Research Skills for Developing Writers: Summary & Additional Resources

Using information from expert sources is essential to providing quality evidence for your academic research. Responsible source borrowing starts with strategic reading; developing reading habits that include pre-, during- and post-reading portions will help you choose the best source information with purpose. You can incorporate borrowed sources by summarizing, paraphrasing, or quoting. Summarizing and paraphrasing are when you restate the same idea with in your own words with new structures. Quoting is when you use the author's exact words. You should use a balanced mix of all three source incorporation methods. You should let your reader know you are including borrowed information by using signal phrases to introduce the ideas. Remember, whenever you use someone else's ideas or information, you need to cite it in APA format.