Citing and Paraphrasing Sources
How to use other people's ideas honestly, with the difference between quoting, paraphrasing and summarising.
Academic writing builds on other people's work. You must show clearly which ideas and words come from other sources. Failing to do this is plagiarism.
Three ways to use a source
- Direct quotation: exact words in quotation marks, with a citation. Use sparingly, when the exact wording matters.
- Paraphrase: restate a specific idea in your own words and sentence structure, with a citation. Roughly the same length as the original.
- Summary: a much shorter account of the main points, with a citation.
A paraphrase still needs a citation because the idea is not yours.
How to paraphrase well
- Read the passage until you understand it.
- Put the source away.
- Write the idea from memory in your own words.
- Compare with the original to check accuracy and that you did not copy its sentence structure.
- Add the citation.
Changing a few words while keeping the original structure is not a real paraphrase.
Citation styles
Different subjects and institutions use different styles, such as APA, MLA, Chicago and Harvard. The choice is usually set by your teacher or institution. Check their guide and follow it consistently.
Most styles have two parts: a brief in-text citation (for example author and year, or a number) and a full reference list or bibliography at the end.
What does not need a citation
Common knowledge that is widely known and easy to verify, such as "Water boils at 100°C at sea level", does not usually need a citation. If you are unsure, cite.
Keeping track
Record the source details when you take notes: author, title, publisher or website, date and page number. This makes citing easier later.
Common mistakes
- Using exact words without quotation marks.
- Paraphrasing too closely.
- Citing in the text but leaving the source out of the reference list.
- Citing a source you have not read.
Quick recap
Quote exactly, paraphrase in your own words, summarise briefly, and cite every time you use someone else's ideas.