Integrating Outside Material1104

1. INTEGRATING OUTSIDE
MATERIAL--
PRACTICING CONVENTIONS OF ACADEMIC
WRITING
Portions of this presentation are adapted from:
•The Writing Resources Center: http://wrc.uncc.edu/
•They Say/I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing, 1st ed., pp. 39-47, by
Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein.
•DePaul University School for New Learning: Teaching Resources

2. INTERNAL CITATIONS
IN DIGITAL WRITING

3. IN-TEXT
CITATIONS
Signal phrases (aka author signals) and hyperlinks
with replace in-text citations in your online work.
They:
• make distinctions between writer & source clear for the
audience
• should also be used to introduce direct quotes and
paraphrased material.
• SIGNAL PHRASES ARE AN EXPECTATION AND
CONVENTIONS OF NEARLY ALL ACADEMIC ESSAYISTIC
GENRES.

4. SIGNAL PHRASE VS. NO SIGNAL
PHRASE
Sample 1--
No signal phrase:
The merits of cancer screening must be reappraised.
Revised with signal phrase:
Doctors may conclude that the merits of cancer screening must be reappraised.
Sample 2--
No signal phrase:
However, the merits of cancer screening are currently debated by new data. “Yearly prostate exams are not
nearly as effective at reducing the risk of dying of prostate cancer as most men think.”
Revised with signal phrase:
However, the merits of cancer screening are currently debated by new data. According to Dr. Dan Boyd,
the director of cancer research at the Charlotte Clinic, who just produced one of the new studies on
cancer screening, “yearly prostate exams are not nearly as effective at reducing the risk of dying of
prostate cancer as most men think.”
It isn’t clear if the claim here is
from the source or from the writer.
It isn’t clear why a quote is starting or
where it’s coming from.

5. Acceptable Paraphrase with Author
Signal
According to Lizzie Borden: A Case Book of
Family and Crime in the 1890s by Williams,
Smithburn, and Peterson, Fall River, where the
Borden family lived, was typical of
northeastern industrial cities of the
Nineteenth century. Steam-powered
production had shifted labor from agriculture
to manufacturing, and as immigrants arrived
in the U.S. they found work in these new
factories. As a result, populations grew, and
large urban areas arose. Fall River was one of
these manufacturing and commercial centers.
Also includes a signal phrase and an in-text
hyperlink the way you might in your essay.
According to Williams, Smithburn,
and Peterson, Fall River, where the
Borden family lived, was typical of
northeastern industrial cities of
the Nineteenth century. Steam-
powered production had shifted
labor from agriculture to
manufacturing, and as immigrants
arrived in the U.S. they found
work in these new factories. As a
result, populations grew, and
large urban areas arose. Fall River
was one of these manufacturing
and commercial centers.
Original Text

6. EXAMPLE OF HOW IT LOOKS

7. INTEGRATING OUTSIDE
MATERIAL
TO QUOTE OR NOT TO QUOTE

8. PROPORTION: USING QUOTATIONS
SPARINGLY
 Writers may be tempted to:
 Over-quote
 Quote too little
 Quote for the wrong reasons
 Quote the wrong type of material
 LESS IS MORE WHEN IT COMES TO DIRECT QUOTES.
 Over-quoting weakens argument and/or a sense of engagement:
 Essay tends to ramble and lack focus.
 Ideas and flow become choppy when-
 unnecessary material interrupts main ideas.
 too many different writing styles are combined.
 Author may inadvertently reveal or connote an unpersuasive lack of self-
confidence.

9. PROPORTION: USING QUOTATIONS
SPARINGLY
Quote when it is necessary to--
1) establish authority from an expert on a particular point
2) give an example or illustration
3) pinpoint a controversy for discussion or analysis
4) create a dramatic effect or showcase eloquence with
wording

10. PROPORTION: USING QUOTATIONS
SPARINGLY
1. TIP 1—
Quote only the parts of others’ writing that relate to your point, never for “filler”
or “padding”.
 Don’t use quotes just to show you’ve read something or for the sake of
having a quote.
 Quoting unnecessarily is confusing for the reader.
2. TIP 2 –
Don’t quote bland information, details, or facts.
• These do not reveal or pinpoint anything significant about the issue;
therefore, they do not require commentary or clarification.
• THEY ARE NOT QUOTE-WORTHY.

11. PROPORTION: USING QUOTATIONS
SPARINGLY
3. TIP 3—
Don’t rely on quotes to speak for you, which can reveal or imply a lack of expertise
or credibility.
• Usually when quoting, it will be to illustrate or support a point you just
made. It will often be combined with your own paraphrase or summary.
• You should be able to lift direct quotes out of your text and still have the
text make sense (more about this to come).
4. TIP 4—
Often, you only need to paraphrase ideas in order to discuss them.
• Remember the 10% tip from earlier. It’s not a rule, just a general guideline to help
you check for excessive quoting.
• More than half of the paper should be your own comments, examples,
observations…
• Most outside material can be paraphrased.

12. FRAMING

13. INTEGRATING [FRAMING] OUTSIDE
MATERIAL
When incorporating outside material, the Framing Technique can situate
outside material into your text clearly:
 Introduce the material.
 Give the quote or paraphrase.
 Explain the material.
This is not an exact formula or rule; the order can be switched up as you
practice and should eventually become a habit of thinking.
 Example- Explanation can come first and be meshed in with
paraphrasing.
 This does help you anticipate what you need to include for the reader.

14. DANGLING QUOTES (AKA HIT
AND RUN QUOTES)
• “Dangling” or “Hit and Run” quotes happen when
material appears SPLAT!!! in the middle of the paper
without being introduced or explained.
• This is point in the paper that makes the reader think,
“Huh?”
• These types of quotes confuse the reader and disrupt
the flow.

15. Point: I drink too much Diet Mt.
Dew.
Evidence:

16. Introduction (Context): This is my desk. These are
the bottles I have collected in the past day and a
half while at work. Four of these are from today.
Explanation: This picture shows that, with an
empty bottle count like this collected in such a
short time, it leaves very little space in the day for
water intake to counter dehydration, high levels of
caffeine… not to mention whatever else in it. It
suggests that I should be concerned about how
much Diet Mt. Dew I drink; furthermore, it reveals
an immediate need to curb my intake of Diet Mt.
Dew, and other sodas in general, and replace this
intake with water.

17. INTRODUCING OUTSIDE
MATERIAL

18. INTRODUCING MATERIAL
BE A GOOD HOST.
Imagine the writing situation as an event where the guests don’t know
each other and you are the host.
 It’s your responsibility to introduce them to each other and to be fair and courteous to
everyone.
Remember and you--
1. Are the mediator between your sources and your audience.
2. Know more than your reader about your sources.
• Your reader has not done your research and is unfamiliar with certain aspects of the
issue or the immediate source that you may take for granted.
3. You want to invite curiosity, but you don’t want readers to have to leave your
essay out of confusion.

19. THINGS YOUR READER DOES NOT KNOW:
Often the necessary information is summative information about the source’s
context or writing situation--
• Where the material is from: the author or publisher and what their
background is
• Why they should be trusted or heard: how their expertise relates to the topic,
what they have published, their personal connection
• General Context or purpose of the source: Summary of main point or the
perspective the author has on the topic, etc.
• Specific Context– Which part of the source you are pulling the information
from, conditions or results of a study

20. EXPLAINING OUTSIDE
MATERIAL

21. INTERPRETATION
How many choices am I offering?

22. When you explain you are–
• Making sure the reader knows what the information or claim means.
• Connecting the dots and clarifying—
• Readers interpret material differently and may not infer the same things
you do, even with the same text, the same statistic…
• Readers read from their own experiences, values, and knowledge.
• Telling- Your explanation is the “telling” that supports the information
you are “showing.” Show them the expert opinion, or number, or new
fact, and then--
• Tell them how you want them to read or interpret it.
• Tell them what they are supposed to “get from it” or “realize”
about the issue based on it.
Remember: If it doesn’t need explanation and/or commentary, then it’s likely not
worth incorporating, especially quoting.
EXPLAINING THE MATERIAL

23. EXPLAINING THE MATERIAL
How you explain the material is one of the key ways “your
voice” starts to come in.
• It’s where you connect the dots for the reader.
• It is primarily where your persuasion happens.
Consider some of the following questions to consider about material you
decide to include--
• Are there terms, language, or wording that you understand that
the reader may not?
• Does the information prove a certain point or perspective from
your research?
• What do you think this information reveals about the issue that
you want the reader to pick up on as well?

24. EXAMPLES OF EXPLAINING
OUTSIDE MATERIAL
• Basically, X is affirming _____________.
• In other words, X believes _________.
• In making this comment, X argues that ________.
• X is insisting that __________.
• X’s point is that ___________.
• The essence of X’s argument is that __________.
• This picture shows that ___________.

25. PRACTICE
Examples, Practice, and Self Assessment

26. PRACTICE
For the following, try to figure
out what is missing from these
quotes.

27. EXAMPLE 1
Original:
• Martin Luther King knew how to skillfully appeal to his
audience in “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” For
example, he writes: "In your statement you assert that
our actions, even though peaceful, must be
condemned because they precipitate violence…Isn’t
this like condemning Jesus because his unique God-
consciousness and never-ceasing devotion to God’s
will precipitated the evil act of crucifixion?" (527).

28. REVISED
Martin Luther King knew how to skillfully appeal to his
audience in “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” He
understood that his audience, eight clergymen whose
life’s purpose was to serve God, would understand and
relate to religious references. For example, at one
point King uses a particular religious reference to
counter the clergymen’s claim that the actions of King
and his followers, while nonviolent, must be
denounced because they eventually incite violence in
others. Specifically, King asserts: “Isn’t this like
condemning Jesus because his unique God-
consciousness and never-ceasing devotion to God’s
will precipitated the evil act of crucifixion?” (527).
King’s audience will likely understand and relate to this
analogy, rendering King’s argument more credible to
his readers.

29. SELF ASSESSMENT
STEP 1: Pull up your draft. Read
through what you have. Pay
specific attention while reading the
material you have integrated.

30. SELF ASSESSMENT
STEP 3: Notice and consider the following about what you have decided to
quote or paraphrase and note where you might make changes:
• How much quoting have you done compared to paraphrasing?
• Is the material you have integrated quote-worthy? Do you have quotes
that could be paraphrased?
• Are there quotes or references to information that need more context or
explanation?
• Are there places where you could actually benefit from a direct quote to
show an expert opinion for a point you have made?

31. SOLO TIME
Stuff you can work
on—
• Moving your draft onto
the site and thinking
about design.
• Work on your thesis
statement. Decide where
you want to include it in
your essay.
• Working on Unit 1:
Studio 1 materials.
• Revise or develop the
section you brought in
today.
• Ask questions.
Work on your essay.

32. EXAMPLE 2
Susan Bordo writes about women and dieting: “Fiji is just
one example. Until television was introduced in 1995, the
islands had no reported cases of eating disorders. In
1998, three years after programs from the United States
and Britain began broadcasting there, 62 percent of the
girls surveyed reported dieting.”

33. REVISED
The feminist philosopher Susan Bordo deplores the hold
that the Western obsession with dieting has on women. Her basic
argument is that increasing numbers of women across the globe
are being led to see themselves as fat and in need of a diet. Citing
the island of Fiji as a case in point, Bordo notes that “until
television was introduced in 1995, the islands had no reported
cases of eating disorders. In 1998, three years after programs from
the United States and Britain begun broadcasting there, 62
percent of the girls surveyed reported dieting” (149-50). Bordo’s
point is that the West’s obsession with dieting is spreading even
to remote places across the globe. Ultimately, Bordo complains,
the culture of dieting will find you, regardless of where you live.

34. FRAMING PRACTICE
SCENARIO: You’re writing a paper for class claiming that students and faculty on
campus should get a flu shot. Below is a direct quote from one of Miss Eaker’s
students from an interview you conducted. During the interview, the student also
reveals that she believes everyone should get a flu shot.
Original Material (Direct Quote): “Miss Eaker’s class was canceled last Tuesday
because she came down with the flu, and it was the class before our assignment
was due. I sent her an email about the questions I had, but I wasn’t able to show
her the paper.”
Student Interviewed: Jennifer Pooler
DIRECTIONS: Use the Framing Technique to integrate this quote into a paragraph that
introduces the material and then explains it (how you interpret the info, how you think it
relates to the issue, what it reveals about the issue, how it supports your perspective.)
You may work alone or with a partner.

35. EXAMPLE
During my research, I came to believe that flu shots are necessary during
the flu season for everyone on campus. When I interviewed a UNCC student,
Jennifer Pooler, she explained that she believes everyone on campus should
get a flu shot; she told me about her teacher, Miss Eaker, having to cancel
class because she came down with the flu. In my interview with her, Pooler
stated: “Miss Eaker’s class was canceled last Tuesday because she came
down with the flu, and it was the class before our assignment was due. I
sent her an email about the questions I had, but I wasn’t able to show her
the paper.” What this shows is that Pooler would have had access to more
efficient and effective help that the instructor taken more precautionary
health measures. Furthermore, this is probably not the only instance of
classes being canceled or students missing class because of the flu. This
helps to demonstrate that classes would flow more smoothly and time
could be saved for both students and professors if they were not affected
by the flu. In the end, the result would very likely be better education and
student satisfaction.

36. EXAMPLE WITH PARAPHRASE
During my research, I came to believe that flu shots are necessary
during the flu season for everyone on campus. When I interviewed a
UNCC student, Jennifer Pooler, she explained that she believes everyone
on campus should get a flu shot; she told me about her teacher, Miss
Eaker, having to cancel class because she came down with the flu. The
class had a paper due, and although Miss Eaker was available via email,
Jennifer was unable to have her professor read the paper ahead of time
like she had planned. What this shows is that Pooler would have had
access to more efficient and effective help that the instructor taken
more precautionary health measures. Furthermore, this is probably not
the only instance of classes being canceled or students missing class
because of the flu. This helps to demonstrate that classes would flow
more smoothly and time could be saved for both students and
professors if they were not affected by the flu. In the end, the result
would very likely be better education and student satisfaction.

37. EXAMPLE WITH PARTIAL QUOTE
During my research, I came to believe that flu shots are necessary during the
flu season for everyone on campus. When I interviewed a UNCC student,
Jennifer Pooler, she explained that she believes everyone on campus should
get a flu shot; she told me about her teacher, Miss Eaker, having to cancel
class because she came down with the flu. The class had a paper due, and
although Miss Eaker was available via email regarding questions, Jennifer
“wasn’t able to show her [Miss Eaker] the paper” like she planned. What this
reveals is that Pooler would have had access to more efficient and effective
help that the instructor taken more precautionary health measures.
Furthermore, this is probably not the only instance of classes being canceled
or students missing class because of the flu. This helps to demonstrate that
classes would flow more smoothly and time could be saved for both students
and professors if they were not affected by the flu. In the end, the result
would very likely be better education and student satisfaction.

38. SYNTHESIS
Synthesis is simply making connections. Look for ways information and argument
at your disposal can be combined to support a particular point.
Example:
During my research, I came to believe that flu shots are necessary during the flu season for
everyone on campus. I learned that, according to the National Foundation for Infectious
Diseases that when college students get the flue they can average more than eight days of
illness, which can impact their class attendance and school performance. However, this
problem can more than just the students. When I interviewed a UNCC student, Jennifer
Pooler, she explained that she believes everyone on campus should get a flu shot; she told
me about her teacher, Miss Eaker, having to cancel class because she came down with the
flu. The class had a paper due, and although Miss Eaker was available via email regarding
questions, Jennifer “wasn’t able to show her [Miss Eaker] the paper” like she planned. What
this reveals is that Pooler would have had access to more efficient and effective help that
the instructor taken more precautionary health measures. Furthermore, this is probably not
the only instance of classes being canceled or students missing class because of the flu.
This helps to demonstrate that classes would flow more smoothly and time could be saved
for both students and professors if they were not affected by the flu. In the end, the result
would very likely be better education and student satisfaction.

39. PRACTICE WITH YOUR ESSAY
Self Assessment

40. SELF ASSESSMENT
STEP 1:
Pull up your draft. Read through what you have. Pay
specific attention while reading to the sources you have
integrated.

41. SELF ASSESSMENT
STEP 2: Self-Assess
1. Mark up your draft--
• Highlight any directly quoted material.
• Underline any paraphrased material.
2. Annotate
• Choose 1-2 quotes or paraphrases (not the same ones you used last week) and record in the
margins any context that may be missing about that source.
• Choose 1-2 quotes (not the same ones you used last week) and record in the margins what you
think it shows or proves about the issue that the reader should notice. How does it help support or
connect to either your bigger point for your essay or your point for that section?
Note: Pay attention to your ratio in regard to the amount of material you are quoting vs
paraphrasing. Consider whether you also might be over-quoting or under-quoting.

42. SELF ASSESSMENT
3. Annotate Cont.
• Mark any quotes you notice that seem too long. Consider any parts of
longer quotes that could be paraphrased? Are there parts that you
don’t plan to talk about or explain?
• Mark any terms or language that the reader needs explained or
rephrased.

43. SELF ASSESSMENT
4. Annotate Cont.
• Mark any sections or points that are focused around only one source where
you might practice synthesis.
• Try to identify a place where you need to quote an expert or some other piece
of info to back up a point you have made.

44. SOLO TIME
STEP 4:
Take some time to revise
based on your notes.
Feel free to ask questions
or ask for help.Work on your essay.