Paraphrasing, Summarizing, and Direct Quoting For MLA Style Compiled from the Purdue OWL Created April 2012

Paraphrasing Involves putting a passage from source material into your own words Does not require quotation marks Usually shorter than the original passage, taking a somewhat broader segment of the source and condensing it slightly Must be attributed to the original source

Summarization Involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including only the main point(s) Significantly shorter than the original and takes a broad overview of the source material Does not require quotation marks Must also be attributed to the original source

Direct Quotation Must be identical to the original, word for word, using a small selection of the source Requires quotation marks Must also be attributed to the original source

Quotations, paraphrases, and summaries serve many purposes. You might use them to . . . Provide support for claims or add credibility to your writing Refer to work that leads up to the work you are now doing Give examples of several points of view on a subject Call attention to a position that you wish to agree or disagree with Highlight a particularly striking phrase, sentence, or passage by quoting the original Distance yourself from the original by quoting it in order to cue readers that the words are not your own Expand the breadth or depth of your writing

Quotations and MLA Style MLA requires in-text citations when paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting directly. The basic format for an MLA in-text citation is as follows: Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (263). Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263). Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263). Notice how all three somehow have the author’s name and the page number.