You probably already understand that copying and pasting someone else's work without providing a citation is plagiarism. How you should use words and ideas from sources in your writing may be less clear to you.
Information from sources typically appears in academic writing in three main ways:
- Quotation: Using the exact words from a source with quotation marks or indentation to show which material is being borrowed.
- Summary: Briefly describing the main ideas of a work or passage in your own words.
- Paraphrase: Accurately restating a full sentence or passage in your own words. A successful paraphrase does not just swap out a few words; it should include or be followed by your own thoughts on the material.
Proper & Improper Paraphrase
| Type |
Source |
Improper |
Proper |
| Paraphrase |
"Physical therapists may move from their professional roles in patient care to their first managerial positions without much preparation for their new duties." |
Physical therapists may transition from patient care to a manager position without training for this job. |
Physical therapists may be ill prepared to take on the role of manager when they have only worked one on one with patients. |
Always include a citation whenever you quote, paraphrase, or summarize information from a source.
More Help
Check out the library's guide to Avoiding Plagiarism, where you will find tips, tutorials and more.
If you need guidance for how to cite sources in a particular style, take a look at the library's Citation Styles guide.
If you need advice for incorporating material from sources into your writing, we recommend contacting the Writing Center!
