XI. The Art of Incorporating Quotes and Paraphrasing

Now that you have completed your research you're ready to integrate it into your paper. In doing so, you must first form an outline in order to see which information you will use and where you will use it in your paper. For information about formatting outlines and order see the Outline section. This section specifically discusses methods of incorporating research information into your essay.

You can place a quote or paraphrase in the beginning, body, or end of a paragraph. It all depends on why you feel the information fits where it does, just like any other information you include in other essays you have written.

When you introduce a direct quote or a paraphrase, you may actually tell the reader a little about the source to lend some credibility to the information you include.

According to David Hanes, a noted adolescent psychologist, "Teens eat more when they feel less about themselves" (72).

Experts like David Hanes agree that many teens eat in order to cover up their lack or self confidence (72).

It is not always necessary (or possible) to know about a specific source's background. In fact, sometimes you will only have an article's title.

In fact, last year (2001), "25% of Americans admitted to eating more when they were depressed about how they felt about themselves" ("Disorders").

Research has indicated that many Americans eat more fudge and peanut butter when they have a lower estimation of themselves ("Depression Aids Confectionery Stocks").

Make sure that when you include a quote or paraphrase, you clearly illustrate how the information relates to the section you are in which you are using the information. Don't expect the reader to always make the connection. In other words, tell the reader where you're coming from. Of course, some information may do this naturally. If so, lucky you.

You may also incorporate information in other areas of a sentence.

It has been proven that our tendency to inflate grades is not only a Long Island phenomena, but, "Nationally, the tide has turned, the days of actually earning a high grade seem to have declined" (Peterson).

Note: Peterson was obviously from an electronic source which did not provide page numbers.

When you paraphrase, simply place the parenthetical information at the end of the sentence after you have finished using the source's information.

One last note: don't forget that anytime you paraphrase, you must document the source after you have finished discussing the source's information. Just because it's in your words, doesn't make the idea yours. In fact, this is often one of the leading causes as to why papers fail due to plagiarism.

For more information on quoting and paraphrasing, go to the Parenthetical References section of OGRE.
 
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