Using Statistics and Quotations in Academic Writing: A Guide, Lecture notes of Technical English

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Using Research

In the Essay

Using Statistics

Be wary of sources other than peer-reviewed,

academic journals or government agencies.

Provide information where the statistic came

from.

Example:

According to the United States Census Bureau, in 2000, the

ten largest cities in the U.S. comprised 54% of the total U.S.

population.

• Don’t use a statistic if you don’t know what it means.

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/672/02/

Quoting, Paraphrasing, &

Summarizing

Quotations must be identical to the original, using a narrow

segment of the source. They must match the source

document word for word and must be attributed to the

original author.

Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from source

material into your own words. A paraphrase must also be

attributed to the original source. Paraphrased material is

usually shorter than the original passage, taking a somewhat

broader segment of the source and condensing it slightly.

Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) into your

own words, including only the main point(s). Once again, it is

necessary to attribute summarized ideas to the original

source. Summaries are significantly shorter than the original

and take a broad overview of the source material.

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/1/

Framing a Quotation

First: Introduce the quotation. (Write down and cite

quotation)

Some Templates:

• X states, “ ” (#).
• As the prominent philosopher X puts it, “ ” (#).
• According to X, “ ”
• In her book, , X maintains that “ ” (#).
• X complicates matters further when she writes, “ ” (#).

College life provides a diversity of social, academic and

athletic opportunities for students. This can be a powerful

positive force, but it can also detract from students’ abilities

to manage their time. As Malcolm X states, “one of the

biggest troubles with colleges is there are too many

distractions, too much panty-raiding, fraternities, and boola-

boola and all of that” (227).

http://www.case.edu/writing/csw/OnTeachingWriting.pdf

And Beyond: State the implications of the quotation

for your own argument.

College life provides a diversity of social, academic and

athletic opportunities for students. This can be a powerful

positive force, but it can also detract from students’ abilities

to manage their time. As Malcolm X states, “one of the

biggest troubles with colleges is there are too many

distractions, too much panty-raiding, fraternities, and boola-

boola and all of that” (227). In this statement, Malcolm X is

pointing out that the variety of activities that colleges offer

students can keep them from completing their academic

work. While Malcolm X is certainly right that distractions are

plentiful on college campuses, he fails to consider the

necessity of these social interactions among students.

Without the “boola-boola and all of that,” students would

miss out on an essential part of their education.

http://www.case.edu/writing/csw/OnTeachingWriting.pdf

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 #).

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/1/

Paraphrasing is a valuable skill because...

• It is better than quoting information from an

undistinguished passage.

• It helps you control the temptation to quote

too much.

• The mental process required for successful

paraphrasing helps you to grasp the full

meaning of the original.

6 Steps to Effective Paraphrasing

Reread the original passage until you understand its full

meaning.

Set the original aside, and write your paraphrase on a note

card.

Jot down a few words below your paraphrase to remind you

later how you envision using this material. At the top of the

note card, write a key word or phrase to indicate the

subject of your paraphrase.

Check your rendition with the original to make sure that

your version accurately expresses all the essential

information in a new form.

Use quotation marks to identify any unique term or

phraseology you have borrowed exactly from the source.

Record the source (including the page) on your note card so

that you can credit it easily if you decide to incorporate the

A legitimate paraphrase:

In research papers students often quote excessively, failing to keep

quoted material down to a desirable level. Since the problem usually

originates during note taking, it is essential to minimize the material

recorded verbatim (Lester 46-47).

An acceptable summary:

Students should take just a few notes in direct quotation from sources to help

minimize the amount of quoted material in a research paper (Lester 46-47).

A plagiarized version:

Students often use too many direct quotations when they take notes, resulting in

too many of them in the final research paper. In fact, probably only about 10% of

the final copy should consist of directly quoted material. So it is important to limit

the amount of source material copied while taking notes.

Possible, Acceptable Paraphrase:

According to Jacques Cousteau, the activity of people in

Antarctica is jeopardizing a delicate natural mechanism that

controls the earth's climate. He fears that human activity

could interfere with the balance between the sun, the source

of the earth's heat, and the important source of cold from

Antarctic waters that flow north and cool the oceans and

atmosphere ("Captain Cousteau" 17).https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/619/03/

The Original:

The twenties were the years when drinking was against the law, and

the law was a bad joke because everyone knew of a local bar where

liquor could be had. They were the years when organized crime ruled

the cities, and the police seemed powerless to do anything against it.

Classical music was forgotten while jazz spread throughout the land,

and men like Bix Beiderbecke, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie

became the heroes of the young. The flapper was born in the

twenties, and with her bobbed hair and short skirts, she symbolized,

perhaps more than anyone or anything else, America's break with the

past. From Kathleen Yancey, English 102 Supplemental Guide (1989):

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/619/02/

The Original:

Of the more than 1000 bicycling deaths each year, three-

fourths are caused by head injuries. Half of those killed are

school-age children. One study concluded that wearing a bike

helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by 85 percent. In an

accident, a bike helmet absorbs the shock and cushions the

head. From "Bike Helmets: Unused Lifesavers," Consumer

Reports (May 1990): 348.

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/619/02/

Possible, Acceptable Paraphrase:

The use of a helmet is the key to reducing bicycling fatalities,

which are due to head injuries 75% of the time. By cushioning

the head upon impact, a helmet can reduce accidental injury

by as much as 85%, saving the lives of hundreds of victims

annually, half of whom are school children ("Bike Helmets"

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/619/03/