Quote when you want to lend authority and credibility to your point, include memorable or significant language, and could not say it better yourself.
Summarize or paraphrase when you want to present ideas but not necessarily's the authors words, and you are able to convey the point yourself.
Select the quote you'd like to use in your paper. Record it exactly as it appears in the original source, in quotation marks. Use ellipses (...) to mark spots where you have left out words from the original text. Note the source and page number of the quotation in a launch statement or in parentheses.
EXAMPLE
According to Lennie, "[...] I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's why" (Steinbeck 14).
Select a passage of text, article, chapter or entire book that supports your research. Write a sentence or two in your own words that captures the main points, and revise it for clarity. Note the source (and page number, if applicable) of the summary in a launch statement or in parentheses.
Read the original text carefully, then write down its main points or concepts. Replace keywords within the sentences with words and phrases that convey the same meaning. Note the source and page number of the paraphrase in a launch statement or in parentheses.
EXAMPLE
Original Text
If the existence of a signing ape was unsettling for linguists, it was also startling news for animal behaviorists (Davis 26).
Acceptable Paraphrase
Davis observed both linguists and animal behaviorists were taken by surprise upon learning of an ape’s ability to use sign language (26).
