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Using Sources

Integrating Sources into your Writing

So you've found and selected sources - now what? The next step is to integrate those sources into your assignment. You do this in order to give strength to your argument and to demonstrate to your instructor that you are knowledgeable about the topic.

There are different ways to integrate sources into your assignment. You may want to use the same wording from the source without making any changes - this is called quoting. In other instances, you may want to use the idea from a source but use your own words - this is called paraphrasing. Sometimes it may be necessary to speak about a source, or use a section from a source, in a condensed way - this is called summarizing

The following sections discuss the finer points of each and give you a better idea of when you might want to use a particular means of integration.