May 23, 2010

Appendix E Quoting, Summarizing, and Paraphrasing Sources

Summarize:

Be brief. Reflect key facts or ideas. Help readers understand context. Do not insert personal views. Write in your own words, except for quotations.

A long-awaited federal study finds that an estimated 32 million adults in the USA about one in seven are saddled with such low literacy skills that it would be tough for them to read anything more challenging than a children's picture book or to understand a medication's side effects listed on a pill bottle. In general this study indicates that the nation has not made progress in the continuous issue of adult-literacy issues. According to the U.S. Education Secretary, Margaret Spellings, efforts in adult literacy are inefficient and "scattered. Toppo, Greg (2009, January 9). Literacy study: 1 in 7 U.S. adults are unable to read this story. (USA Today, 2009).

Paraphrase:

Use details. Reflect the structure of the source. Reflect the ideas of the original author. Do not insert personal views. Write in your own words, except for

The author points out: Though many communities are making strides to tackle the problem, it's worsening elsewhere in some cases significantly. Overall, the study finds, the nation hasn't made a dent in its adult-literacy problem: From 1992 to

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quotations.

2003, it shows, the USA added about 23 million adults to its population; in that period, an estimated 3.6 million more joined the ranks of adults with low literacy skills. Communities are struggling to make progress and improve the problem of American adult illiteracy. As a result, the problem is getting significantly worse. Statistics show over an 11 year cycle, 3.6 million additional American adults had low literacy skills. Toppo, Greg (2009, January 9). Literacy study: 1 in 7 U.S. adults are unable to read this story. (USA Today, 2009).

Quote:

Choose a well-stated key idea. Use a verb of attribution to introduce the quotation; for example, He claimed, She reported, they assert). Punctuate correctly. Cite in APA format.

U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings claims, efforts in adult literacy are inefficient and scattered" across government agencies. "We're not using research-based practices, broadly applied. Toppo, Greg (2009, January 9). Literacy study: 1 in 7 U.S. adults are unable to read this story. (USA Today, 2009).

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