Plagiarism Resources
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What is an indirect quote or paraphrase?An indirect quote is the borrowing of information or an idea from another text. This borrowing is not word for word (verbatim).How does the paraphrase work?That other text could be a book, a web site, a magazine or newspaper article, another student paper, or an interview - in short, any text that is not the one you are writing at the moment.
In his article, "A Post-Generation X View", Beat critic Guy Norbury writes about his first encounter with the legendary Beat poet, Allen Ginsberg. The following text is from Norbury's published article:I imagined him to be the radical guru that he was. Inside the sloping skyscraper on West 42nd Street, I sat on the windowsill of the classroom on the fortieth floor and listened to the poet speak amidst the backdrop of the New York City skyline. I felt that I had just climbed a man-made mountain to listen to the wisdom of this old prophet. In spite of his age, he still spoke with the conviction of a young revolutionary. After the class, I was able to introduce myself and I offered my volume for him to sign. He drew for me an enraged monstrous face freckled with pock marks and strangeness. I was too shy at the time to ask what he had drawn and to this day I still do not know what the hell this face is. I firmly believe that as soon as a work of art is completed, it no longer belongs to the artist but to the audience. Therefore, I have concluded that this face is a picture of the teenage frustration with society that I was beginning to experience. I did not quite understand what it meant then, but as I continued to read Ginsberg's work, throughout my teenage years, I acquired a more meaningful understanding of the symbolism of this picture.Example:
Here is an example of how one student paraphrased an idea from Norbury's article in his own essay. The student wrote:Literary critic Guy Norbury has indicated the validity of subjective interpretation. In his article, "A Post Generation-X View", Norbury claims that an artist gives up ownership of any production once the artwork is placed in a public venue (Norbury 2).
How do I document an indirect quote or paraphrase?Mechanics
- Follow the borrowed material with an open parentheses. Inside the parentheses write the speaker/writer's last name and the page number where the borrowed text can be found.
Example: In his article, "A Post Generation-X View", Beat critic Guy Norbury claims that an artist gives up ownership of any production once the artwork is placed in a public venue (Norbury 2).
If there are no page numbers, as can be the case with some internet sites, then omit the page number and only include the author's last name in the parentheses.
ex. (Smith)
If there is no author given, then use a truncated version of the title of the piece where the borrowed text can be found.
ex. ("Lewis Carroll's Idealism" 54)
- The end punctuation follows the close parentheses.
Example: In his article, "A Post Generation-X View", Beat critic Guy Norbury claims that an artist gives up ownership of any production once the artwork is placed in a public venue (Norbury 2).
Style
- Typically, you will need to introduce the speaker. At any rate, you will want to present the prose in a way that makes clear that you got the idea from another text.
Example: In his article, "A Post Generation-X View", Beat critic Guy Norbury claims that an artist gives up ownership of any production once the artwork is placed in a public venue (Norbury 2).
- Clarify how the paraphrased material relates to the rest of your discussion.
Example: In his article, "A Post Generation-X View", Beat critic Guy Norbury claims that an artist gives up ownership of any production once the artwork is placed in a public venue (Norbury 2). This idea that works of art can be freely interpreted by any viewer or listener, despite the creator's intention, is important because it implies that any text can be subject to multiple interpretations, depending on the point of view of the reader.