. Consultants can help you determine if your writing needs a better balance of integration methods. If you are less familiar with one of the three uses of sources, the Writing Center can give you additional pointers.

See our section on how to incorporate sources for more on punctuating and introducing quotations. Also see our section on avoiding plagiarism to learn how to paraphrase and summarize.

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