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Summary, Paraphrase

 

Summary

 

A summary is a concise, shortened, compact, “Reader’s Digest” version of the original text. Presents the essential information in a text without interpreting it.  It is shorter than the original presents only the key ideas and support. Summarize in your own words, the concepts and ideas put forth by the author..

 
Summary
  •  read article once through
  •  read again highlighting or underlining main points
  •  find the meaning to words or concepts you do not fully understand.
  •  list the main points you underlined on a separte piece of paper
  •  then begin writing, remembering to include all of the main points
 
Tips
  • a good summary does not have more than one or two short quotes, and even those are not necessary
  • a good summary does not contain statistics, numbers or specifics
  • do not use the authors wording – ANYWHERE
  • is using authors words that are unique or used in a unique way, put them in quotation marks.
  • identify the author, name of text and any other important info that will connect the reader with the text e.g if the pastor of your church wrote an artice in The Mennonite Mirror you may want to let your reader know he is the pastor of the Steinbach EMC Church.
  • indicate that you are still summarizing by using key phrases like “He goes on to point out…” “The article also maintains that..” etc.
  • do not include your own opimions about the text or the author until the summary is finished.  

 

Paraphrase

 In a paraphrase you restate an author’s ideas in your own words, retaining the content and sense of the original but providing your own expression.

In a summary you pretend you are the author, condensing your own work (thus keeping tone), but in a paraphrase you add more of your own style, so it flows well into your paper.

Paraphrases are considerably shorter than the original.

   

  1. Skim the selection first to get the overall meaning.,
  2. read the selection carefully: pay attention to key words and phrases
  3. list the main ideas on a piece of paper without looking at the selection
  4. review the text again
  5. write your paraphrase; restate the author’s ideas in your own words.
    1. Stick to the essential information (drop anecdotes and details)
    2. State each important idea clearly and concisely.
    3. Put quotations marks around words taken directly from the source.
    4. Arrange the ideas into a smooth, logical order.
    5. Do not substitute synonyms. Try to re-write the entire sentence(s).
  6. Check your paraphrase for accuracy by asking these questions:
    1. Have I kept the author’s ideas and viewpoint clear in my paraphrase? Have I quoted where necessary?
    2. Have I cut out enough of the original? Too much?
    3. Could another person understand the author’s main ideas by reading my paraphrase?
  How to recognize Unacceptable and Acceptable Paraphrase

   What Makes a Good Parapharase?

 Here's the ORIGINAL text, from page 1 of Lizzie Borden: A Case Book of Family and Crime in the 1890s by Joyce Williams et al.:

The rise of industry, the growth of cities, and the expansion of the population were the three great developments of late nineteenth century American history. As new, larger, steam-powered factories became a feature of the American landscape in the East, they transformed farm hands into industrial laborers, and provided jobs for a rising tide of immigrants. With industry came urbanization, the growth of large cities (like Fall River, Massachusetts, where the Bordens lived), which became the centers of production as well as of commerce and trade.
 
Here's an UNACCEPTABLE paraphrase that is plagiarism:
 
The increase of industry, the growth of cities, and the explosion of the population were three large factors of nineteenth century America. As steam-driven companies became more visible in the eastern part of the country, they changed farm hands into factory workers and provided jobs for the large wave of immigrants. With industry came the growth of large cities like Fall River where the Bordens lived, which turned into centers of commerce and trade as well as production.
 
   What makes this passage plagiarism?
The preceding passage is considered plagiarism for two reasons:
 
*The writer has only changed around a few words and phrases, or changed the order of the original's sentences.
*The writer has failed to cite a source for any of the ideas or facts.
 
 If you do either or both of these things, you are plagiarizing.
NOTE: This paragraph is also problematic because it changes the sense of several sentences (for example, "steam-driven companies" in sentence two misses the original's emphasis on factories).
 
Here's an ACCEPTABLE paraphrase:
 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 US, 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 (Williams et al. 1).
 
Why is this passage acceptable?
This is acceptable paraphrasing because the writer
 *accurately relays the information in the original and uses her own words.
*lets her reader know the source of her information.
 
 Here's an example of quotation and paraphrase used together, which is also ACCEPTABLE:
 
Fall River, where the Borden family lived, was typical of northeastern industrial cities of the nineteenth century. As steam-powered production shifted labor from agriculture to manufacturing, the demand for workers "transformed farm hands into factory workers," and created jobs for immigrants. In turn, growing populations increased the size of urbanareas. Fall River was one of these manufacturing hubs that were also "centers of commerce and trade" (Williams et al. 1).
 
 Why is this passage acceptable?
 
This is acceptable paraphrasing because the writer
 *records the information in the original passage accurately.
*gives credit for the ideas in this passage.
*indicated which part is taken directly from her source by putting the passage in quotation marks and citing the page number.
 
Note that if the writer had used these phrases or sentences in her own paper without putting quotation marks around them, she would be PLAGIARIZING. Using another person's phrases or sentences without putting quotation marks around them is considered plagiarism EVEN IF THE WRITER CITES IN HER OWN TEXT THE SOURCE OF THE PHRASES OR SENTENCES SHE HAS QUOTED.

1. Uses synonyms           

Rise  - increase

Great developments – large factors

Rising tide -  large wave

“became a feature”   - “became more visible”

 

2. Reordered lists

“centers of production as well as of commerce and trade”     

“centers of commerce and trade as well as production”

 

3. Re-orders content.  

 In a paraphrase you restate an author’s ideas in your own words, retaining the content and sence of the original but providing your own experession

  Places “Fall River, where the Bordens lives”  to the beginning of the paragraph. This gives the paraphrase some context.  Since the book is dealing with 300 pages of text it can afford to be a little long winded. A paraphase must come to the point immediately.

 

 4. Maintains Content  

  Keeps the main ideas “steam”, “immigrants”, shifting from agricultre to factories; but condenses, reorders content.

 

 5. Eliminates text.  

 

 Fall River, where the Borden family lived, was typical of northeastern industrial cities of the nineteenth century.  Steam-powered production had shifted labour from agriculture to manufacturing, as as immigrants arrived in the US, they found work in these new factories. As a result, population grew, and large urban areas arose. Fall River was one of these manufacturing and commercial centers (Williams 1).

 

 Here is an unacceptable paraphrase that is plagiarism:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paraphrase