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Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing
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This handout is intended to help you become more comfortable with the uses of and distinctions among quotations, paraphrases, and summaries. This handout compares and contrasts the three terms, gives some pointers, and includes a short excerpt that you can use to practice these skills.
What are the differences among quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing?
These three ways of incorporating other writers' work into your own writing differ according to the closeness of your writing to the source writing.
Quotations must be identical to the original, using a narrow segment of the source. They must match the source document word for word and must be attributed to the original author.
Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from source material into your own words. A paraphrase must also be attributed to the original source. Paraphrased material is usually shorter than the original passage, taking a somewhat broader segment of the source and condensing it slightly.
Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including only the main point(s). Once again, it is necessary to attribute summarized ideas to the original source. Summaries are significantly shorter than the original and take a broad overview of the source material.
Why use quotations, paraphrases, and summaries?
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
Writers frequently intertwine summaries, paraphrases, and quotations. As part of a summary of an article, a chapter, or a book, a writer might include paraphrases of various key points blended with quotations of striking or suggestive phrases as in the following example:
In his famous and influential work The Interpretation of Dreams , Sigmund Freud argues that dreams are the "royal road to the unconscious" (page #), expressing in coded imagery the dreamer's unfulfilled wishes through a process known as the "dream-work" (page #). According to Freud, actual but unacceptable desires are censored internally and subjected to coding through layers of condensation and displacement before emerging in a kind of rebus puzzle in the dream itself (page #).
How to use quotations, paraphrases, and summaries
Practice summarizing the essay found here , using paraphrases and quotations as you go. It might be helpful to follow these steps:
- Read the entire text, noting the key points and main ideas.
- Summarize in your own words what the single main idea of the essay is.
- Paraphrase important supporting points that come up in the essay.
- Consider any words, phrases, or brief passages that you believe should be quoted directly.
There are several ways to integrate quotations into your text. Often, a short quotation works well when integrated into a sentence. Longer quotations can stand alone. Remember that quoting should be done only sparingly; be sure that you have a good reason to include a direct quotation when you decide to do so. You'll find guidelines for citing sources and punctuating citations at our documentation guide pages.
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How to analyze quotes in essays: A step-by-step guide
Katie Azevedo October 24, 2022 communication , study skills , writing tips
By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed.
You need to know how to analyze quotes in essays for high school, college, and beyond. Finding and including quotes to support your argument is an important first step, but the real skill is in how you analyze the quotes to thoroughly convince the reader of your essay’s thesis. (Need to write an essay in a week or less? Here’s your roadmap .)
How to analyze quotes in essays at 3 levels
Good quote analysis has three parts. The sequence of each level is important because each level builds off the one before it. Below are the three levels of properly analyzing textual evidence (quotes) you include in your essays:
- Level 1: Explanation
- Level 2: Connection to paragraph claim
- Level 3: Connection to essay thesis and larger ideas/themes
In the following sections, I will explain exactly how to analyze quotes at all three levels. To better illustrate how to do this, I will use a quote from John Knowles’s novel A Separate Peace. If you have not read this book, you’ll still be able to follow along.
Here’s a quote from A Separate Peace that I will refer to throughout this blog post. This is the quote we will analyze at all 3 levels: “Although they were old stairs, the worn moons in the middle of each step were not very deep. The marble must be unusually hard. That seemed very likely, only too likely, although with all my thought about these stairs this exceptional hardness had not occurred to me. It was surprising that I had overlooked that, that crucial fact” (Knowles, 10).
Context of the quote (to help you better understand, in case you haven’t read the book): Gene Forrester is returning to the campus of his former boarding high school. As he’s touring the campus as an adult, he comes to a large marble staircase and stops to reflect on its appearance. This is the staircase his childhood best friend Phineas fell down, leading to his death. Gene is partly responsible for Phineas’s death.
Quote analysis Level 1: Explanation
At this level, the goal is to ensure the reader fully understands the meaning of the quote and the purpose of the author’s language. Here, we analyze the quote for:
- Word choice
- Literal meaning
- Connotation
- Figurative language
Example quote analysis at Level 1 (explanation):
Analysis: When the author describes the stairs with “worn moons” in the middle, he’s indicating that Gene has repetitively replayed the staircase incident in his memory over the years. In other words, while the stairs are literally worn, the memory of the staircase incident has “worn moons” in his ruminations.
Quote analysis Level 2: Connection to paragraph claim
Every body paragraph in your essay should begin with a claim (topic sentence). This sentence should connect back to the essay’s thesis statement and introduce the idea forthcoming in the paragraph. Once you insert your quotation and analyze it for explanation (level #1), we must connect the quote to your claim.
To show you what this looks like in real life, I wrote a sample claim statement (topic sentence). I want you to imagine it is the opening line of a body paragraph. Then we will analyze the same staircase quote as before, but this time we will connect it to the claim.
Sample claim statement: Gene’s teenage insecurity and anxiety cloud his judgment, alter his reality and prevent him from forming meaningful connections to the truth.
Example quote analysis at Level 2 (connection to claim):
Analysis: When the author describes the stairs with “worn moons” in the middle, he’s indicating that Gene has repetitively replayed the staircase incident in his memory over the years. In other words, while the stairs are literally worn, the memory of the staircase incident has “worn moons” in his ruminations (analysis from level one). Even while attending the school, Gene’s excessive ruminations and insecurities prevent him from seeing the truth of what’s right in front of him, including the love that Phineus extends to Gene, without reciprocation, throughout the novel (connection to claim).
Quote analysis Level 3: Connection to essay thesis and larger ideas
Level 3 quote analysis drives home the connection between your chosen quote and the whole argument of your essay. In other words, you need to prove to the reader exactly why this quote validates your thesis.
A tip for this type of quote analysis is to think of the following sentence starters:
- This quote* validates the idea that [thesis statement] because _____.
- This quote* is critical to proving [thesis statement] because _____.
* Using “this quote” isn’t the best way to introduce analysis, but you get the idea. What I want you to focus on is filling in the BECAUSE statement: that’s critical.
To show you how to analyze quotes in essays at Level 3, I wrote a sample thesis statement that I want you to imagine is the introduction paragraph of your essay. Then we will analyze the same staircase quote as before, but this time we will connect it to the thesis.
Sample thesis statement: Gene’s teenage insecurity and anxiety are the root causes of his toxic interactions with himself and those closest to him, eventually leading him to choose either acceptance of or rejection of responsibility for his role in the tragedies that surround him.
Example quote analysis at Level 3 (connection to thesis):
Analysis: When the author describes the stairs with “worn moons” in the middle, he’s indicating that Gene has repetitively replayed the staircase incident in his memory over the years. In other words, while the stairs are literally worn, the memory of the staircase incident has “worn moons” in his ruminations (analysis from level one). Even while attending the school, Gene’s excessive ruminations and insecurities prevent him from seeing what’s right in front of him, including the love that Phineus extends to Gene, without reciprocation, throughout the novel (connection to claim). Because Gene’s cognitive capacities are impeded by his anxiety, his ability to create and maintain relationships is null. As a result, his relationship with Phineus is superficial and one-sided, leading him indirectly to contribute to Phineus’s death. Only after Phineus’s death is Gene able to confront the choice to accept or deny responsibility for his role. His genuine reflection at the staircase, years later, reveals that he is finally capable of acknowledging and accepting the truth (connection to thesis).
Final notes about analyzing quotes for essays
Knowing how to analyze quotes in essays is literally the golden key to writing strong literary analysis papers. It’s never enough to say, “This quote proves the thesis.” You have to show why and how it proves the thesis. And just when you think you’ve made your point, go one level deeper and challenge yourself to analyze why the analysis matters. THAT’S the golden nugget of analyzing quotes right there.
If you struggle to edit your own essays, here’s my ultimate guide for editing your own papers .
You might also be interested in my FREE essay editing checklist . It’s kind of awesome.
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