Summarizing and Paraphrasing is, perhaps, the number one research skill after actually finding source material.  After finding source material, what do you do with it -- simply copy and paste it into a word-processing file?  N-o-o-o-h, as in no-duh.  What you do is translate it, for the most part, into your own words, thus, demonstrating that you understand fully the information and ideas in the original source.  This helps establish your credibility as a researcher and scholar who thinks about what she is investigating.

You can, however, keep little bits of the original sources if you blend those significant pieces smoothly into your own sentences (see Everyday Writer and the websites below for examples of doing this).

A paraphrase is a word by word, phrase by phrase attempt to translate a difficult passage into one easier to understand.

• Paraphrases in a research paper usually try to emphasize and clarify an author's very important, key idea.
• Paraphrases often follow short and extended quotes from the original source and try to demonstrate that you, the reader, understand the original thoroughly and accurately.
• Paraphrases often try to deal with and simplify the jargon and specialized language in the original.  

  Click Here to find a run-down on paraphrasing rules with an example.

A summary is an attempt to capture and clarify/simplify the main ideas of an author in encapsulated form. 

• Summaries are much shorter than the original.  
• If any of the words or phrases from the original essay (besides minor connective words and articles) are kept as part of your summary, they must be in quote marks. 

Read more about Summaries and Paraphrases in Hodge's Harbrace Handbook and at the following websites:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_paraphr.html

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_quotprsum.html

See teacher's model by clicking here or go to http://www.ulm.edu/~eller/103/summaries/sum1ass.htm

Click Here to find your first formal attempt to summarize a text.