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Research Skills: Step-By-Step: Incorporate Source Material

This guide will help you to develop your research skills and better understand the research process.

Quote, Paraphrase or Summarise?

In research papers, you should quote from a source when you:

  • want the reputation of the author to lend authority and credibility to your point.
  • find memorable or historically significant language.
  • don't want the author's meaning to be lost or changed if you paraphrased or summarised.
  • find the author's language so clear and concise you wouldn't be able to effectively make the same point in your own words.

Refer to our guide on APA Referencing and Plagiarism for more information on formatting your quotes, summaries and paraphrasing in your writing.

A paraphrase is the rewording of something written or spoken by someone else. To paraphrase, follow these steps:

  1. Read the original text until you grasp its meaning; then set it aside.
  2. From memory, write down the main points or concepts. 
  3. Change the structure of the text by varying the opening, changing the order of sentences, lengthening or shortening sentences, etc.
  4. Replace keywords within the sentences with synonyms or phrases with similar meanings.
  5. Note the source and page number of the paraphrase in a launch statement or in parentheses as per the APA referencing style.

Refer to our guide on APA Referencing and Plagiarism for more information on formatting your quotes, summaries and paraphrasing in your writing.

A summary is a brief statement of the main points of a source. To summarise, follow the steps below:

  1. Select a passage of text, article, chapter or entire book that supports your research.
  2. Read the selection until you feel you have a good understanding of its main points.
  3. Write a sentence or two in your own words that captures the main points.
  4. Revise your summary so it reads clearly.
  5. Note the source (and page number, if applicable) of the summary in a launch statement or in parentheses.

Refer to our guide on APA Referencing and Plagiarism for more information on formatting your quotes, summaries and paraphrasing in your writing.

How to Incorporate your Source Material

Source: RMIT University Library. (2021, August 25). Paraphrasing [video]. YouTube.

Source: Scribbr. (2019, October 23). How to quote under 5 minutes [video]. YouTube.

Source: GreggU. (2018, December 29). How to summarize information [video]. YouTube.

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