Citing

Indirect quotations, or paraphrasing, is when you rewrite an authors ideas or thoughts into your own words without losing the original meaning.

Paraphrasing is more than just changing a few words in a sentence. A simple example: 

The cat sat on the mat.

The feline reclined on the carpet.

This is not paraphrasing, and could be seen as plagiarism.  Instead:

• change the grammar and structure of the sentence.
• ideally, as you read, take notes in your own words. Then, write from your notes rather from the original.
• think about the bigger ideas discussed, summarise that content, then apply your citation. Paraphrasing shorter pieces of text eg sentences becomes difficult and should be avoided.

When you use another’s ideas or thoughts or refer to their research, paraphrase it and accompany it with an in-text citation, usually at the end of the sentence before the full stop eg,

…. advanced (Cottrell, 2013).

This acknowledges where the idea/research has come from and demonstrates good academic practice ie it shows that you have read and understood a concept, then applied it to your learning.

Although typically placed at the end of a sentence, if you are discussing multiple ideas in the same sentence, you can add further citations mid-sentence. That’s fine, but:

• try to avoid using too many lengthy, possibly confusing, sentences.
• ensure it’s clear to the reader which citation refers to which idea.

Now, accompany your citation with an entry in your Reference List, detailing the information required in the correct format according to your referencing style.

More on paraphrasing.

A direct quotation is when you use the exact words of the author, taken directly from a source in the same order. A direct quotation could also apply to images or graphs that you wish to 'quote' in your work.

These need to be acknowledged as such by being included in “double” quotation marks. This makes it clear to the reader exactly which words in your sentence come from elsewhere. Even with a citation, if a direct quotation is not acknowledged as such, this could be seen as plagiarism. Simply add the quotation marks.

Direct quotations must always be accompanied with an in-text citation, including page number eg,

… ”study skills” (Cottrell, 2013, p.123).

This acknowledges, the author, the year of publication, and also the page number of the quotation.

Now, accompany your citation with an entry in your Reference List, detailing the information required in the correct format according to your referencing style.

(Note: this example is formatted to Harvard, check your referencing style for any differences.)

Consider:

• Be careful of using too many quotations – the more of somebody else’s words you use, the fewer of your own your tutor has to mark.
• Instead, try whenever possible to use indirect quotations (paraphrasing), and leave the quotations to make impact where you need it.
• Too many quotations can sometimes disrupt the flow of your written work.

If the author's name forms part of your sentence (narrative citation), there's no need to duplicate that in your citation; you just need to include the year in the citation, and page number if making a direct quotation.

For indirect quotations:

Grover’s study (2018) indicates that rabbits…

In the study by Copland (2017), cats were proven…  

For direct quotations:

Grover’s study indicates that “rabbits make the better pet” (2018, p. 123). Or,

Grover’s study (2018) indicates that “rabbits make the better pet" (p. 123).

Where you place the page number might depend on the proximity of the quotation to the citation in the sentence. APA has very specific guidance on where citations should be situated.

Using the author’s name as part of your sentence is fine, and mixing the two styles works well. Beware of overusing it - your tutors want to hear your voice, overuse can sometimes read like a commentary of ‘who said what’.

Example 1:

Virtual communities have been characterized as groups of individuals sharing some common interests or goals in online environments (Dennis, Pootheri, & Natarajan, 1998). 

Example 2:

Ridings and Gefen (2004) examined users’ attraction to virtual communities and found that social support is an important factor influencing their attraction. 

Example 3:

Social support has been defined as “the degree to which a person’s basic needs are gratified through interaction with others” (Thoits, 1982, p.147).

All examples taken from:

Kim, C., Lee, S. and Kang, M. (2012) ‘I became an attractive person in the virtual world: users identification with virtual communities and avatars’, Computers in Human Behaviour, 28(5), pp.1663-1669. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2012.04.004.

Remember, not everybody uses Harvard so don't be confused by sources that use a different style. That said, whatever the style, reading academic sources of information is a great way of understanding how to integrate citations into your written work.

Indirect quotations, or paraphrasing, is when you rewrite an author's ideas or thoughts into your own words.

Paraphrasing is more than just changing a few words in the same sentence eg,

Original: There are roughly two kinds of information that you need for writing essays.

Plagiarism: Usually, there are two forms of knowledge that you need to construct an assessment.

This is not paraphrasing, and could be seen as plagiarism. A few synonyms were used (kinds/forms, knowledge/information, construct/write, and essay/assessment), but otherwise the sentence is identical.

Instead:

• Change the grammar and structure of the sentence
• Ideally, as you read, take notes in your own words. Then, write from your notes rather from the original.
• Discuss a concept, then apply your citation

Paraphrased: When writing an essay, you ought to consider what information is needed. The majority of assessments can be completed using information which falls into two categories: background information that defines the topic, and information which supports the ideas and claims made in the essay.(remember to cite your source!). 

Paraphrased idea or sentence here (Cottrell, 2013).

This acknowledges where the idea/research has come from and demonstrates good academic practice ie showing that you have read and understood a concept, then applied it to your learning.

Although typically placed at the end of a sentence, if you are discussing multiple ideas in the same sentence, you can add further citations mid-sentence. That’s fine, but:

• Try to avoid using too many lengthy, possibly confusing, sentences
• Ensure it’s clear to the reader which citation refers to which idea

Now, accompany your citation with an entry in your Reference List, detailing the information required in the correct format eg,

Cottrell, S. (2013) The study skills handbook. Basingstoke: Palgrave.