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Quoting vs. Paraphrasing vs. Summarizing

If you’ve ever written a research essay, you know the struggle is real. Should you use a direct quote? Should you put it in your own words? And how is summarizing different from paraphrasing—aren’t they kind of the same thing?

Knowing how you should include your source takes some finesse, and knowing when to quote directly, paraphrase, or summarize can make or break your argument. Let’s take a look at the nuances among these three ways  of using an outside source in an essay.

What is quoting?

The concept of quoting is pretty straightforward. If you use quotation marks, you must use precisely the same words as the original , even if the language is vulgar or the grammar is incorrect. In fact, when scholars quote writers with bad grammar, they may correct it by using typographical notes [like this] to show readers they have made a change.

“I never like[d] peas as a child.”

Conversely, if a passage with odd or incorrect language is quoted as is, the note [sic] may be used to show that no changes were made to the original language despite any errors.

“I never like [sic] peas as a child.”

The professional world looks very seriously on quotations. You cannot change a single comma or letter without documentation when you quote a source. Not only that, but the quote must be accompanied by an attribution, commonly called a citation. A misquote or failure to cite can be considered plagiarism.

When writing an academic paper, scholars must use in-text citations in parentheses followed by a complete entry on a references page. When you quote someone using MLA format , for example, it might look like this:

“The orphan is above all a character out of place, forced to make his or her own home in the world. The novel itself grew up as a genre representing the efforts of an ordinary individual to navigate his or her way through the trials of life. The orphan is therefore an essentially novelistic character, set loose from established conventions to face a world of endless possibilities (and dangers)” (Mullan).

This quote is from www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/orphans-in-fiction , which discusses the portrayal of orphans in Victorian English literature. The citation as it would look on the references page (called Works Cited in MLA) is available at the end of this guide.

What is paraphrasing?

Paraphrasing means taking a quote and putting it in your own words.

You translate what another writer has said into terms both you and your reader can more easily understand. Unlike summarizing, which focuses on the big picture, paraphrasing is involved with single lines or passages. Paraphrasing means you should focus only on segments of a text.

Paraphrasing is a way for you to start processing the information from your source . When you take a quote and put it into your own words, you are already working to better understand, and better explain, the information.

The more you can change the quote without changing the original meaning , the better. How can you make significant changes to a text without changing the meaning?

Here are a few paraphrasing techniques:

• Use synonyms of words
• Change the order of words
• Change the order of clauses in the sentences
• Move sentences around in a section
• Active – passive
• Positive – negative
• Statement-question

Let’s look at an example. Here is a direct quote from the article on orphans in Victorian literature:

“It is no accident that the most famous character in recent fiction – Harry Potter – is an orphan. The child wizard’s adventures are premised on the death of his parents and the responsibilities that he must therefore assume. If we look to classic children’s fiction we find a host of orphans” (Mullan).

Here is a possible paraphrase:

It’s not a mistake that a well-known protagonist in current fiction is an orphan: Harry Potter. His quests are due to his parents dying and tasks that he is now obligated to complete. You will see that orphans are common protagonists if you look at other classic fiction (Mullan).

What differences do you spot? There are synonyms. A few words were moved around. A few clauses were moved around. But do you see that the basic structure is very similar?

This kind of paraphrase might be flagged by a plagiarism checker. Don’t paraphrase like that.

Here is a better example:

What is the most well-known fact about beloved character, Harry Potter? That he’s an orphan – “the boy who lived”. In fact, it is only because his parents died that he was thrust into his hero’s journey. Throughout classic children’s literature, you’ll find many orphans as protagonists (Mullan).

Do you see that this paraphrase has more differences? The basic information is there, but the structure is quite different.

When you paraphrase, you are making choices: of how to restructure information, of how to organize and prioritize it.  These choices reflect your voice in a way a direct quote cannot, since a direct quote is, by definition, someone else’s voice.

Which is better: Quoting or paraphrasing?

Although the purpose of both quoting and paraphrasing is to introduce the ideas of an external source, they are used for different reasons. It’s not that one is better than the other, but rather that quoting suits some purposes better, while paraphrasing is more suitable for others.

A direct quote is better when you feel the writer made the point perfectly and there is no reason to change a thing. If the writer has a strong voice and you want to preserve that, use a direct quote.

For example, no one should ever try to paraphrase John. F. Kenney’s famous line: “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

However, think of direct quotes like a hot pepper: go ahead and sprinkle them around to add some spice to your paper, but… you might not want to overdo it.

Conversely, paraphrasing is useful when you want to bring in a longer section of a source into your piece, but you don’t have room for the full passage . A paraphrase doesn’t simplify the passage to an extreme level, like a summary would. Rather, it condenses the section of text into something more useful for your essay. It’s also appropriate to paraphrase when there are sentences within a passage that you want to leave out.

If you were to paraphrase the section of the article about Victorian orphans mentioned earlier, you might write something like this:

Considering the development of the novel, which portrayed everyday people making their way through life, using an orphan as a protagonist was effective. Orphans are characters that, by definition, need to find their way alone. The author can let the protagonist venture out into the world where the anything, good or bad, might happen (Mullan).

You’ll notice a couple of things here. One, there are no quotation marks, but there is still an in-text citation (the name in parentheses). A paraphrase lacks quotation marks because you aren’t directly quoting, but it still needs a citation because you are using a specific segment of the text. It is still someone else’s original idea and must be cited.

Secondly, if you look at the original quote, you’ll see that five lines of text are condensed into four and a half lines. Everything the author used has been changed.

A single paragraph of text has been explained in different words—which is the heart of paraphrasing.

What is summarizing?

Next, we come to summarizing. Summarizing is on a much larger scale than quoting or paraphrasing. While similar to paraphrasing in that you use your own words, a summary’s primary focus is on translating the main idea of an entire document or long section.

Summaries are useful because they allow you to mention entire chapters or articles—or longer works—in only a few sentences. However, summaries can be longer and more in-depth. They can actually include quotes and paraphrases. Keep in mind, though, that since a summary condenses information, look for the main points. Don’t include a lot of details in a summary.

In literary analysis essays, it is useful to include one body paragraph that summarizes the work you’re writing about. It might be helpful to quote or paraphrase specific lines that contribute to the main themes of such a work. Here is an example summarizing the article on orphans in Victorian literature:

In John Mullan’s article “Orphans in Fiction” on bl.uk.com, he reviews the use of orphans as protagonists in 19 th century Victorian literature. Mullan argues that orphans, without family attachments, are effective characters that can be “unleashed to discover the world.” This discovery process often leads orphans to expose dangerous aspects of society, while maintaining their innocence. As an example, Mullan examines how many female orphans wind up as governesses, demonstrating the usefulness of a main character that is obligated to find their own way.

This summary includes the main ideas of the article, one paraphrase, and one direct quote. A ten-paragraph article is summarized into one single paragraph.

As for giving source credit, since the author’s name and title of the source are stated at the beginning of the summary paragraph, you don’t need an in-text citation.

How do I know which one to use?

The fact is that writers use these three reference types (quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing) interchangeably. The key is to pay attention to your argument development. At some points, you will want concrete, firm evidence. Quotes are perfect for this.

At other times, you will want general support for an argument, but the text that includes such support is long-winded. A paraphrase is appropriate in this case.

Finally, sometimes you may need to mention an entire book or article because it is so full of evidence to support your points. In these cases, it is wise to take a few sentences or even a full paragraph to summarize the source.

No matter which type you use, you always need to cite your source on a References or Works Cited page at the end of the document. The MLA works cited entry for the text we’ve been using today looks like this:

Mullan, John. Orphans in Fiction” www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/orphans-in-fiction.  Accessed 20. Oct. 2020

————–

See our related lesson with video:  How to Quote and Paraphrase Evidence

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Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Quoting

Depending on the conventions of your discipline, you may have to decide whether to summarize a source, paraphrase a source, or quote from a source.

Scholars in the humanities tend to summarize, paraphrase, and quote texts; social scientists and natural scientists rely primarily on summary and paraphrase.

When and how to summarize

When you summarize, you provide your readers with a condensed version of an author's key points. A summary can be as short as a few sentences or much longer, depending on the complexity of the text and the level of detail you wish to provide to your readers. You will need to summarize a source in your paper when you are going to refer to that source and you want your readers to understand the source's argument, main ideas, or plot (if the source is a novel, film, or play) before you lay out your own argument about it, analysis of it, or response to it.

Before you summarize a source in your paper, you should decide what your reader needs to know about that source in order to understand your argument. For example, if you are making an argument about a novel, you should avoid filling pages of your paper with details from the book that will distract or confuse your reader. Instead, you should add details sparingly, going only into the depth that is necessary for your reader to understand and appreciate your argument. Similarly, if you are writing a paper about a journal article, you will need to highlight the most relevant parts of the argument for your reader, but you should not include all of the background information and examples. When you have to decide how much summary to put in a paper, it's a good idea to consult your instructor about whether you are supposed to assume your reader's knowledge of the sources.

Guidelines for summarizing a source in your paper

• Identify the author and the source.
• Represent the original source accurately.
• Present the source’s central claim clearly.
• Don’t summarize each point in the same order as the original source; focus on giving your reader the most important parts of the source
• Use your own words. Don’t provide a long quotation in the summary unless the actual language from the source is going to be important for your reader to see.

Stanley Milgram (1974) reports that ordinarily compassionate people will be cruel to each other if they are commanded to be by an authority figure. In his experiment, a group of participants were asked to administer electric shocks to people who made errors on a simple test. In spite of signs that those receiving shock were experiencing great physical pain, 25 of 40 subjects continued to administer electric shocks. These results held up for each group of people tested, no matter the demographic. The transcripts of conversations from the experiment reveal that although many of the participants felt increasingly uncomfortable, they continued to obey the experimenter, often showing great deference for the experimenter. Milgram suggests that when people feel responsible for carrying out the wishes of an authority figure, they do not feel responsible for the actual actions they are performing. He concludes that the increasing division of labor in society encourages people to focus on a small task and eschew responsibility for anything they do not directly control.

This summary of Stanley Milgram's 1974 essay, "The Perils of Obedience," provides a brief overview of Milgram's 12-page essay, along with an APA style parenthetical citation. You would write this type of summary if you were discussing Milgram's experiment in a paper in which you were not supposed to assume your reader's knowledge of the sources. Depending on your assignment, your summary might be even shorter.

When you include a summary of a paper in your essay, you must cite the source. If you were using APA style in your paper, you would include a parenthetical citation in the summary, and you would also include a full citation in your reference list at the end of your paper. For the essay by Stanley Milgram, your citation in your references list would include the following information:

Milgram, S. (1974). The perils of obedience. In L.G. Kirszner & S.R. Mandell (Eds.), The Blair reader (pp.725-737).

When and how to paraphrase

When you paraphrase from a source, you restate the source's ideas in your own words. Whereas a summary provides your readers with a condensed overview of a source (or part of a source), a paraphrase of a source offers your readers the same level of detail provided in the original source. Therefore, while a summary will be shorter than the original source material, a paraphrase will generally be about the same length as the original source material.

When you use any part of a source in your paper—as background information, as evidence, as a counterargument to which you plan to respond, or in any other form—you will always need to decide whether to quote directly from the source or to paraphrase it. Unless you have a good reason to quote directly from the source , you should paraphrase the source. Any time you paraphrase an author's words and ideas in your paper, you should make it clear to your reader why you are presenting this particular material from a source at this point in your paper. You should also make sure you have represented the author accurately, that you have used your own words consistently, and that you have cited the source.

This paraphrase below restates one of Milgram's points in the author's own words. When you paraphrase, you should always cite the source. This paraphrase uses the APA in-text citation style. Every source you paraphrase should also be included in your list of references at the end of your paper. For citation format information go to the Citing Sources section of this guide.

Source material

The problem of obedience is not wholly psychological. The form and shape of society and the way it is developing have much to do with it. There was a time, perhaps, when people were able to give a fully human response to any situation because they were fully absorbed in it as human beings. But as soon as there was a division of labor things changed.

--Stanley Milgram, "The Perils of Obedience," p.737.

Milgram, S. (1974). The perils of obedience. In L.G. Kirszner & S.R. Mandell (Eds.), The Blair reader (pp.725-737). Prentice Hall.

Milgram (1974) claims that people's willingness to obey authority figures cannot be explained by psychological factors alone. In an earlier era, people may have had the ability to invest in social situations to a greater extent. However, as society has become increasingly structured by a division of labor, people have become more alienated from situations over which they do not have control (p.737).

When and how much to quote

The basic rule in all disciplines is that you should only quote directly from a text when it's important for your reader to see the actual language used by the author of the source. While paraphrase and summary are effective ways to introduce your reader to someone's ideas, quoting directly from a text allows you to introduce your reader to the way those ideas are expressed by showing such details as language, syntax, and cadence.

So, for example, it may be important for a reader to see a passage of text quoted directly from Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried if you plan to analyze the language of that passage in order to support your thesis about the book. On the other hand, if you're writing a paper in which you're making a claim about the reading habits of American elementary school students or reviewing the current research on Wilson's disease, the information you’re providing from sources will often be more important than the exact words. In those cases, you should paraphrase rather than quoting directly. Whether you quote from your source or paraphrase it, be sure to provide a citation for your source, using the correct format. (see Citing Sources section)

You should use quotations in the following situations:

• When you plan to discuss the actual language of a text.
• When you are discussing an author's position or theory, and you plan to discuss the wording of a core assertion or kernel of the argument in your paper.
• When you risk losing the essence of the author's ideas in the translation from their words to your own.
• When you want to appeal to the authority of the author and using their words will emphasize that authority.

Once you have decided to quote part of a text, you'll need to decide whether you are going to quote a long passage (a block quotation) or a short passage (a sentence or two within the text of your essay). Unless you are planning to do something substantive with a long quotation—to analyze the language in detail or otherwise break it down—you should not use block quotations in your essay. While long quotations will stretch your page limit, they don't add anything to your argument unless you also spend time discussing them in a way that illuminates a point you're making. Unless you are giving your readers something they need to appreciate your argument, you should use quotations sparingly.

When you quote from a source, you should make sure to cite the source either with an in-text citation or a note, depending on which citation style you are using.  The passage below, drawn from O’Brien’s  The Things They Carried , uses an MLA-style citation.

On the morning after Ted Lavender died, First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross crouched at the bottom of his foxhole and burned Martha's letters. Then he burned the two photographs. There was a steady rain falling, which made it difficult, but he used heat tabs and Sterno to build a small fire, screening it with his body holding the photographs over the tight blue flame with the tip of his fingers.

He realized it was only a gesture. Stupid, he thought. Sentimental, too, but mostly just stupid. (23)

O'Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried . New York: Broadway Books, 1990.

Even as Jimmy Cross burns Martha's letters, he realizes that "it was only a gesture. Stupid, he thought. Sentimental too, but mostly just stupid" (23).

If you were writing a paper about O'Brien's The Things They Carried in which you analyzed Cross's decision to burn Martha's letters and stop thinking about her, you might want your reader to see the language O'Brien uses to illustrate Cross's inner conflict. If you were planning to analyze the passage in which O'Brien calls Cross's realization stupid, sentimental, and then stupid again, you would want your reader to see the original language.

What’s the Difference? Summarizing, Paraphrasing, & Quoting

• Posted on November 29, 2023 November 29, 2023

What’s the Difference? Summarizing , Paraphrasing , & Quoting

Quoting, paraphrasing , and summarizing are three methods for including the ideas or research of other writers in your own work. In academic writing , such as essay writing or research papers , it is often necessary to utilize other people’s writing.

Outside sources are helpful in providing evidence or support written claims when arguing a point or persuading an audience. Being able to link the content of a piece to similar points made by other authors illustrates that one’s writing is not based entirely off personal thoughts or opinions and has support found from other credible individuals. In scientific work such as reports or experiment related writing, being able to point to another published or peer-reviewed writer can strengthen your personal research and even aid in explaining surprising or unusual findings. In all situations, referencing outside sources also elevates the integrity and quality of your work.

When pulling information from an outside source it is critical to properly use quotations, paraphrasing , or summarizing to avoid plagiarizing from the original passage . Plagiarism is portraying another’s work, ideas, and research as one’s own, and is an extremely serious disciplinary offense. Without using proper quotations, paraphrasing and summarizing , it can be easy to unintentionally plagiarize from the original source . Including citations that reference the author also helps ensure proper credit is given, and no accidental plagiarism occurs. Regardless of if APA , MLA or Chicago style are used, a citation must accompany the work of another author.

This article will compare these three concepts, to help users become more comfortable with each of them and the differing scenarios to utilize each. The article will also provide examples and give pointers to further increase familiarity with these essential techniques and prevent the happening of plagiarism .

What is Quoting?

Quoting is the restatement of a phrase, sentence, thought, or fact that was previously written by another author. A proper direct quotation includes the identical text without any words or punctuation adjusted.

One might use a quotation when they want to use the exact words from the original author , or when the author has introduced a new concept or idea that was of their conception. Oftentimes, the author already used concise, well-thought-out wording for an idea and it may be difficult to restate without using a direct quote .

However when repeating content from someone else’s work, one must use quotation marks with a corresponding citation or it will be considered plagiarism . The proper citation may also vary based on the citation style being used.

Examples of Quoting

In order to further the understanding of how to utilize quotes, some examples of incorrect and correct quotation are provided below.

Original Text: As natural selection acts solely by accumulating slight, successive, favorable variations, it can produce no great or sudden modification; it can act only by very short and slow steps

Incorrect Quotation Example: “Because natural selection acts only by accumulating slight, successive favorable variations. It can produce no greater or sudden modification and can only act by very short and slow steps

Correct Quotation Example: “As natural selection acts solely by accumulating slight, successive, favorable variations, it can produce no great or sudden modification; it can act only by very short and slow steps,” (Darwin 510).

The bad example provided does not include the identical text or identical grammar and punctuation to that of the original source . The quote is also lacking one quotation mark and a citation to attribute the initial author. Meanwhile, the good example i s completely identical to the original text and features a correct citation, making it a great example of a quote in use.

What is Paraphrasing ?

Paraphrasing is taking the written work, thoughts, or research of another author and putting it in one’s own words . Correct paraphrasing is done through the restatement of key ideas from another person’s work, but utilizing different words to avoid copying them. Oftentimes, finding synonyms to the words used by the original author helps to paraphrase .

One would use paraphrasing when they hope to capture the key points of a written work in their own writing . Paraphrasing should also be employed when the content of the original source is more important than the wording used. This writing technique is a good strategy to maintain one’s personal writing style throughout a written work.

Similar to quoting, even paraphrased material should be accompanied by the proper citation to avoid plagiarizing the initial author.

Examples of Paraphrasing

Original Content: The Statue of Liberty, one of the most recognizable symbols of freedom and democracy across the world, was a gift of friendship to America from France. Inaugurated in 1886, the statue is 305 feet tall and represents Libertas, the Roman liberty goddess, bearing a torch in her right hand and a tablet in her left hand with the date of the US Declaration of Independence. Broken shackles lay underneath the statue’s drapery, to symbolize the end of all types of servitude and oppression.

Incorrect Paraphrasing Example: The Statue of Liberty is an evident display of freedom and democracy for the whole world, and was created by France for America to represent their friendship. The 305 foot statue of the Roman liberty goddess Libertas was installed in 1886. The Statue of Liberty has a tablet with the US Declaration of Independence date in one hand and a torch in her other. She also has broken shackles on the ground to represent an end to enslavement and oppression.

Correct Paraphrasing Example: France presented the United States with the Statue of Liberty in 1886 to commemorate the two countries friendship. The Roman goddess of liberty, Libertas, stands 305 feet tall as a well-known tribute to freedom and democracy. The statue commemorates the US Declaration of Independence though the tablet in her left hand that accompanies a torch in her right. The Statue of Liberty also celebrates an end to oppression and servitude, indicated by broken chains by her feet ( Diaz, 2019 ).

The incorrect example provided featured a sentence structure that followed too closely to that of the original text. Additionally, the writer only swapped out a few words for very common synonyms  so the paraphrased content is ultimately too similar to the original text. An academic work that used this  paraphrase  would be cited for  plagiarism .

On the other hand, the correct example featured paraphrased content that is properly cited, with variety to the sentence structure and text that includes words beyond just synonyms to words in the original content. This example also contains the main ideas, but is ultimately slightly condensed from the original text.

What Is Summarizing ?

Summarizing is providing a brief description of the key ideas from a written work. This description should be in one’s own writing , and is typically significantly shorter than the source material because it only touches on the main points .

Summaries are commonly used when a writer hopes to capture the central idea of a work, without relying on the specific wording that the original author used to explain the idea. They also can provide a background or overview of content needed to understand a topic being discussed. This strategy still captures the meaning of the original text without straying from one’s personal tone and writing style.

Unlike paraphrasing and quoting, a summary does not require an in- text citation and only occasionally needs accreditation to the original writer’s work .

Examples of Summarizing

In order to further the understanding of how to summarize content in your writing, some examples of incorrect and correct summaries for the short children’s story Goldilocks and The Three Bears are provided below.

Incorrect Summary Example: Once upon a time, Goldilocks went for a walk on the beach when she saw a house and went in it. In the house she found three bowls of soup and decided to try them all, but one was too hot, one was too cold and one was just right. Next, Goldilocks tried to sit in three different chairs but only found one that fit her perfectly. Lastly, she went to the back of the house and found three beds. Just like the soup and chairs she tested all of them before picking one that she liked the best and taking a nice long nap. The End.

Correct Summary Example: In Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Robert Southy, a young girl wanders into the house of three bears where she tastes three different porridges; sits in three different chairs; and naps in three different beds before finding one of each that fits her. Goldilocks is eventually found by the bears who are upset about her intrusion and usage of their personal belongings.

The incorrect example provided would not be considered a good summary for a few reasons. Primarily, this summary does not summarize well, as provides too much unnecessary detail and an individual would still be able to comprehend the main point of the story without it. The summary also ends without touching on the most important point , which is the lesson of the story. This summary also provides inaccurate information, and lacks a citation.

Meanwhile, the correct example is a good summary because it does not spend too much time on any certain aspect of the story. The reader is still able to understand exactly what happens to Goldilocks without consuming any non-essential details. This summary also provides completely accurate information and touches on the main point or lesson from the story.

Differences and Similarities

There are a few major differences and similarities between the three writing techniques discussed.

Quoting, paraphrasing , and summarizing are similar in that they are all writing techniques that can be used to include the work of other authors in one’s own writing . It is common for writers to use these strategies collectively in one piece to provide variety in their references and across their work. These three strategies also share the similarity of helping to prevent plagiarizing the content from the original source . All three of these methods require some form of citation and attribution to the original author to completely avoid plagiarizing.

Oppositely, the main difference between quoting, paraphrasing , and summarizing is that quoting is done word for word from the original work . Both paraphrasing and summarizing only touch on the key points and are written with some variation from the initial author’s work , usually in the style and tone of the new author. When comparing just the latter two, paraphrased material tends to be closer in length to the actual material, because it only slightly condenses the original passage . On the other hand, a summary is most likely significantly shorter than the original author’s work since this method only pulls from the most important points .

Final Thoughts

It is extremely common to utilize the previous writing of others, especially in academic writing . These original works enhance the quality and honesty of one’s work while also providing backing and emphasis to the points made.

Quoting, paraphrasing , and summarizing are all strategies for incorporating the thoughts, ideas, research, and writing from another author in one’s own work. The three methods explained are also safe strategies to employ to avoid accidental plagiarism of the original passage .

Another strategy to ensure one’s writing is properly quoted, paraphrased, and summarized is by using a plagiarism checker. Quetext provides an easy-to-use plagiarism checker that verifies the originality of work and can create citations for any sources cited throughout the paper.

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Margaret H. Ordoubadian University Writing Center at MTSU

University writing center, res 3: quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing.

Dynamic PDF:   Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing

Overview 

Quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing are tools writers can use to incorporate sources into their own writing.  Learning when and how to utilize each of these skills is key to producing polished, professional research projects. Though the exact specifics of incorporating outside sources can differ between disciplines, knowing some basic guidelines can help.

Quoting occurs when you incorporate part of another person’s writing or speech word for word. They are set off by quotation marks. However, be careful not to “pluck” and “plop” the original source into your work. Instead, consider introducing your quote with a leading phrase and make sure you note where the information comes from.

• Example: Stephen King (2000) advises, “You can read anywhere, almost, but when it comes to writing, library carrels, park benches, and rented flats should be courts of last resort” (155).

When to quote: Quotes should be used sparingly in writing since too many quotes can bog down the reader. However, a carefully-placed quote can be used to demonstrate specific details about a source that might be lost in a paraphrase.

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing occurs when you incorporate an idea from another person’s writing or speech, but instead of using the exact wording of the author, you write the idea in your own way. A paraphrase uses approximately the same amount of words as the original text. Even though you are not directly quoting, you should still cite where the information comes from.

• Example: Stephen King (2000) advises fellow writers that while reading can be done from anywhere, writing should occur, if possible, away from distracting places like park benches (155).

When to paraphrase: Paraphrasing should be used when you want to incorporate ideas from others but feel like your own phrasing will make the idea become better integrated into your writing. The choice between quote and paraphrase depends on the writing situation. 

Summarizing

Summarizing occurs when you want to condense information and present the idea in a concise way to the reader. Like a paraphrase, a summary will be worded in your own way and must be cited. However, a summary will be much shorter in length from the original source.

• Example: In the “On Writing” section of Stephen King’s (2000) book, he emphasizes that good writers should be constantly reading as a way to inadvertently hone their writing craft (145-148).

When to summarize: Summarizing can be used any time you want to express a main idea of an entire text or a larger portion of a text.

Best practices: Avoiding Plagiarism and Patchwriting

Effective paraphrasing begins with your own research process. When you encounter a passage you think might be helpful, try not to copy down that passage verbatim. Instead, jot down the outline of the argument or thought and make sure to indicate the page number or location for future reference. When you’re ready to incorporate that research into your paper, you can expand your notes using your own words. Once you’ve written and incorporated a paraphrase, remember to include a citation.

Patchwriting  occurs when a writer essentially uses the original source’s wording but only rearranges, adds, or deletes a few words or phrases. This is not best practice in responsibly using sources.

• Original Source: “You can read anywhere, almost, but when it comes to writing, library carrels, park benches, and rented flats should be courts of last resort.”
• Patchwritten: Stephen King (2000) says that you can read any place, almost, but when it comes time to write, benches, library spaces, and rented flats should be a last resort (155).

The underlined portion here indicates the author’s original words. As one can see, the student needs to decide whether or not to quote directly or attempt a better paraphrase.

To paraphrase responsibly:

• Close it  (After you’ve read the part of the source you wish to use, close it or put it away.)
• Compose it  (Attempt your paraphrase.)
• Check it  (Check to ensure that your paraphrase is not only original but also still accurately captures the idea of the original source.)
• Cite it  (Don’t forget to cite the source in the citation style required.)

Some Helpful Resources

• Driscoll, Dana Lynn and Allen Brizee. “Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing.”  Purdue OWL , 2018 . 
• Plotnick, Jerry. “Paraphrase and Summary.”  UC Writing Centre: Handouts on Writing .

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An Introduction to Paraphrasing, Summarizing, and Quoting

by jleemcga | Sep 6, 2023 | Resources for Students , Writing Resources

Whenever we’re assigned an essay or writing project that asks us to reference others’ ideas, it can be difficult to determine when to use our own words, the author’s words, or an overview of the text instead. These are all ways of integrating external source material into our own writing. It is important to feel comfortable paraphrasing, summarizing, and directly quoting within our writing in order to effectively and meaningfully reference our research and enhance our own credibility as writers.

Why Should I Paraphrase, Summarize, and Quote in My Writing?

The purpose for referencing external source material is to strengthen the evidence and reasoning within our own writing. If we’re writing an essay, reflection, discussion board post, or any written assignment that responds to other texts or a course topic, it is important that we know how to integrate credible and relevant information from other authors and sources on the same topic.

Doing so allows us to enter the scholarly conversation, which consists of the existing publications, discussions, and work surrounding a particular topic within a discipline. Think of it as pulling your chair up to the table where others are already seated and having a conversation; there is a topic laid out on the table, and several folks are already offering their perspectives and thoughts on the topic. You pull up your chair, listen to what others have to say first to help inform your own understanding of the topic (even though you may have an opinion already!), and then thoughtfully and carefully offer up your own point of view on the same topic for others to listen to. Just like with any conversation, we listen and respond to what others have to say before us in order to show respect, understanding, and objectivity. This is where paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting directly comes in handy— we can reference what others have said before us and respond. Being able to reference other source material allows us to:

• Provide credible support for our ideas
• Give a variety of examples and different perspectives on our topic
• Emphasize significant and interesting ideas from our research
• Acknowledge the ongoing scholarly conversation surrounding our topic

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• Citation Styles

Quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing: what’s the difference?

When you write a research paper, you’re required to include evidence from scholarly sources in order to prove your thesis. In this post, we discuss the three most common ways to include source material in your research paper: quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing.

What is quoting?

When you quote, you use exact words from a source in between quotation marks. You may want to quote directly from a source when the information is particularly complex or when the quote expresses an idea or point in a way that perfectly captures the situation, concept, or thought.

If you’re using a quote that is more than four lines, you should include the material as a block quote. To learn more about how to quote, take a look at our tips for integrating quotes into a research paper. Always include an in-text citation after the quoted material.

What is paraphrasing?

When you paraphrase, you re-write borrowed material in your own words. Paraphrasing requires you to change the words of the quote without changing their meaning.

Paraphrases are typically shorter than the quotes that they restate and always require an in-text citation that credits the original source material.

What is summarizing?

A summary provides an overview of an idea or topic. You might wish to summarize parts of a source if you’re writing a literature review as part of a longer research paper.

Summarizing requires you to sum up the key points of a text, argument, or idea. A summary will be shorter than the original material. Even if you’re not using any of the source’s exact words in your summary, you still need to include an in-text citation.

How do you know when to quote, paraphrase, or summarize material?

Quotes, paraphrases, and summaries are simply different ways of presenting borrowed information. However, there are definitely situations in which one mode may be better than another.

When to use quotes

While it’s a myth that you should avoid using quotes as much as possible in a research paper, you do need to ensure that you are using them effectively. Turning in a paper full quotes is certainly not a good idea, but quotes can be useful if:

• you are trying to make a particularly complex point
• you intend to analyze or interpret a quote’s language
• you need to provide a definition of something
• a quote perfectly encapsulates an idea that is important to your argument

When to paraphrase

Paraphrasing allows you to confirm that you fully understand a quote’s meaning and to explain that content in your own words. There may be several reasons why you would choose to paraphrase a passage, rather than quote it. You might use paraphrase if:

• the material is relatively easy to describe
• you don’t wish to break up the flow of your writing with quotes
• you don’t intend to provide analysis of the information
• you want to combine material from several sources

When to summarize

Summary allows you to synthesize a larger amount of information from a single source or multiple sources. An effective summary will highlight the key points of a text in a concise manner. In a research paper, you’ll primarily use summary in the literature review or state-of-the-field section.

Examples of quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing

Quoting example.

When you quote, you should always try to “sandwich” the quote in your own words. You can also break up longer quotes with ellipses, or with snippets like “Smith explains.” For instance, in the example below, the writer uses her own words to lead into, and out of, the quotes.

Jenna Lay claims that “Catholic women resisted any easy demarcation between a Catholic medieval past and a Protestant, reformed present in both their religious practices and their print and manuscript books,” an argument that can be extended to include entire Catholic families (16). However, despite the fact that scholars such as Patton, Lay, and Jennifer Summit have argued that “we stand to learn much when we determine […] whether the early modern collector of a medieval devotional book was a Catholic or Protestant,” few studies have explored in any depth how Catholics used their books in the post-Reformation period.

Paraphrasing example

In the example below, the writer succinctly paraphrases one of the main points of a book chapter. Even though there are no direct quotes, she still includes an in-text, parenthetical citation at the end of the paraphrase.

Elizabeth Patton, in her research on Catholic women’s bookscapes, contends that the staunchest Catholic families maintained textual networks in which they circulated books that were banned in Protestant England, including copies of medieval devotional manuscripts (117).

Summarizing example

In the following summary, the writer uses her own words to provide a concise, yet thorough, summary of an article’s purpose and use of evidence. Again, although no direct quotes are included, the writer adds an in-text citation at the end of the example.

To establish the importance of this main point, Raghavan and Pargman firstly explore two related paradigms in sustainable HCI research: sustainable computing and computing for sustainability. The latter, they argue, has been simultaneously under- and overdeveloped and offers little in the way of practical solutions for how computing can lessen humans’ ecological impact. As a result, they focus on computing for sustainability and explore how disintermediation can catalyze solutions across several key categories, including value, class, labor, and social control. Importantly, they note that policy solutions have failed to fully address the relationship between computing and sustainability (1-2).

In-text citations for quotes, paraphrases, and summaries

Whether you’re quoting exact words from a text, paraphrasing a quote in your own words, or summarizing someone else’s work, you’ll need to include in-text citations for any borrowed material.

You can use BibGuru to create in-text citations in MLA , APA , or any major citation style . Most in-text citations are in the form of parenthetical citations . It’s always a good idea to consult your assignment guidelines, or your instructor, to find out which citation style is required for your paper.

Frequently Asked Questions about quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing

When you quote, you use exact words from a source in between quotation marks. When you paraphrase, you re-write borrowed material in your own words.

Paraphrasing requires you to change the words of the quote without changing their meaning.

Summarizing requires you to sum up the key points of a text, argument, or idea. A summary will be shorter than the original material. Even if you’re not using any of the author’s exact words in your summary, you still need to include an in-text citation.

When you quote, you should always try to “sandwich” the quote in your own words. You can also break up longer quotes with ellipses or with snippets like “Smith explains.” For instance, in the example below, the writer uses her owd words to lead into, and out of, the quote.

Paraphrasing allows you to confirm that you fully understand a quote’s meaning and to explain that content in your own words.

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For students and teachers.

Quoting and Paraphrasing

Download this Handout PDF

College writing often involves integrating information from published sources into your own writing in order to add credibility and authority–this process is essential to research and the production of new knowledge.

However, when building on the work of others, you need to be careful not to plagiarize : “to steal and pass off (the ideas and words of another) as one’s own” or to “present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source.”1 The University of Wisconsin–Madison takes this act of “intellectual burglary” very seriously and considers it to be a breach of academic integrity . Penalties are severe.

These materials will help you avoid plagiarism by teaching you how to properly integrate information from published sources into your own writing.

1. Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 10th ed. (Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, 1993), 888.

How to avoid plagiarism

When using sources in your papers, you can avoid plagiarism by knowing what must be documented.

Specific words and phrases

If you use an author’s specific word or words, you must place those words within quotation marks and you must credit the source.

Information and Ideas

Even if you use your own words, if you obtained the information or ideas you are presenting from a source, you must document the source.

Information : If a piece of information isn’t common knowledge (see below), you need to provide a source.

Ideas : An author’s ideas may include not only points made and conclusions drawn, but, for instance, a specific method or theory, the arrangement of material, or a list of steps in a process or characteristics of a medical condition. If a source provided any of these, you need to acknowledge the source.

Common Knowledge?

You do not need to cite a source for material considered common knowledge:

General common knowledge is factual information considered to be in the public domain, such as birth and death dates of well-known figures, and generally accepted dates of military, political, literary, and other historical events. In general, factual information contained in multiple standard reference works can usually be considered to be in the public domain.

Field-specific common knowledge is “common” only within a particular field or specialty. It may include facts, theories, or methods that are familiar to readers within that discipline. For instance, you may not need to cite a reference to Piaget’s developmental stages in a paper for an education class or give a source for your description of a commonly used method in a biology report—but you must be sure that this information is so widely known within that field that it will be shared by your readers.

If in doubt, be cautious and cite the source. And in the case of both general and field-specific common knowledge, if you use the exact words of the reference source, you must use quotation marks and credit the source.

Paraphrasing vs. Quoting — Explanation

Should i paraphrase or quote.

In general, use direct quotations only if you have a good reason. Most of your paper should be in your own words. Also, it’s often conventional to quote more extensively from sources when you’re writing a humanities paper, and to summarize from sources when you’re writing in the social or natural sciences–but there are always exceptions.

In a literary analysis paper , for example, you”ll want to quote from the literary text rather than summarize, because part of your task in this kind of paper is to analyze the specific words and phrases an author uses.

In research papers , you should quote from a source

• to show that an authority supports your point
• to present a position or argument to critique or comment on
• to include especially moving or historically significant language
• to present a particularly well-stated passage whose meaning would be lost or changed if paraphrased or summarized

You should summarize or paraphrase when

• what you want from the source is the idea expressed, and not the specific language used to express it
• you can express in fewer words what the key point of a source is

How to paraphrase a source

General advice.

• When reading a passage, try first to understand it as a whole, rather than pausing to write down specific ideas or phrases.
• Be selective. Unless your assignment is to do a formal or “literal” paraphrase, you usually don?t need to paraphrase an entire passage; instead, choose and summarize the material that helps you make a point in your paper.
• Think of what “your own words” would be if you were telling someone who’s unfamiliar with your subject (your mother, your brother, a friend) what the original source said.
• Remember that you can use direct quotations of phrases from the original within your paraphrase, and that you don’t need to change or put quotation marks around shared language.

Methods of Paraphrasing

• Look away from the source then write. Read the text you want to paraphrase several times until you feel that you understand it and can use your own words to restate it to someone else. Then, look away from the original and rewrite the text in your own words.
• Take notes. Take abbreviated notes; set the notes aside; then paraphrase from the notes a day or so later, or when you draft.

If you find that you can’t do A or B, this may mean that you don’t understand the passage completely or that you need to use a more structured process until you have more experience in paraphrasing.

The method below is not only a way to create a paraphrase but also a way to understand a difficult text.

Paraphrasing difficult texts

Consider the following passage from Love and Toil (a book on motherhood in London from 1870 to 1918), in which the author, Ellen Ross, puts forth one of her major arguments:

• Love and Toil maintains that family survival was the mother’s main charge among the large majority of London?s population who were poor or working class; the emotional and intellectual nurture of her child or children and even their actual comfort were forced into the background. To mother was to work for and organize household subsistence. (p. 9)

Children of the poor at the turn of the century received little if any emotional or intellectual nurturing from their mothers, whose main charge was family survival. Working for and organizing household subsistence were what defined mothering. Next to this, even the children’s basic comfort was forced into the background (Ross, 1995).

According to Ross (1993), poor children at the turn of the century received little mothering in our sense of the term. Mothering was defined by economic status, and among the poor, a mother’s foremost responsibility was not to stimulate her children’s minds or foster their emotional growth but to provide food and shelter to meet the basic requirements for physical survival. Given the magnitude of this task, children were deprived of even the “actual comfort” (p. 9) we expect mothers to provide today.

You may need to go through this process several times to create a satisfactory paraphrase.

Successful vs. unsuccessful paraphrases

Paraphrasing is often defined as putting a passage from an author into “your own words.” But what are your own words? How different must your paraphrase be from the original?

The paragraphs below provide an example by showing a passage as it appears in the source, two paraphrases that follow the source too closely, and a legitimate paraphrase.

The student’s intention was to incorporate the material in the original passage into a section of a paper on the concept of “experts” that compared the functions of experts and nonexperts in several professions.

The Passage as It Appears in the Source

Critical care nurses function in a hierarchy of roles. In this open heart surgery unit, the nurse manager hires and fires the nursing personnel. The nurse manager does not directly care for patients but follows the progress of unusual or long-term patients. On each shift a nurse assumes the role of resource nurse. This person oversees the hour-by-hour functioning of the unit as a whole, such as considering expected admissions and discharges of patients, ascertaining that beds are available for patients in the operating room, and covering sick calls. Resource nurses also take a patient assignment. They are the most experienced of all the staff nurses. The nurse clinician has a separate job description and provides for quality of care by orienting new staff, developing unit policies, and providing direct support where needed, such as assisting in emergency situations. The clinical nurse specialist in this unit is mostly involved with formal teaching in orienting new staff. The nurse manager, nurse clinician, and clinical nurse specialist are the designated experts. They do not take patient assignments. The resource nurse is seen as both a caregiver and a resource to other caregivers. . . . Staff nurses have a hierarchy of seniority. . . . Staff nurses are assigned to patients to provide all their nursing care. (Chase, 1995, p. 156)

Word-for-Word Plagiarism

Critical care nurses have a hierarchy of roles. The nurse manager hires and fires nurses. S/he does not directly care for patients but does follow unusual or long-term cases. On each shift a resource nurse attends to the functioning of the unit as a whole, such as making sure beds are available in the operating room , and also has a patient assignment . The nurse clinician orients new staff, develops policies, and provides support where needed . The clinical nurse specialist also orients new staff, mostly by formal teaching. The nurse manager, nurse clinician, and clinical nurse specialist , as the designated experts, do not take patient assignments . The resource nurse is not only a caregiver but a resource to the other caregivers . Within the staff nurses there is also a hierarchy of seniority . Their job is to give assigned patients all their nursing care .

Why this is plagiarism

Notice that the writer has not only “borrowed” Chase’s material (the results of her research) with no acknowledgment, but has also largely maintained the author’s method of expression and sentence structure. The phrases in red are directly copied from the source or changed only slightly in form.

Even if the student-writer had acknowledged Chase as the source of the content, the language of the passage would be considered plagiarized because no quotation marks indicate the phrases that come directly from Chase. And if quotation marks did appear around all these phrases, this paragraph would be so cluttered that it would be unreadable.

A Patchwork Paraphrase

Chase (1995) describes how nurses in a critical care unit function in a hierarchy that places designated experts at the top and the least senior staff nurses at the bottom. The experts — the nurse manager, nurse clinician, and clinical nurse specialist — are not involved directly in patient care. The staff nurses, in contrast, are assigned to patients and provide all their nursing care . Within the staff nurses is a hierarchy of seniority in which the most senior can become resource nurses: they are assigned a patient but also serve as a resource to other caregivers. The experts have administrative and teaching tasks such as selecting and orienting new staff, developing unit policies , and giving hands-on support where needed.

This paraphrase is a patchwork composed of pieces in the original author’s language (in red) and pieces in the student-writer’s words, all rearranged into a new pattern, but with none of the borrowed pieces in quotation marks. Thus, even though the writer acknowledges the source of the material, the underlined phrases are falsely presented as the student’s own.

A Legitimate Paraphrase

In her study of the roles of nurses in a critical care unit, Chase (1995) also found a hierarchy that distinguished the roles of experts and others. Just as the educational experts described above do not directly teach students, the experts in this unit do not directly attend to patients. That is the role of the staff nurses, who, like teachers, have their own “hierarchy of seniority” (p. 156). The roles of the experts include employing unit nurses and overseeing the care of special patients (nurse manager), teaching and otherwise integrating new personnel into the unit (clinical nurse specialist and nurse clinician), and policy-making (nurse clinician). In an intermediate position in the hierarchy is the resource nurse, a staff nurse with more experience than the others, who assumes direct care of patients as the other staff nurses do, but also takes on tasks to ensure the smooth operation of the entire facility.

Why this is a good paraphrase

The writer has documented Chase’s material and specific language (by direct reference to the author and by quotation marks around language taken directly from the source). Notice too that the writer has modified Chase’s language and structure and has added material to fit the new context and purpose — to present the distinctive functions of experts and nonexperts in several professions.

Shared Language

Perhaps you’ve noticed that a number of phrases from the original passage appear in the legitimate paraphrase: critical care, staff nurses, nurse manager, clinical nurse specialist, nurse clinician, resource nurse.

If all these phrases were in red, the paraphrase would look much like the “patchwork” example. The difference is that the phrases in the legitimate paraphrase are all precise, economical, and conventional designations that are part of the shared language within the nursing discipline (in the too-close paraphrases, they’re red only when used within a longer borrowed phrase).

In every discipline and in certain genres (such as the empirical research report), some phrases are so specialized or conventional that you can’t paraphrase them except by wordy and awkward circumlocutions that would be less familiar (and thus less readable) to the audience.

When you repeat such phrases, you’re not stealing the unique phrasing of an individual writer but using a common vocabulary shared by a community of scholars.

Some Examples of Shared Language You Don’t Need to Put in Quotation Marks

• Conventional designations: e.g., physician’s assistant, chronic low-back pain
• Preferred bias-free language: e.g., persons with disabilities
• Technical terms and phrases of a discipline or genre : e.g., reduplication, cognitive domain, material culture, sexual harassment

Chase, S. K. (1995). The social context of critical care clinical judgment. Heart and Lung, 24, 154-162.

How to Quote a Source

Introducing a quotation.

One of your jobs as a writer is to guide your reader through your text. Don’t simply drop quotations into your paper and leave it to the reader to make connections.

Integrating a quotation into your text usually involves two elements:

• A signal that a quotation is coming–generally the author’s name and/or a reference to the work
• An assertion that indicates the relationship of the quotation to your text

Often both the signal and the assertion appear in a single introductory statement, as in the example below. Notice how a transitional phrase also serves to connect the quotation smoothly to the introductory statement.

Ross (1993), in her study of poor and working-class mothers in London from 1870-1918 [signal], makes it clear that economic status to a large extent determined the meaning of motherhood [assertion]. Among this population [connection], “To mother was to work for and organize household subsistence” (p. 9).

The signal can also come after the assertion, again with a connecting word or phrase:

Illness was rarely a routine matter in the nineteenth century [assertion]. As [connection] Ross observes [signal], “Maternal thinking about children’s health revolved around the possibility of a child’s maiming or death” (p. 166).

Formatting Quotations

Short direct prose.

Incorporate short direct prose quotations into the text of your paper and enclose them in double quotation marks:

According to Jonathan Clarke, “Professional diplomats often say that trying to think diplomatically about foreign policy is a waste of time.”

Longer prose quotations

Begin longer quotations (for instance, in the APA system, 40 words or more) on a new line and indent the entire quotation (i.e., put in block form), with no quotation marks at beginning or end, as in the quoted passage from our Successful vs. Unsucessful Paraphrases page.

Rules about the minimum length of block quotations, how many spaces to indent, and whether to single- or double-space extended quotations vary with different documentation systems; check the guidelines for the system you’re using.

Quotation of Up to 3 Lines of Poetry

Quotations of up to 3 lines of poetry should be integrated into your sentence. For example:

In Julius Caesar, Antony begins his famous speech with “Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears; / I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him” (III.ii.75-76).

Notice that a slash (/) with a space on either side is used to separate lines.

Quotation of More than 3 Lines of Poetry

More than 3 lines of poetry should be indented. As with any extended (indented) quotation, do not use quotation marks unless you need to indicate a quotation within your quotation.

Punctuating with Quotation Marks

Parenthetical citations.

With short quotations, place citations outside of closing quotation marks, followed by sentence punctuation (period, question mark, comma, semi-colon, colon):

Menand (2002) characterizes language as “a social weapon” (p. 115).

With block quotations, check the guidelines for the documentation system you are using.

Commas and periods

Place inside closing quotation marks when no parenthetical citation follows:

Hertzberg (2002) notes that “treating the Constitution as imperfect is not new,” but because of Dahl’s credentials, his “apostasy merits attention” (p. 85).

Semicolons and colons

Place outside of closing quotation marks (or after a parenthetical citation).

Question marks and exclamation points

Place inside closing quotation marks if the quotation is a question/exclamation:

Menand (2001) acknowledges that H. W. Fowler’s Modern English Usage is “a classic of the language,” but he asks, “Is it a dead classic?” (p. 114).

[Note that a period still follows the closing parenthesis.]

Place outside of closing quotation marks if the entire sentence containing the quotation is a question or exclamation:

How many students actually read the guide to find out what is meant by “academic misconduct”?

Quotation within a quotation

Use single quotation marks for the embedded quotation:

According to Hertzberg (2002), Dahl gives the U. S. Constitution “bad marks in ‘democratic fairness’ and ‘encouraging consensus'” (p. 90).

[The phrases “democratic fairness” and “encouraging consensus” are already in quotation marks in Dahl’s sentence.]

Indicating Changes in Quotations

Quoting only a portion of the whole.

Use ellipsis points (. . .) to indicate an omission within a quotation–but not at the beginning or end unless it’s not obvious that you’re quoting only a portion of the whole.

Adding Clarification, Comment, or Correction

Within quotations, use square brackets [ ] (not parentheses) to add your own clarification, comment, or correction.

Use [sic] (meaning “so” or “thus”) to indicate that a mistake is in the source you’re quoting and is not your own.

Additional information

Information on summarizing and paraphrasing sources.

American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (4th ed.). (2000). Retrieved January 7, 2002, from http://www.bartleby.com/61/ Bazerman, C. (1995). The informed writer: Using sources in the disciplines (5th ed). Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Leki, I. (1995). Academic writing: Exploring processes and strategies (2nd ed.) New York: St. Martin?s Press, pp. 185-211.

Leki describes the basic method presented in C, pp. 4-5.

Spatt, B. (1999). Writing from sources (5th ed.) New York: St. Martin?s Press, pp. 98-119; 364-371.

Information about specific documentation systems

The Writing Center has handouts explaining how to use many of the standard documentation systems. You may look at our general Web page on Documentation Systems, or you may check out any of the following specific Web pages.

If you’re not sure which documentation system to use, ask the course instructor who assigned your paper.

• American Psychological Assoicaion (APA)
• Modern Language Association (MLA)
• Chicago/Turabian (A Footnote or Endnote System)
• American Political Science Association (APSA)
• Council of Science Editors (CBE)
• Numbered References

You may also consult the following guides:

• American Medical Association, Manual for Authors and Editors
• Council of Science Editors, CBE style Manual
• The Chicago Manual of Style
• MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
• Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association

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Summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting.

This handout is available for download in DOCX format and PDF format .

This handout is intended to help you become more comfortable with the uses of and distinctions among summaries, paraphrases, and quotations.

What are the differences among summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting?

These three ways of incorporating other writers' work into your own writing differ according to the closeness of your writing to the source writing.

Summarizing

• Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including only the main point(s). Although you are using your own words, it is still necessary to attribute the summarized ideas to the original source. Summaries are significantly shorter than the original and take a broad overview of the source material.

Paraphrasing

• Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from the source 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.
• 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 also be attributed to the original author.

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 to show that the words are not your own
• Expand the breadth or depth of your writing

Writers frequently intertwine summaries, paraphrases, and quotations, including paraphrases of 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 and when should I summarize, paraphrase, or quote?

Before you summarize a source in your paper, decide what your reader needs to know about that source in order to understand your argument. For example, if you are making an argument about a novel, avoid filling pages of your paper with details from the book that will distract or confuse your reader. Instead, add details sparingly, going only into the depth that is necessary for your reader to understand and appreciate your argument. Similarly, if you are writing a paper about a non-fiction article, highlight the most relevant parts of the argument for your reader, but do not include all of the background information and examples.

When you use any part of a source in your paper, you will always need to decide whether to quote directly from the source or to paraphrase it. Unless you have a good reason to quote directly from the source, you should paraphrase the source. Make it clear to your reader why you are presenting this particular material from a source, and be sure that you have represented the author accurately, that you have used your own words consistently, and that you have cited the source.

As a basic rule of thumb, you should only quote directly from a text when it is important for your reader to see the actual language used by the author of the source. While paraphrase and summary are effective ways to introduce your reader to someone's ideas, quoting directly from a text allows you to introduce your reader to the way those ideas are expressed by showing such details as language, syntax, and cadence. There are several ways to integrate quotations into your text; often a short quotation works well when integrated into a sentence, while longer quotations can stand alone. Whatever their length, be sure you have a good reason to include a direct quotation when you decide to do so.

You can become more comfortable using these three techniques by summarizing an essay of your choice, 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.

Credit: Adapted from the “Harvard Guide to Using Sources,” https://usingsources.fas.harvard.edu/summarizing-paraphrasing-and-quoting , and the Purdue OWL Guide, https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/using_research/quoting_paraphrasing_and_summarizing/index.html , 2020.

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Paraphrasing, Summarising and Quoting

Much of the work you produce at university will involve the important ideas, writings and discoveries of experts in your field of study. Quoting, paraphrasing and summarising are all different ways of including the works of others in your assignments.

Paraphrasing and summarising allow you to develop and demonstrate your understanding and interpretation of the major ideas/concepts of your discipline, and to  avoid plagiarism.

Paraphrasing and summarising require analytical and writing skills which are crucial to success at university.

What are the differences?

Paraphrasing.

• does not match the source word for word
• involves putting a passage from a source into your own words
• changes the words or phrasing of a passage, but retains and fully communicates the original meaning
• must be attributed to the original source.

Summarising

• involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, but including only the main point(s)
• presents a broad overview, so is usually much shorter than the original text
• match the source word for word
• are usually a brief segment of the text
• appear between quotation marks

What is a quotation?  

A quotation is an exact reproduction of spoken or written words. Quotes can provide strong evidence, act as an authoritative voice, or support a writer's statements. For example:

Bell and Bell (1993) point out in their study of Australian-American cultural relations: "culture is never simply imposed 'from above' but is negotiated through existing patterns and traditions." (Bell & Bell 1993, p. 9)

Use a quote:

• when the author's words convey a powerful meaning
• when the exact words are important
• when you want to use the author as an authoritative voice in your own writing
• to introduce an author's position you may wish to discuss
• to support claims in, or provide evidence for, your writing.

How to quote

Quoting should be done sparingly and support your own work, not replace it. For example, make a point in your own words, then support it with an authoritative quote.

• appear between quotation marks (" ")
• exactly reproduce text, including punctuation and capital letters.
• A short quotation often works well when integrated into a sentence.
• If any words need to be omitted for clarity, show the omission with an ellipsis ( ... ).
• If any words need to be added to the quotation, put them between square brackets ([ ]).
• Longer quotations (more than 3 lines of text) should start on a new line and be indented on both sides. 

What is paraphrasing?

Paraphrasing is a way of using different words and phrasing to present the same ideas. Paraphrasing is used with short sections of text, such as phrases and sentences.

A paraphrase offers an alternative to using direct quotations and allows you to integrate evidence/source material into assignments. Paraphrasing can also be used for note-taking and explaining information in tables, charts and diagrams.

When to paraphrase

Paraphrase short sections of work only i.e. a sentence or two or a short paragraph:

• as an alternative to a direct quotation
• to rewrite someone else's ideas without changing the meaning
• to express someone else's ideas in your own words

How to paraphrase

• Read the original source carefully. It is essential that you understand it fully.
• Identify the main point(s) and key words.
• Cover the original text and rewrite it in your own words. Check that you have included the main points and essential information.
• Ensure that you keep the original meaning and maintain the same relationship between main ideas and supporting points.
• Use synonyms (words or expression which have a similar meaning) where appropriate. Key words that are specialised subject vocabulary do not need to be changed.
• If you want to retain unique or specialist phrases, use quotation marks (“ “).
• Change the grammar and sentence structure. Break up a long sentence into two shorter ones or combine two short sentences into one. Change the voice (active/passive) or change word forms (e.g. nouns, adjectives).
• Change the order in which information/ideas are presented, as long as they still make sense in a different order.
• Identify the attitude of the authors to their subject (i.e. certain, uncertain, critical etc.) and make sure your paraphrase reflects this. Use the appropriate reporting word or phrase.
• Review your paraphrase to check it accurately reflects the original text but is in your words and style.
• Record the original source, including the page number, so that you can provide a reference.

What is a summary?

A summary is an overview of a text. The main aim of summarising is to reduce or condense a text to its most important ideas. Leave out details, examples and formalities. Summarising is a useful skill for making notes, writing an abstract/synopsis, and incorporating material in assignments.

When to summarise

Summarise long sections of work, like a long paragraph, page or chapter. 

• To outline the main points of someone else's work in your own words, without the details or examples.
• To include an author's ideas using fewer words than the original text.
• To briefly give examples of several differing points of view on a topic.
• To support claims in, or provide evidence for, your writing.

How to summarise

The amount of detail you include in a summary will vary according to the length of the original text, how much information you need, and how selective you are.

• Start by reading a short text and highlighting the main points.
• Reread the text and make notes of the main points, leaving out examples, evidence, etc.
• Rewrite your notes in your own words; restate the main idea at the beginning plus all major points.
• Transition signals in writing
• Quotations and paraphrases
• Punctuation
• Paraphrasing, summarising, quoting
• ^ More support

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Integrating Sources Into Your Paper

Integrating sources into a paper can be challenging. How much of a source do you use? When should you use quotation marks? It is important to remember that you are the author of a paper, so sources are properly used to back up your own arguments, not state an argument in themselves, so how you use them depends on the structure of your paper and your argument.

Let's use this paragraph from a scholarly article to illustrate examples of quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing a source

• Use quotations when you are repeating something from a source exactly word for word .
• You should use quotation marks even if you are only taking just a few words from a source .
• Quotes can help lend authority to an initial argument, but should not be relied upon too heavily in a paper. If you find yourself quoting an entire paragraph, a paraphrasing or summary of that content may often be more appropriate.
• Quotes can and should be used when the original author’s wording is unusual, unique, or memorably states a point.

Examples using the paragraph above: Randler (2009) states that late risers have “a high misalignment of social and biological time” which results in a mismatch between their natural schedules and the normal workday (p. 2793). or “People with a high misalignment of social and biological time may be less able to act in a proactive manner, probably because of sleep delay” (Randler, 2009, p. 2793).

Note that there are two ways to incorporate the source:

• Single phrase – using the author’s name in your own narrative, and then incorporating their idea or words into a sentence (first example)
• Direct quotation – Using the words or ideas of the source independently and adding the author’s name in the in-text citation (second example)

Paraphrasing

• Paraphrasing is taking the idea of a sentence or passage, and putting it into your own words .
• Paraphrasing is NOT copying the sentence and replacing or changing a few words to be different from the original. (This is called “patchwriting” and may trigger plagiarism-detecting programs.)
• You should paraphrase when the idea or point is more important than the actual words used.
• You should paraphrase when the words are complex but the point is simple.
• Paraphrasing should remain faithful to the original meaning of the material.

Examples using the paragraph above: Randler (2009) states that people who are naturally morning people often also display traits that are considered proactive. He also suggests that late risers may not show as many proactive traits because they naturally operate on a different sleep schedule (p. 2793). or People who are naturally morning people have been shown to also display traits that are considered proactive, and late risers display fewer of these traits because they don’t get enough sleep on days when they have to go to work or school. (Randler, 2009, p. 2793).

Summarizing

• As with paraphrasing, summarize when the idea or point is more important than the actual words used.
• Summarizing can condense much more material than paraphrasing – even an entire book or article.
• Summarizing can often lead into your own points on the material.

Examples using the paragraph above: Recent research shows that people who are not naturally early risers often have persistent issues adjusting themselves to the morning-oriented schedule of most schools and workplaces, and because of this may be less proactive in their behaviors (Randler, 2009). or The natural alignment of sleep schedules to work and school schedules allows early risers to have more energy and display proactive traits, while people who are natural late risers, and thus often combating sleep delay in adhering to regular schedules, display fewer of these traits (Randler, 2009).

Note that when summarizing, you do not always have to include the page number as you are summarizing the findings from the whole study, rather than just a small part of it.

Used with permission from Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library, Fitchburg State University

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Paraphrasing : How to Avoid Plagiarism

In general, it is best to use a quote when: 

• The exact words of your source are important for the point you are trying to make.  This is especially true if you are quoting technical language, terms, or very specific word choices.  
• You want to highlight your agreement with the author’s words. If you agree with the point the author of the evidence makes and you like their exact words, use them as a quote. 
• You want to highlight your disagreement with the author’s words. In other words, you may sometimes want to use a direct quote to indicate exactly what it is you disagree about. This might be particularly true when you are considering the antithetical positions in your research writing projects.

In general, it is best to paraphrase when: 

• There is no good reason to use a quote to refer to your evidence. If the author’s exact words are not especially important to the point you are trying to make, you are usually better off paraphrasing the evidence.
• You are trying to explain a particular a piece of evidence in order to explain or interpret it in more detail. This might be particularly true in writing projects like critiques.  
• You need to balance a direct quote in your writing. You need to be careful about directly quoting your research too much because it can sometimes make for awkward and difficult to read prose. So, one of the reasons to use a paraphrase instead of a quote is to create balance within your writing.

Adapted from The Process of Research Writing Chapter 3: Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Avoiding Plagiarism. Steven D. Krause

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Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing

The intent of this guide is to help you understand when and how to incorporate quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing into your assignments. Moreover, you may find the included information on how to cite sources using the most common citation styles such as APA and MLA useful. The guide contains APA and MLA citation basics to help you properly format your in-text citations and list of sources.

What Are Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing?

The difference between these three terms depends on how close your writing is to the source.

• Should reflect the original source writing
• Should be properly cited
• May involve copying short sentences or passages
• Must be put in “quotation marks”

You may use quotations if you believe there is a need to directly quote some information, especially facts and numbers. In addition, you may use quotations to support your argument with an author’s words.

Example : According to Cox, “the global nursing shortage affects health policy.”

Paraphrasing

• Involves putting a passage of the original text into your own words
• Should restate the meaning of a text
• Should also change the structure of a passage

Paraphrasing is not enclosed in quotation marks. This technique is usually used to explain ideas from an original source in a short form. Use paraphrasing to avoid overusing quotations and to clarify a passage from a text.

Example : Brown claims that small countries have stabilized their currencies in relation to the US dollar.

Summarizing

• Involves stating the main points of a single text or several texts into your own words
• Is used to establish background or present a broad overview of the topic

Here are some summarizing tools to save your time.

How to Cite Sources

Now you know that if you use quoting, paraphrasing, or summarizing, you must cite the original source of information. Otherwise, your work may be considered to be plagiarized as the ideas and thoughts in your paper are not your own. Several different citation styles are used in different fields of research. If you are unsure as to which style to choose, ask your instructor or supervisor. The given guidelines will demonstrate how to cite sources using APA and MLA citation styles as examples.

• When quoting, paraphrasing, or summarizing someone’s ideas, you must use in-text citations. There are several types of in-text citations, such as parenthetical citation, endnote, and footnote.
• For every in-text citation, there should be a full citation at the end of your paper on the works cited or references page.
• Identify the Author and the Title of Your Source
• If there are two or more authors, be sure to write them in the exact order that they appear in the original source.
• If you cite a website or a web page that has no author, write down the name of the website or web page.
• Other Important Information to Include
• Publication date, the publisher, and the city of publication (for books)
• Publication date, the title of the periodical, volume number, issue number, and pages on which an article appears (for articles in periodicals)
• Publication date, the publisher, the name of the website, the URL, and the date of access (for online sources)

Placing In-Text Citation

In-text citations should be placed at the end of a sentence in which you quote or paraphrase.

Citing Sources in MLA: In-Text Citation

• A parenthetical citation in MLA should include a page number, provided that the author’s name is given in the sentence. Example : According to Cox, “the global nursing shortage affects health policy” (12).
• When paraphrasing, include the last author’s name and page number in parentheses. Example : Small countries have stabilized their currencies in relation to the US dollar (Brown 20).
• When citing a website or online sources, use the number of a paragraph instead of a page number. Example : (Danhof par. 10)
• If the source has no author, use the name of the source in the parenthetical citation.
• If you cite a work written by two authors, list their names in the text or include them in the parenthetical citation. Example : (Koontz and Yates 67). Example of citing a work written by three or more authors: (White et al. 76).

Citing Source in APA: In-Text Citation

• If you paraphrase or summarize, mention the author and the year when the source was published in the parenthetical citation. Example : (Butler, 2018). When quoting directly, do not forget to mention the page number. Example : (Butler, 2018, p. 110).
• If the source has 3–5 authors, write the names of all the authors in the first mention. Example : (Hussain, Rivers, Stewart, & Munchus, 2015). Then, use the following format: (Last Name et al., Year). Example : (Hussain et al., 2015).
• When citing online sources, use the number of a paragraph instead of a page number. Example : (Green, 2012, para. 12).
• If you cite a source with no author, cite the source by its title. Remember that titles of books should be italicized, whereas titles of web pages and articles should be put in quotation marks. Example : (“Exchange Rate Regimes,” n.d.).

MLA Works Cited Page

• Each source you cite in the text should be mentioned in the Works Cited page.
• Use the following format to cite books: Last Name, First Name. Title of Book . City of Publication, Publisher, Publication Date.

Example of citing a book with two authors:

Antonakis, John, and David V. Day. The Nature of Leadershi . SAGE Publications, 2017.

• If the book has three or more authors, write only the first author’s name followed by “et al.” instead of the subsequent authors’ names.
• Use this basic format for an article in a scholarly journal: Author(s). “Title of Article.” Title of Journal , Volume, Issue, Year, pages.

Astor, Philipp J., et al. “Integrating Biosignals into Information Systems: A NeuroIS Tool for Improving Emotion Regulation.” Journal of Management Information Systems , vol. 30, no. 3, 2013, pp. 247–277.

APA Reference List

• Each source you cite in the text should be mentioned in the References page
• Use this basic format for books: Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Subtitle . Location: Publisher. If a source has several authors, use the ampersand instead of “and.”

Englebardt, S. P., & Nelson, R. (2005). Health care informatics: An interdisciplinary approach . St. Louis, MO: Mosby.

• Use this basic format for an article in a scholarly journal: Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article. Journal’s Title, volume number (issue number), pages.

Reisman, M. (2017). EHRs: The challenge of making electronic data usable and interoperable. P&T, 42 (9), 572–575.

In summary, quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing are used for sharing authors’ ideas and supporting the argument of the paper without plagiarism. These guidelines present simplified rules illustrating the differences between quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing and their usage, along with basic rules for formatting sources according to MLA and APA. It is important that every student properly cite sources both within the body of the paper and at the end of it.

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Paraphrasing, Summarizing, and Quoting: What’s the Difference?

Paraphrasing, Summarizing and Quoting Paraphrasing is when you take someone else’s ideas or words and rephrase them as your own . Summarizing is to give the reader an overview of the key points of a text . Quoting is when you write exactly what someone else has said, word for word .

Anyone who has written a paper, especially an academic paper, has struggled to answer the question: what is the difference between paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting, and which one should I do? Do I need to use all three? Do I need to provide a citation?

Every writer needs to know how to distinguish these three tasks to write well and avoid committing plagiarism, whether accidental or intentional. Let’s take a look at the differences between paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting so that your writing will be polished and professional every time.

Table of Content:

What is quoting, what is paraphrasing, what is summarizing, don’t commit accidental plagiarism.

Quoting is when you write exactly what someone else has said, word for word. Even if the original text contains punctuation , grammatical , or spelling errors , if you are quoting, you must include these errors!

A quote is indicated using double quotation marks, and the author and source should be cite d in either the text directly or in a footnote depending upon the citation format you are following .

There are two ways to handle a quote with incorrect spelling or grammar. The first is by correcting it using square brackets like so.

Guinea pig[s] make wonderful pets for small children.

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The second is to write the Latin word sic in square brackets after the error to indicate that the error is in the original text. Sic is usually italicized. For example:

Guinea pig [ sic ] make wonderful pets for small children.

Quotes are great to use in academic writing when you want to discuss a particular author’s idea or phrasing. However, quotes should be used sparingly, and should be on the shorter side (less than a paragraph) in order to maximize the space for your own analysis and ideas. Think of quotes like salt- they add essential flavor to a dish, but should not be the main ingredient.

Unlike a quote, paraphrasing is when you take someone else’s ideas or words and rephrase them as your own. Paraphrasing is a vital skill for any writer, as much of academic writing is synthesizing information from different sources in your own words and adding your thoughts.

Many people who try to paraphrase accidentally end up committing plagiarism. Why? There are two reasons. The first reason is that people often just change a couple of words in the original writing and call it a paraphrase.

The second reason is that people fail to add the proper citation after paraphrasing. In fact, paraphrases should include the source just like a quote.

So how can you paraphrase properly? In addition to changing the specific words used, a good paraphrase changes the structure and even order of the original phrasing . Let’s take a brief example.

Original text: The pandemic as well as the war in Ukraine have stifled supply of commodities and goods and upended efficient distribution through global supply chains, forcing up prices of everyday goods such as fuel and food.

But, while higher prices will cause pain for households, growth in many parts of the world, while slow, is still ticking over and job markets have not collapsed (CNBC, May 30, 2022).

Paraphrase 1: The war in Ukraine and the pandemic have blocked the supply of commodities and goods and overturned efficient distribution through global supply chains, increasing prices of everyday goods such as fuel and food.

While higher prices will cause pain for households, growth in many parts of the world is still happening and job markets have not collapsed.

This paraphrase changes a few words around, but it is easy to see the resemblance to the original text. It is also missing a citation. This paraphrase is likely to be flagged by a plagiarism checker.

Paraphrase 2: The supply of goods and commodities has faltered due to the war in Ukraine and the pandemic as global supply chains struggle to maintain efficient distribution. This has resulted in higher prices of everyday goods like fuel and food.

Despite these difficulties, the majority of economies continue to see growth, albeit slow growth, and job markets remain solid. Households can expect short term pain from higher prices, but it seems unlikely that collapse is on the horizon (CNBC, May 30, 2022).

This paraphrase breaks up longer sentences into shorter ones, adding some of the author’s own commentary towards the end and artfully rephrasing the original ideas.  A proper in-text citation is included. The second paraphrase is acceptable.

Summarizing is similar to paraphrasing, but there are a few key differences. First, the purpose of summarizing is to give the reader an overview of the key points of a text. A paraphrase re-words information from the original text, but it does not remove any of the original ideas.

Because of this difference, summarizing deletes sections, sometimes large sections, of the original text to leave only the most critical concepts and ideas. Paraphrasing is usually around the same length as the original writing, while summarizing is much shorter than the original.

Second, summarizing can include a quote or a paraphrase from the original text. However, a paraphrase will never contain additional paraphrasing. It may contain a quote, but only in rare circumstances.

If you use a quote in your summary, don’t forget to still cite the source. This can be as simple as mentioning the author’s name and then citing it in the references section. We could summarize the above text as follows:

CNBC notes that while events including the pandemic and war in Ukraine are upending the global supply chain leading to short-term fiscal pain for households, the global economy remains in a steady, if slow, state of growth overall.

Knowing the difference between quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing is the key to avoiding accidental plagiarism. Forgetting to properly indicate a quote with quotation marks, paraphrasing incorrectly by just changing a few words, or summarizing without giving proper credit are all ways that authors can commit accidental plagiarism.

Fortunately, in addition to learning about the important differences between these three writing techniques, students, academics, and writers of all kinds can take advantage of AI writing tools as well. Tools like Trinka can help academic writers especially ensure that their writing is clear, accurate, and uses technical terminology properly.

It also reviews your references to make sure they are accurate. Enago’s plagiarism checker is another great tool to ensure that you haven’t failed to clearly paraphrase or forgotten to indicate a quote.

As you progress in your writing career, these tools can make your life easier and prevent you from making any critical errors. Give them a try today.

Go beyond grammar & spelling

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• How to Quote | Citing Quotes in APA, MLA & Chicago

How to Quote | Citing Quotes in APA, MLA & Chicago

Published on April 15, 2022 by Shona McCombes and Jack Caulfield. Revised on May 31, 2023.

Quoting means copying a passage of someone else’s words and crediting the source. To quote a source, you must ensure:

• The quoted text is enclosed in quotation marks or formatted as a block quote
• The original author is correctly cited
• The text is identical to the original

The exact format of a quote depends on its length and on which citation style you are using. Quoting and citing correctly is essential to avoid plagiarism which is easy to detect with a good plagiarism checker .

Table of contents

How to cite a quote in apa, mla and chicago, introducing quotes, quotes within quotes, shortening or altering a quote, block quotes, when should i use quotes, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about quoting sources.

Every time you quote, you must cite the source correctly . This looks slightly different depending on the citation style you’re using. Three of the most common styles are APA , MLA , and Chicago .

Citing a quote in APA Style

To cite a direct quote in APA , you must include the author’s last name, the year, and a page number, all separated by commas . If the quote appears on a single page, use “p.”; if it spans a page range, use “pp.”

An APA in-text citation can be parenthetical or narrative. In a parenthetical citation , you place all the information in parentheses after the quote. In a narrative citation , you name the author in your sentence (followed by the year), and place the page number after the quote.

Punctuation marks such as periods and commas are placed after the citation, not within the quotation marks .

• Evolution is a gradual process that “can act only by very short and slow steps” (Darwin, 1859, p. 510) .
• Darwin (1859) explains that evolution “can act only by very short and slow steps” (p. 510) .

Complete guide to APA

Citing a quote in mla style.

An MLA in-text citation includes only the author’s last name and a page number. As in APA, it can be parenthetical or narrative, and a period (or other punctuation mark) appears after the citation.

• Evolution is a gradual process that “can act only by very short and slow steps” (Darwin 510) .
• Darwin explains that evolution “can act only by very short and slow steps” (510) .

Complete guide to MLA

Citing a quote in chicago style.

Chicago style uses Chicago footnotes to cite sources. A note, indicated by a superscript number placed directly after the quote, specifies the author, title, and page number—or sometimes fuller information .

Unlike with parenthetical citations, in this style, the period or other punctuation mark should appear within the quotation marks, followed by the footnote number.

Complete guide to Chicago style

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Make sure you integrate quotes properly into your text by introducing them in your own words, showing the reader why you’re including the quote and providing any context necessary to understand it.  Don’t  present quotations as stand-alone sentences.

There are three main strategies you can use to introduce quotes in a grammatically correct way:

• Add an introductory sentence
• Use an introductory signal phrase
• Integrate the quote into your own sentence

The following examples use APA Style citations, but these strategies can be used in all styles.

Introductory sentence

Introduce the quote with a full sentence ending in a colon . Don’t use a colon if the text before the quote isn’t a full sentence.

If you name the author in your sentence, you may use present-tense verbs , such as “states,” “argues,” “explains,” “writes,” or “reports,” to describe the content of the quote.

• In Denmark, a recent poll shows that: “A membership referendum held today would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters” (Levring, 2018, p. 3).
• In Denmark, a recent poll shows that support for the EU has grown since the Brexit vote: “A membership referendum held today would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters” (Levring, 2018, p. 3).
• Levring (2018) reports that support for the EU has grown since the Brexit vote: “A membership referendum held today would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters” (p. 3).

Introductory signal phrase

You can also use a signal phrase that mentions the author or source, but doesn’t form a full sentence. In this case, you follow the phrase with a comma instead of a colon.

• According to a recent poll, “A membership referendum held today would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters” (Levring, 2018, p. 3).
• As Levring (2018) explains, “A membership referendum held today would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters” (p. 3).

Integrated into your own sentence

To quote a phrase that doesn’t form a full sentence, you can also integrate it as part of your sentence, without any extra punctuation .

• A recent poll suggests that EU membership “would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters” in a referendum (Levring, 2018, p. 3).
• Levring (2018) reports that EU membership “would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters” in a referendum (p. 3).

When you quote text that itself contains another quote, this is called a nested quotation or a quote within a quote. It may occur, for example, when quoting dialogue from a novel.

To distinguish this quote from the surrounding quote, you enclose it in single (instead of double) quotation marks (even if this involves changing the punctuation from the original text). Make sure to close both sets of quotation marks at the appropriate moments.

Note that if you only quote the nested quotation itself, and not the surrounding text, you can just use double quotation marks.

• Carraway introduces his narrative by quoting his father: “ “ Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, ” he told me, “ just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had ” ” (Fitzgerald 1).
• Carraway introduces his narrative by quoting his father: “‘Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,’ he told me, ‘just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had ” (Fitzgerald 1).
• Carraway introduces his narrative by quoting his father: “‘Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,’ he told me, ‘just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had’” (Fitzgerald 1).
• Carraway begins by quoting his father’s invocation to “remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had” (Fitzgerald 1).

Note:  When the quoted text in the source comes from another source, it’s best to just find that original source in order to quote it directly. If you can’t find the original source, you can instead cite it indirectly .

Often, incorporating a quote smoothly into your text requires you to make some changes to the original text. It’s fine to do this, as long as you clearly mark the changes you’ve made to the quote.

Shortening a quote

If some parts of a passage are redundant or irrelevant, you can shorten the quote by removing words, phrases, or sentences and replacing them with an ellipsis (…). Put a space before and after the ellipsis.

Be careful that removing the words doesn’t change the meaning. The ellipsis indicates that some text has been removed, but the shortened quote should still accurately represent the author’s point.

Altering a quote

You can add or replace words in a quote when necessary. This might be because the original text doesn’t fit grammatically with your sentence (e.g., it’s in a different verb tense), or because extra information is needed to clarify the quote’s meaning.

Use brackets to distinguish words that you have added from words that were present in the original text.

The Latin term “ sic ” is used to indicate a (factual or grammatical) mistake in a quotation. It shows the reader that the mistake is from the quoted material, not a typo of your own.

In some cases, it can be useful to italicize part of a quotation to add emphasis, showing the reader that this is the key part to pay attention to. Use the phrase “emphasis added” to show that the italics were not part of the original text.

You usually don’t need to use brackets to indicate minor changes to punctuation or capitalization made to ensure the quote fits the style of your text.

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The AI-powered Citation Checker helps you avoid common mistakes such as:

• Missing commas and periods
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If you quote more than a few lines from a source, you must format it as a block quote . Instead of using quotation marks, you set the quote on a new line and indent it so that it forms a separate block of text.

Block quotes are cited just like regular quotes, except that if the quote ends with a period, the citation appears after the period.

To the end of his days Bilbo could never remember how he found himself outside, without a hat, a walking-stick or any money, or anything that he usually took when he went out; leaving his second breakfast half-finished and quite unwashed-up, pushing his keys into Gandalf’s hands, and running as fast as his furry feet could carry him down the lane, past the great Mill, across The Water, and then on for a mile or more. (16)

Avoid relying too heavily on quotes in academic writing . To integrate a source , it’s often best to paraphrase , which means putting the passage in your own words. This helps you integrate information smoothly and keeps your own voice dominant.

However, there are some situations in which quoting is more appropriate.

When focusing on language

If you want to comment on how the author uses language (for example, in literary analysis ), it’s necessary to quote so that the reader can see the exact passage you are referring to.

When giving evidence

To convince the reader of your argument, interpretation or position on a topic, it’s often helpful to include quotes that support your point. Quotes from primary sources (for example, interview transcripts or historical documents) are especially credible as evidence.

When presenting an author’s position or definition

When you’re referring to secondary sources such as scholarly books and journal articles, try to put others’ ideas in your own words when possible.

But if a passage does a great job at expressing, explaining, or defining something, and it would be very difficult to paraphrase without changing the meaning or losing the weakening the idea’s impact, it’s worth quoting directly.

If you want to know more about ChatGPT, AI tools , citation , and plagiarism , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

• ChatGPT vs human editor
• ChatGPT citations
• Is ChatGPT trustworthy?
• Using ChatGPT for your studies
• What is ChatGPT?
• Chicago style
• Paraphrasing
• Critical thinking

 Plagiarism

• Types of plagiarism
• Self-plagiarism
• Avoiding plagiarism
• Academic integrity
• Consequences of plagiarism
• Common knowledge

A quote is an exact copy of someone else’s words, usually enclosed in quotation marks and credited to the original author or speaker.

In academic writing , there are three main situations where quoting is the best choice:

• To analyze the author’s language (e.g., in a literary analysis essay )
• To give evidence from primary sources
• To accurately present a precise definition or argument

Don’t overuse quotes; your own voice should be dominant. If you just want to provide information from a source, it’s usually better to paraphrase or summarize .

Every time you quote a source , you must include a correctly formatted in-text citation . This looks slightly different depending on the citation style .

For example, a direct quote in APA is cited like this: “This is a quote” (Streefkerk, 2020, p. 5).

Every in-text citation should also correspond to a full reference at the end of your paper.

A block quote is a long quote formatted as a separate “block” of text. Instead of using quotation marks , you place the quote on a new line, and indent the entire quote to mark it apart from your own words.

The rules for when to apply block quote formatting depend on the citation style:

• APA block quotes are 40 words or longer.
• MLA block quotes are more than 4 lines of prose or 3 lines of poetry.
• Chicago block quotes are longer than 100 words.

If you’re quoting from a text that paraphrases or summarizes other sources and cites them in parentheses , APA and Chicago both recommend retaining the citations as part of the quote. However, MLA recommends omitting citations within a quote:

• APA: Smith states that “the literature on this topic (Jones, 2015; Sill, 2019; Paulson, 2020) shows no clear consensus” (Smith, 2019, p. 4).
• MLA: Smith states that “the literature on this topic shows no clear consensus” (Smith, 2019, p. 4).

Footnote or endnote numbers that appear within quoted text should be omitted in all styles.

If you want to cite an indirect source (one you’ve only seen quoted in another source), either locate the original source or use the phrase “as cited in” in your citation.

In scientific subjects, the information itself is more important than how it was expressed, so quoting should generally be kept to a minimum. In the arts and humanities, however, well-chosen quotes are often essential to a good paper.

In social sciences, it varies. If your research is mainly quantitative , you won’t include many quotes, but if it’s more qualitative , you may need to quote from the data you collected .

As a general guideline, quotes should take up no more than 5–10% of your paper. If in doubt, check with your instructor or supervisor how much quoting is appropriate in your field.

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McCombes, S. & Caulfield, J. (2023, May 31). How to Quote | Citing Quotes in APA, MLA & Chicago. Scribbr. Retrieved June 9, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/working-with-sources/how-to-quote/

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Text Summarizer

A text summarizer is an online tool that wraps up a text to a specified short length. It condenses a long article to main points. The need for text summarizers is increasing day by day, because of time constraints.

People are looking for shortcut methods to learn ideas in lesser time. Even text summarizers are helping them to decide whether a book, a research paper, or an article is worth reading or not. 

Oxford defines summary as:

“ a short statement that gives only the main points of something, not the details. ”

Approaches in auto summarization:

Mainly two approaches have been developed over time for summarizing a long text into a shorter one.

Extraction Summarization:

This approach entails the method to extract keywords and phrases from sentences and then joining them to produce a compact meaningful summary.

Abstractive Summarization:

In this summary generator, algorithms are developed in such a way to reproduce a long text into a shorter one by NLP. It retains its meaning but changes the structure of sentences.

How does this text summarizer work?

Trained by machine learning,  Paraphraser.io text summarizer uses the concept of abstractive summarization to summarize a book, an article, or a research paper. 

This summarize tool uses NLP to create novel sentences and generates a summary in which the main idea remains intact. It is an advanced-level tool that uses AI for its work. Therefore, the summary produced by this article summarizer tool appears to be flawless and inflow.

How to use our text summarizer?

Our summarizing tool is the best because it is simple to use and efficient also.

• Insert the text (article, research paper, book extract) into the text area.
• Or upload your content.
• Click the “ Summarize ” Button. 
• You can also toggle other features by selecting show bullets, best line, ranked base, and summary length.

Important features of this text summarizer:

The features that give this text summarizer an advantage over others are given below.

Control summarization:

This is the best feature of this summary tool because it gives you the freedom to choose the length of your summarized text.

It depends upon the circumstances, sometimes you want to create a long summary and sometimes a shorter one is enough. This summary generator tool gives you the choice to summarize your text according to your needs.

Bullet points formation:

When you want to analyze your text, you can use our text summarizer to create bullet points. This summarizer tool can help you in creating PowerPoint slides and presentations. 

Rating of the text:

It’s a full-pack feature that gives you the whole ranking of your text. This summary maker provides the best line, best sentence, and general ranking of your text according to its optimization.

Free usage:

Our text summarizer has free usage and can be used whenever it is needed. You can instantly use it without giving any login.

Users of text summarizer:

A text summarizer helps students to condense difficult concepts by summarizing them. They get the know-how of complex articles and books. Moreover, manual summarizing can be very time-consuming. They use a text summarizer to solve their assignments in lesser time.

Journalists:

Journalists can get help from our text summarizer as they have to communicate an incident or an event. Giving thorough news is not valuable as compared to quick headliners. So, they can use this summarizing tool to inform people about daily happenings.

Writers often have to face the difficulty of creating unique content either blogs or guest posts. They can only produce exceptional content if they know the gist of the whole story.

While getting ideas from different sources, they can use our text summarizer to skim out the necessary information. This information is incorporated into what they are writing.

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8 Best Paraphrasing Tools in 2024 (Compared)

Pricing: $4.17 per month Standout Features: Advanced Paraphrasing Ability, Powerful Grammar Checker, User-friendly Interface

Pricing: $39 per month Standout Features: Intelligent Paraphrasing, Built-in Grammar Checker, Supports 30+ Languages

Pricing: $27 per month Standout Features: AI Detection-free Rewriting, High-quality Content, Plagiarism-free

Are you tired of rewriting text manually? Paraphrasing tools can help you save time and create unique content without sacrificing quality. However, choosing the right paraphrasing tool can be challenging. That’s why, in this post, we’ll compare the best paraphrasing tools so you can choose the right one for your needs. So relax while we help you level up your writing game!

• 1 What is a Paraphrasing Tool?
• 2.1 1. QuillBot
• 2.2 2. Jasper
• 2.3 3. WordAi
• 2.4 4. TextCortex
• 2.5 5. Writesonic
• 2.6 6. SpinRewriter
• 2.7 7. Paraphraser.io
• 2.8 8. Hypotenuse
• 3.1 Paraphrasing Tool Feature Comparison
• 3.2 Paraphrasing Tool Price Comparison
• 4 What is the Best Paraphrasing Tool?
• 5 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is a Paraphrasing Tool?

A paraphrasing tool is a software or online application that helps you rewrite existing text. It alters the original phrasing while maintaining the same meaning. It uses synonyms and sentence restructuring strategies to formulate new content from pre-existing material.

Paraphrasing tools are frequently utilized by writers, researchers, students, and professionals who need to rephrase sentences or articles to prevent plagiarism or enhance readability. They offer a quick and easy solution for generating unique content, removing the necessity for time-consuming and manual rewrites.

The Best Paraphrasing Tool

We have handpicked eight incredible online paraphrasing tools to enhance your writing experience. Let’s take a look!

The Best Paraphrasing Tools Listed In Order

• SpinRewriter
• Paraphraser.io

1. QuillBot

🥇 best paraphrasing tool overall.

QuillBot is a great AI-powered writing assistant. It’s designed to streamline the art of writing. Thanks to its advanced paraphrasing and grammar-checking abilities, it has gained significant recognition as one of the best tools.

Excelling at rephrasing sentences while preserving their original meaning aids in preventing plagiarism and enhancing readability. This makes the writing process not only simpler but also more effective. For those who value accurate word choice, QuillBot is undoubtedly captivating.

Additionally, QuillBot features a powerful grammar checker that accurately identifies errors and offers helpful suggestions for corrections. Its user-friendly interface promises easy navigation. QuillBot is a top paraphrasing tool — a priceless asset for anyone looking to boost their writing abilities, including students, professionals, or aspiring writers.

What We Like About QuillBot

• Free Plan: QuillBot provides a free plan that doesn’t require you to sign up. This allows you to try out the tool before you decide to subscribe. You can test the tool’s features and determine whether to upgrade.
• Writing Enhancement Tools: QuillBot provides various helpful tools such as a grammar checker, summarizer, citation generator, and plagiarism checker. These tools can improve your writing experience and quality.
• Integrations: QuillBot provides extensions and apps for Microsoft Word, Google Chrome, and macOS. These extensions help you easily use QuillBot in your everyday writing on different platforms.

What Could Be Improved

• Only Two Free Writing Modes: The free version of Quillbot may limit your writing options, which could restrict you if you’re seeking more advanced paraphrasing features.
• Character Limitations in Plans: You can find character limits in free and paid QuillBot plans, restricting how much text you can process.

🥇 Why We Picked It

QuillBot is our top choice for an AI paraphrasing tool because it empowers you with advanced paraphrasing to produce plagiarism-free and semantically accurate content. Its intuitive interface, diverse modes, and extensive customization options seamlessly cater to writers seeking an effortless and effective way to rephrase text with precision.

Who is QuillBot Best For?

Whether you’re a student, professional, or just aiming to rephrase your writing, QuillBot is one of the best paraphrasing tools to accommodate your needs.

Community Reviews and Ratings

Users appreciate QuillBot’s effortless paraphrasing and summarizing features, user-friendly interface, language options, and helpful customer support.

Quilbot offers a free plan with limitations such as 125 words in paraphraser, only 1200 words to summarize, and access to only standard and fluency modes. Premium with unlimited access to all features starts from $4.17/Month.

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🥈Best Paraphrasing Tool For Teams

Jasper AI is a cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology focused on Natural Language Processing (NLP) and comprehension. Its primary purpose is to generate text that resembles human writing, deliver accurate responses when asked questions, and engage in coherent conversations within specific contexts.

Jasper AI’s Intelligent Paraphrasing capabilities make it stand out from other technologies. These capabilities allow Jasper AI to grasp the subtleties of text and rephrase it without losing its original meaning. This functionality is particularly advantageous for content creators, writers, and anyone looking to enhance the clarity and uniqueness of their writing.

Using Jasper AI’s paraphrasing ability, users can effectively elevate their content by presenting alternative wordings while maintaining core ideas and intentions. With this remarkable feature, writers can save time on manual rewriting processes while ensuring their texts remain captivating and distinctive.

What We Like About Jasper

• Efficiency:  Jasper offers a speedy process for creating several reworded iterations of your text. This not only saves you precious time and energy but also guarantees the content stays true to your preferred tone.
• Originality: Jasper can help you avoid plagiarism by providing unique phrasings of your ideas, which can be important when paraphrasing text.
• User-Friendly Interface: The tool offers an easy-to-use interface, making it accessible even for beginners in AI writing tools.
• Unlimited Words: With every plan, you receive unlimited word credits. This lets you freely create content without stressing over word counts.
• Price: Jasper’s pricing starts at $39 per user per month, which might be costly for specific individuals, such as high school or college students.

🥈 Why We Picked It

Jasper stands out as another leading AI rephrasing tool due to its robust capabilities as an AI writing assistant. It excels in producing top-notch content, providing options for customizing tone and style, and effortlessly integrating with various platforms. With its easy-to-navigate interface and advanced language models, Jasper is a prime option for enhancing efficiency and productivity in essay writing.

Who is Jasper Best For?

Jasper caters to professionals and businesses, offering a pricing model that reflects its premium positioning.

People appreciate Jasper AI as a highly effective tool facilitating content creation. It is the preferred choice for many due to its unparalleled efficiency and quality in generating content.

You can get started with a free 7-day trial, after which you must upgrade to paid plans starting at $39/user/month

🥉 Best Paraphrasing Tool For SEO

WordAi is an artificial intelligence-based tool that aims to generate human-like text. It uses advanced algorithms and machine learning techniques to understand context, grammar, and syntax to produce high-quality written content.

One of the notable attributes of WordAi is its contextual comprehension and ability to produce coherent, contextually significant content. WordAi provides various modes for paraphrasing that enable users to customize their output according to specific requirements. These modes offer the ability to produce easily understandable, SEO-optimized content, whether for everyday reading or creative pursuits.

WordAi also claims that its rephrased content is entirely free from plagiarism and detection by AI Content Detector. This versatility makes WordAi ideal for a diverse range of requirements in content creation.

What We Like About WordAI

• Bulk Rewriting: WordAI enables you to rewrite a significant amount of text at once, helping you save time and effort, especially if you have a lot of content to work on.
• Plagiarism, AI Detection-free Content: The tool is made to create text similar to what humans write, improving the clarity and quality of the text. This helps prevent AI detectors from recognizing it as AI-generated.
• API Integration: Developers can easily integrate WordAI’s rewriting capabilities into their applications or platforms using the API feature.
• Speed: WordAI allows you to generate content efficiently and effectively with its fast output speed.
• Cost: WordAi offers a starting price of $27 per month with the annual subscription or $57 per month for the individual option. This positions it as one of the more expensive tools for paraphrasing content.
• English-Only: Currently, WordAi only works with English text for rephrasing. This limitation could disappoint those wanting to rephrase content in different languages.

🥉 Why We Picked It

WordAI is another powerful AI paraphrasing tool that offers high-quality rephrasing while preserving the original meaning, making it ideal for creating unique content quickly and efficiently. Its advanced natural language processing capabilities ensure accurate and human-like results that can easily pass the AI detection test.

Who is WordAI Best For?

WordAi is an excellent tool for content creators and marketers who require a fast and effective solution for rephrasing premium quality, distinctive, and organic content.

WordAi is appreciated for generating high-quality, readable content with advanced spinning capabilities, providing diverse output efficiently, and saving time by automating the content spinning process.

A free 3-day trial, $27/monthly  after that when purchased annually.

4. TextCortex

TextCortex is an AI-powered writing tool that assists in producing top-notch content with greater speed and efficiency. It can paraphrase, generate text, perform language translation, compose creative content, and provide informative answers to your inquiries.

TextCortex’s AI-driven paraphrasing tool assists professionals and students in rewriting text while maintaining the original meaning. It allows you to effortlessly convert your ideas into compelling and high-quality content within seconds, all while creating a fully personalized AI model that adapts to your input, knowledge, and style. With TextCortex, generic interactions are now a thing of the past.

If you are seeking a solution to rephrase your content and effortlessly generate high-quality, tonally-matched text at an accelerated pace, TextCortex is worth considering.

What We Like About TextCortex

• Ease of Use: TextCortex provides a user-friendly interface, allowing small marketing teams, business owners, and solopreneurs to create content swiftly.
• Personalization: You can use the tool to create personalized AI personas and input knowledge connectors. This helps tailor the generated content to match specific tones and styles according to your preferences.
• Variety of Content: TextCortex offers tools that help you create different types of content like blogs, product descriptions, YouTube captions, Instagram posts, email content, and outreach emails to meet your marketing requirements.
• Intelligence:  Advanced deep learning algorithms and Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques, such as sentiment analysis, actively empower ZenoChat to efficiently comprehend user queries and, consequently, deliver relevant responses.
• Content-Length Restriction: The free account limits the length of content you can generate to 200 words, which makes it challenging to create detailed articles and blog posts without switching to a paid plan.

Who is TextCortex Best For?

TextCortex is an exceptional tool for writers, marketers, and business owners who aim to produce high-quality content quickly and easily.

Users of TextCortex highly appreciate the tool for its exceptional output quality, user-friendly interface, wide range of applications, integrations, and other features. These positive reviews can be found on platforms like G2 and Capterra.

The  free plan  lets you create up to 2500 words with all features. If you need more, the Lite plan begins at  $5.59 per month  for up to 12,500 words, and you can always choose to upgrade for more words.

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5. Writesonic

Writesonic is an advanced AI writing tool powered by GPT-3.5 and GPT4 32K. It claims to speed up content creation by ten times. The tool operates as a cloud-based platform, leveraging the power of artificial intelligence to produce text, translate languages, generate various forms of creative content, and provide informative responses to your queries.

Writesonic’s paraphrasing tool lets you effortlessly rewrite sentences, paragraphs, essays, and articles free from plagiarism with just one click. Moreover, Writesonic offers a bulk upload feature that allows users to quickly paraphrase or rephrase thousands of sentences, paragraphs, articles, or essays within seconds. It’s an excellent tool for individuals or businesses seeking to paraphrase content quickly and effortlessly. Whether you are a content writer, a business owner, or someone who regularly creates text-based material, Writesonic can significantly assist you in producing large quantities of engaging content with ease.

What We Like About Writesonic

• Multiple Languages Supported: With support for content generation in 25 languages, Writesonic is a versatile tool for users worldwide.
• Content Personalization: You can adjust the tone of your content from enthusiastic and formal to humorous and theatrical, enabling you to create customized content.
• Generous Free Plan: Unlike other platforms, you can generate up to 50 standard feature items without a word limit.
• Advanced AI Models: You benefit from the advanced AI technology that Writesonic employs, which includes GPT-3.5, GPT-4, and exclusive algorithms. This ensures the quick and efficient generation of top-notch content.
• Confusing Price Structure: Writesonic’s pricing structure can be a bit confusing. Although there are paid plans starting at $12 per month, this plan only allows you to use its Chatbot, Chatsonic. To access templates and other advanced features, you must upgrade to the Individual Plan, which costs $16.67 monthly.
• Credits-based Usage: Writesonic divides its features into Standard and Advanced categories. Standard features include the chatbot, rewriter, photo generator, templates, etc. Advanced features include a fact checker, plagiarism and citation checker, SEO features, and more. With the paid plans, you can use standard features unlimited times, but credits limit advanced features.

Who is Writesonic Best For?

Writesonic is an ideal choice for writers, content creators, and marketers seeking aid in producing top-notch content.

Writesonic users appreciate its user-friendly interface, AI-generated content speed, quality, and versatility in content creation, such as blog posts, ads, and articles.

Free plan available, with paid plans starting at $12 monthly

Get Writesonic

6. SpinRewriter

SpinRewriter is a tool designed for spinning content and rewriting articles. Its primary purpose is to create unique versions of existing articles or content, making it particularly useful in content marketing and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies. By generating multiple variations of an article, Spin Rewriter enables users to publish them on various websites or platforms without worries about duplicate content.

By leveraging Emulated Natural Language (ENL) technology for spinning articles, SpinRewriter can understand the relationships between words within their contexts. This profound comprehension leads to creating top-quality, easily digestible articles that mirror human accuracy, all achieved with just a simple button click.

SpinRewriter has become increasingly popular among content writers, bloggers, and SEO professionals. Its unique functionality allows users to produce exceptional and authentic content for websites, blog posts, articles, and various marketing materials.

What We Like About SpinRewriter

• User-Friendly Interface: The Spin Rewriter dashboard is easy to use, allowing you to navigate and make the most of the tool effortlessly.
• Readability: The tool makes spun articles easy to read by spinning content at the sentence and paragraph levels, using emulated natural language (ENL) technology.
• Pricing Options: Spin Rewriter provides various pricing plans to cater to your needs and budget. One of the options available is a lifetime single payment plan, offering you flexibility in choosing the best option.
• Limited Language Support: Spin Rewriter currently only supports spinning content in English, which might be a restriction for you if you require content in other languages.
• Manual Corrections: Although Spin Rewriter offers various features, you still need to try to edit and refine the content it generates to ensure it meets quality standards.

Who is SpinRewriter Best For?

SpinRewriter is an invaluable tool for content writers, bloggers, and growth hackers, explicitly designed to help them excel in their fields.

A 5-day free trial is available with the annual plan that costs $77/Yearly afterward.

Get SpinRewriter

7. Paraphraser.io

Paraphraser.io is an AI-driven online tool that uniquely rephrases text while preserving its original meaning. It is a valuable tool for improving content coherence and ensuring it remains plagiarism-free.

Furthermore, Paraphraser.io is an exceptional resource for individuals seeking to enhance the clarity and readability of their text while avoiding plagiarism-related issues. Students and researchers requiring help paraphrasing in academic environments will particularly appreciate this.

Paraphraser.io is an excellent option to consider if seeking a straightforward approach to enhancing the readability and clarity of your text without any extra features.

What We Like About Paraphraser.io

• User-Friendly Interface: The platform has a straightforward and user-friendly interface, allowing beginners to use paraphrasing tools easily.
• Multilingual Support: Paraphraser.io is a helpful tool for people who deal with content in languages other than English since it allows paraphrasing in multiple languages.
• Variety of Paraphrasing Modes: The tool provides various paraphrasing modes like Fluency, Standard, and Creative to meet different paraphrasing requirements.
• Intrusive Ads: You may notice that the free version of the tool includes many ads that could disrupt your experience as a user.

Who is Paraphraser.io Best For?

Paraphraser.io serves as an ideal tool for writers, students, and professionals alike, offering assistance in rephrasing and reworking text for a range of uses.

Paraphraser.io users find the service valuable due to its complimentary plan, affordable pricing, and user-friendly interface. Many reviewers, primarily students from schools and colleges, value the assistance the tool offers for their assignments.

You can use Paraphraser.io for free for up to 600 words and basic modes such as Standard and Fluency. The paid plan starts at $12.5/month with a limit of 1500 words to paraphrase and access all methods, such as Creative, Smarter, and Shorten.

Get Paraphraser.io

8. Hypotenuse

Hypotenuse AI is an artificial intelligence-powered writing tool that assists in producing top-notch content with incredible speed and efficiency. It uses a powerful language model trained on extensive text and code datasets, enabling Hypotenuse AI to generate highly accurate and creative text effortlessly.

Hypotenuse AI leverages AI technology to rephrase and enhance your content to match the desired tone you wish to convey, whether conversational, authoritative, or enthusiastic. This feature ensures the maintenance of your unique voice and style while guaranteeing that your text remains authentic, original, and plagiarism-free.

Whether you’re seeking an AI writing assistant to enhance content creation efficiency, accurately accommodate your tonality, and ensure high-quality output, Hypotenuse AI is a worthy choice.

What We Like About Hypotenuse AI

• Ease of Use: Hypotenuse AI offers a user-friendly interface, making it easy to navigate and use its features effectively.
• Template Variety: Hypotenuse AI offers you a variety of ready-to-use templates for various types of content, helping you kickstart your projects promptly and efficiently.
• Fact-Checked Content: Hypotenuse asserts that all the content it creates is accurate. This could be an excellent method to prevent incorrect content and hallucinations that many AI tools can produce.
• No Chrome Extension: Not having a Chrome extension can be inconvenient if you prefer having an AI writing tool in your browser for easy access.

Who is Hypotenuse AI Best For?

Hypotenuse AI is the ideal tool for Content Marketers and Agencies due to its profound emphasis on marketing and growth-oriented resources.

Hypotenuse AI is appreciated for its blog rewriting feature, customizable tone, and professional content creation tools, offering users a comprehensive and polished writing experience.

A free 7-day trial . Then, you must upgrade to paid plans starting at $24 monthly for up to 50K words.

Get Hypotenuse AI

Comparing the Best Paraphrasing Tool

AI writing tools are rapidly advancing, with various specialized tools focusing on tasks like paraphrasing. In such an intriguing period, selecting the right tool might pose a challenge. Therefore, we have organized these tools into convenient tables to assist you in making an informed decision.

Paraphrasing Tool Feature Comparison

These are our top three highly recommended paraphrasing tools. We’ve carefully analyzed their key characteristics to assist you in selecting the one that best suits your requirements.

Paraphrasing Tool Price Comparison

Finding the perfect paraphrasing tool that fits your budget can be challenging. We have compiled a table comparing the top-rated paraphrasing tools and their respective prices. This will provide you with a comprehensive overview of cost-effectiveness, simplifying your decision-making process.

What is the Best Paraphrasing Tool?

If you require a paraphrasing tool, whether it be for academic assignments or casual use, our top recommendation is QuillBot . This powerful tool offers many features and advanced capabilities that make paraphrasing content effortless. With QuillBot, you can easily change the style, tone, and length while maintaining the original meaning intact.

However, Jasper AI is ideal for a business or agency looking to paraphrase or generate content at scale. Its advanced features, like Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Intelligent Paraphrasing capabilities, provide unmatched solutions for writing content and paraphrasing at a quality unmatched by other tools.

On the other hand, if you’re a content creator or blogger needing to paraphrase or spin articles that feel human-written without being detected by AI content detection systems and ensuring zero plagiarism, WordAi is your ultimate choice.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Let’s take a look at some of the common inquiries about the best paraphrasing tools. If you have any other questions we overlooked, feel free to ask, and we will respond!

Which is the best paraphrasing tool?

Which is the best paraphrasing tool for seo, is it ok to use ai to paraphrase, can ai detectors detect paraphrasing content, what is the different between paraphrasing and plagiarism.

Featured image by cosmaa / shutterstock.com

Explore Our Top Picks

Here are our favorites! 👇

Get QuillBot Today!

With so many great options available, it can be hard to pick one. find out why quillbot is our favorite. 👇.

Aayush, a writer with a flair for detail, champions open-source software and is a reservoir of intriguing facts. As a WordPress aficionado, he navigates the areas of design, development, and marketing, bridging the gaps between these areas of interest.

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My name is kelvin.before chatgpt came alot of content writers were everywhere looking for helpers.at the time,i was heavily writing content for my sweetlingo.com.i can surely agree with you that quillbot actually tops all ai writers if there was no chatgpt.and i agree with how you list them

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APA Sample Paper

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Note: The APA Publication Manual, 7 th Edition specifies different formatting conventions for student  and  professional  papers (i.e., papers written for credit in a course and papers intended for scholarly publication). These differences mostly extend to the title page and running head. Crucially, citation practices do not differ between the two styles of paper.

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