Incorporating Research Into Your Body Paragraphs

Two highly effective ways to use evidence/examples in your essays: Direct Quotes/Quotations OR Paraphrases of evidence/ideas

You must use both quotes and paraphrases in your writing. Variety is a good thing when it comes to incorporating

research in your body paragraphs. (this means don’t use just one or the other.)

Quotes: The repetition of a phrase, sentence, or more. Quotes

are put inside quotation marks. The quotation marks denote that everything in between them is copied word for word from a source. Author tags are always included with a quote as well as in-text citations.

Paraphrase: A restatement of a text or passage giving the meaning

in another form. Paraphrases restate information in a new way and always point the ideas back to the author. Paraphrases use author tags and in-text citations as well.

Before quoting and paraphrasing: Introduce the evidence and explain its purpose

When do I quote? As a writer you want to include quotes when:

the author’s words are unique and strong translating them would alter or weaken the ideas presented

in the quote How do I quote?

When you quote directly from a text, you must include: Quotation marks around the first word and around the last

word of the quote Author tags: leads into the evidence before the actual quote In-text citations after the quote

Before you quote, always have a lead in or author tag. Example: According to an article in The Toronto

Star, Tiger Woods is “…headed to his worst finish since his first tournament as a pro 14 years ago” (“Lost” 1).

After you quote, always have an in-text citation immediately following.

What is an in-text citation? Attribution (credit) to your source

Includes in parentheses author’s last name only and page number

Example: (Grafton 2). The period always goes after the parentheses not before!!!!

If you do not have an attributed author for your source, include the first word of the article title in quotations.

Example: (“Lost” 5).

When do I paraphrase? Paraphrase information when you can convey the

meaning adequately in your own words. Aim to paraphrase in your writing because the

majority of your paper should be your own words, even if you’re writing about evidence from sources.

Paraphrases must always include: Author tag – tell the reader who said the original

quote, whose ideas you’re explaining Word order rearranged, sentence structure

changed Synonyms for key words

Before you paraphrase, always use an author tag to lead in to the quote According to Harold Brown, after Tiger Woods’ car

crash the golfer’s status is in danger because of his tainted image. People thought it would be easy for him to break Jack Nicklaus’s record and be recognized as the world’s best golfer ever. Instead, Woods has lost his charm and poise (4).

Note: since I referred to the article title earlier in the section, I only need the page number after the paraphrased information.