Paraphrasing is restating an author's information in your own words. It is a great way to condense another author's ideas from the source, or to put an idea into your own voice. This tutorial will demonstrate proper citation of paraphrasing:
Paraphrasing Examples
If you are paraphrasing an idea, you only have to make reference to the author and year of publication in your in-text reference although you can provide a page or paragraph number:
One Author: Include the author’s last name as a part of the sentence. followed immediately by the year of publication in parenthesis. ex: Jones (2009) stated that all ants crawl.
Two Authors: Citation for two authors is the same as a single author with both last names listed. NOTE: When used as a part of the sentence the word ‘and’ is used (unlike the parenthetically citation that uses an ampersand). ex: Jones and Thomas (2009) stated that all ants crawl.
More than Two Authors: If three or more authors are present for a source, list all of them in the first citation then just the first listed author and et al. in subsequent citations. For six or more authors, use et al. for all citations. All instances include the publication year in parenthesis immediately following the author’s last names. ex: First in-text citation:
Jones, Thomas, and Dixon (2009) stated that all ants crawl.
All subsequent citations:
Jones et al. (2009) also argued that snakes actually slither.
No Author & Corporate Author: For websites and other sources where no author is listed, include the corporate author or content owner as a part of the sentence immediately followed by the year in parenthesis. However, if there is no author found, then you would not use a narrative citation. World Wildlife Federation (2009) conclude that all ants crawl.
It may seem like citing your sources is tedious, but it's important and there are many reasons to do it. Attributing and documenting your sources:
Helps you avoid plagiarizing.
Allows the reader to find your research sources. Think of citations as footprints leading the reader through some of the steps you took to reach your conclusions.
Provides evidence for your arguments and adds credibility to your work by demonstrating that you have sought out and considered a variety of viewpoints on a given topic.
Is standard practice for scholars and students engaged in written academic conversations. By citing your sources, you demonstrate that you are responding to this person, agreeing with that person, adding something to what so-and-so said and so forth.
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