Paraphrasing Writing 5

Key Vocabulary Summary (n) – written collection of all the main ideas in

an entire reading, using one’s own wordso A summary is much shorter than the original sourceo The summary of a paragraph would be a sentence; a two-page

article will probably be 5-6 sentences in lengtho Verb: to summarize

Paraphrase (n) – rewriting of a single idea, which may include detail, from another author, using one’s own wordso A paraphrase is usually only a few sentences in length, but can

be longer if more clarification is neededo The paraphrase will be similar in length to the original sourceo Used in research and argumentative essays to support claimso Verb: to paraphrase

Paraphrasing When making an argument in your writing, or

when writing a research paper, paraphrasing is necessary to:o Support your claimso Make your research more credible and believableo Convince the reader that you know the subject well

enough to comment on ito Avoid filling your paper with quotations (not your own

words)

Paraphrasing Just like summarizing, when you paraphrase you

must:

• Use your own words to restate the idea• Maintain the original meaning of the idea• Not add new information • Give a citation

Ways to Paraphrase To avoid plagiarism, you should use at least two of

these methods:

1. Change sentence structure and/or word order

2. Use synonyms

3. Change parts of speech

If your paraphrase includes more than two consecutive words that are identical to the original (unless both words are function words), you have plagiarized.

Cell Phone Use

How has cell phone use changed in the last 10 years? What about the last 5?

What are the negative outcomes of using a cell phone? Have you experienced any of these yourself?

Where do you think you could find research to support these ideas?

Read: Article #2 (online): Is Texting Ruining the Art of Conversation?

Assignment #3 For this assignment, you will compose one paragraph (approx. ¾ of

a page!) that could be used in an argumentative essay or research paper about cell phones. The topic of the paragraph is:

Negative effects of cell phone use.

You will be given 3 articles with information that may be paraphrased for this assignment. However, you are not summarizing these articles – only use the information that is pertinent to the topic. You must use 2 of these articles and 1 additional source that you locate on your own (news site, government organization, academic journal etc.)

Include:1. Topic sentence (problems/negative effects from texting – not solutions)2. Support (1-3 sentences for each supporting point with citation from an article)3. Concluding sentence4. Include your in-text citations for each article – ex: According to the Federal Communications Center (2009), …

Incorporating Paraphrases

When making claims in a research paper, not every sentence requires a citation. However, if you make a claim that is not common knowledge, you should have a citation for that claim in the same sentence or an adjacent sentence.

Example:

The number of deaths caused by cell phone use each year is increasing. According to Smith (2006), 7,900 deaths were attributed to distracted driving and cell phone use in the years 2002-2004. The following year, an additional 3,000 deaths occurred.

Incorporating Citations If you have two facts from the same author that are

adjacent, you don’t need to repeat the citation.

The number of deaths caused by cell phone use each year is increasing. According to Smith (2006), 7,900 deaths were attributed to distracted driving and cell phone use in the years 2002-2004. The following year, an additional 3,000 deaths occurred.

The number of deaths caused by cell phone use each year is increasing. 7,900 deaths were attributed to distracted driving and cell phone use in the years 2002-2004. The following year, an additional 3,000 deaths occurred (Smith, 2006).