Now that you know why citations are so important, let’s take a look at how to give proper credit. In this module, you will learn how to decide if you should quote or paraphrase a source and how to apply strategies for quoting and paraphrasing.

After completing this module, you will be able to:

• determine whether to quote or paraphrase
• effectively use quotations

Should I quote or paraphrase?

It can sometimes be difficult to decide whether you should quote or paraphrase a text. Quoting is useful whenever the original language bears importance. Paraphrasing is useful when the concept itself is the focus.

Here’s how the two methods bear on an excerpt from Andrew Solomon’s The Noonday Demon. Solomon is a professor of psychology, but also a creative writer and novelist. This book is an exploration of depression that cites both current psychological research and the author’s own personal experience with the condition.

How do I quote effectively?

Try the quote sandwich method.

(Barney, 2018)

Watch the video to hear David Kelly, Writing Center Director, explain a quote sandwich example.

How can I avoid “dropped” quotes?

“Dropped quotes” occur when a quote occupies its own sentence without any framing or introduction from you. While this style is often used in news journalism, academic writing uses leading statements.

View and turn the card below to view a dropped quote and its revised, framed version.

What is a paraphrase?

Let’s look at an example

Here’s an example of a successful paraphrase of source material from Walden University’s Writing Center:

Original material: “Differentiation as an instructional approach promotes a balance between a student’s style and a student’s ability. Differentiated instruction provides the student with options for processing and internalizing the content, and for constructing new learning in order to progress academically.”

View the cards below to read an example of an unsuccessful paraphrase and a successful paraphrase. Turn each card for more information.

What are some strategies for paraphrasing?

Paraphrasing can be challenging and it takes practice. Here are two helpful strategies.

1. After reading and getting a grasp on the material, put the source away, and ask a friend or family member who’s unfamiliar with the source material if you can explain it to them. If they understand it, use your explanation as the foundation for your paraphrase.
2. Challenge yourself to be as brief as possible. If the source material you’re citing is a paragraph, try fitting its main idea into a sentence. This should help you focus on the main idea and use an original sentence structure.

What happens if I plagiarize?

Now that you’ve learned how to cite properly, you might be wondering what could happen if you plagiarize, either intentionally or unintentionally. Let’s look at a few examples from pop culture first.

View the items in the timeline. Use the arrows to navigate through the different examples.

What happens if I plagiarize at Ubalt?

All potential Academic Integrity violations by students will be adjudicated using the procedures outlined in the Conduct Process section of the Student Rights and Responsibilities Guide.

UBalt’s Student Handbook states that sanctions for violation of the University of Baltimore Academic Integrity Policy may include one or more of the following:

• Non-credit for work
• Failure of the course
• Disciplinary Probation
• Disciplinary Suspension
• Disciplinary Dismissal
• Disciplinary Expulsion

What can I do to avoid academic integrity violations?

View the cards to see what actions you can take to avoid the academic integrity violations listed.