The document provides guidance on synthesizing sources, integrating sources into academic writing, and properly using direct quotations, paraphrases, and summaries. It emphasizes gathering and analyzing sources, developing new ideas by synthesizing multiple sources, and using sources to support your own conclusions. Rules are outlined for summarizing, paraphrasing, and directly quoting sources, including using signal phrases, avoiding stand-alone quotes, and following punctuation guidelines.

1. *

2. *
Synthesize
Gather Information
Integrate
Strong academic writing most often requires the use of
sources to relay information beyond general knowledge
and to support your own ideas and conclusions. You will
learn to use sources correctly for effective engagement
and to avoid plagiarism.

3. When you synthesize material
– between one writer’s
* Respond to sources
opinions and another’s or
between a writer’s ideas and
* Connect sources
your own experiences – you
develop new knowledge and
* Develop your own
create the material that will ideas
inform the content of your
own writing.
* See pages 410-413 LBB
Use the following guidelines
when synthesizing the ideas
of others.
*

4. As you read, be sure to * Take notes about main
assess and organize the ideas
information in your * Keep accurate records
sources. This will help about how to find
you understand and sources and material
synthesize the ideas.
* Annotate as you read
by underlining or
highlighting important
passages
*

5. Once you have gathered * Summary
information and * Paraphrase
synthesized your
sources, it’s time to put * Direct Quotation
them to work!
You’ll integrate
information from your
sources in your own
essays to support your
ideas and conclusions.
There are three primary
ways we do this: *

6. When you summarize, you When you paraphrase, you
CONDENSE another writer’s restate the author’s idea in
ideas or arguments into a few your own words keeping roughly
sentences written in your OWN the same length.
words.
* You would summarize an * You would paraphrase a
sentence or possibly a
entire chapter, essay, or paragraph. You would NOT
book. You would NOT paraphrase a chapter, essay,
summarize a sentence. or book.
*
See pages
414-417
in LBB

7. * Only summarize what’s important
Be very careful with for the reader to know. Remember,
the essays you write should be
summarizing and focused on YOUR ideas; your
sources’ ideas should be used only
paraphrasing your for support and context.
sources. * Be sure to put summaries and
paraphrases in YOUR OWN WORDS.
Using words or sentence structure
You should use direct that are too close to the original is
considered plagiarism.
quotation most often. * You must give credit for ALL uses of
others’ ideas or words, including
When summarizing and when you summarize and
paraphrase. We’ll learn how to do
paraphrasing, follow this according to MLA guidelines.
these tips:
*

8. When you want to use another’s words exactly as they appear,
you employ direct quotation. This indicates the exactness to
readers.
Most often, when using the ideas and research of others in your
own writing, you will use direct quotation as support.
*
See pages
417-424
in LBB

9. * The language is bold or vivid * Only quote the words
* The quotation is difficult to relevant to your point. You
paraphrase without losing do not always need to quote
meaning entire sentences
* The quotation emphasizes * Use brackets to add words
or explains the opinion of for clarity or to change
an expert capitalization (see 348 and
* The quotation reinforces 360 LBB)
your own ideas
* Use ellipsis marks to omit
irrelevant material in the
middle or at the end of a
See pages 418- sentence (see 345 LBB)
419 in LBB and
“Using
* ALWAYS provide a citation
Quotations” any time you use another
Handout on writer’s words or ideas
Blackboard

10. Direct quotations must be * Use commas with signal
integrated into the structure of phrases to indicate a quote
your OWN sentences. Evidence
drawn from sources should * Ensure punctuation is
BACK UP your own conclusions, placed properly
not BE your conclusions.
* Format longer quotes
There are some rules and
guidelines to learn to help you
integrate quotations:

11. Readers will have a difficult * Let’s look at an example…
time following your points if
direct quotations do not fit
within a sentence of your own.
When a quote is not integrated
into your own sentence, it is
called HANGING or STAND-
ALONE.
To avoid this, use signal phrases
to indicate to readers that a
direct quotation is coming.
*Avoid Hanging/Stand-Alone
quotations in all writing!

12. “Many teenagers are experiencing anxiety
and academic problems due to internet
addiction” (Jones 2).
*This quote is HANGING. We don’t know who said it, and the
essay writer’s words do not appear in the sentence at all.
How can we correct it?

13. Psychologist Bob Jones notes, “Many
teenagers are experiencing anxiety and
academic problems due to internet
addiction” (2).
We add a signal phrase! The beginning section of this sentence,
before the direct quotation, indicates to readers that a direct
quotation is coming. It also tells readers WHO said the words and
even provides some context for the speaker (he’s a psychologist).
Signal phrases are the easiest way to ensure ALL direct quotations are
integrated. But we do want to avoid the “He said,” – “She said,”
repetition. Check out page 421 of your LBB for a list of signal
phrases you can use to integrate your quotes.

14. When a quotation runs more than four typed lines, you must use
block quote formatting. Maintain regular spacing but start your
quotation on a new line and indent one full inch from the left
margin. You do NOT need quotation marks with a block quotation,
and punctuation precedes the citation.
See page 481 in your LB Brief for an example.
*

15. There are several punctuation and formatting
rules that apply when using direct quotations.
Let’s take a look at the most common ones.
*

16. * Commas and periods should appear INSIDE quotation marks
* Example: “There isn’t enough time in the world to learn every grammar rule,” the
student said.
* Periods appear INSIDE quotation marks
* The essay is titled “Learning about Grammar.”
* UNLESS the period is following a citation, in which case the period ALWAYS
follows the citation
* Smith argues, “Grammar is fundamental to effective communication” (24).
* NOTE: Periods NEVER appear before AND after a citation. There’s always only ONE
period
* Sometimes, though, you WILL have two punctuation marks: when your quote
contains a question mark (?) or exclamation point (!), you will use that mark
and also follow your citation with a period
* The student cried, “All this grammar is giving me a headache!” (Jones 3).

17. *See pages 410-424 in LLB to review the
information covered in this Powerpoint
*See pages 338-342 in LLB for punctuation
rules with quotation marks
*See the “MLA Citation and Formatting”
Powerpoint for more information on
citations
*See the using quotations handout for a
printable tips list to use while writing
*