Decide whether to quote, paraphrase, or summarize.

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As illustrated in O’Malley’s paragraph (p. 635), writers integrate supporting evidence by quoting, paraphrasing, or summarizing information or ideas from sources. This section provides guidelines for deciding when to use each of these three methods and how to quote, paraphrase, and summarize effectively. Note that, with the exception of O'Malley's paragraph (which uses APA style), all examples in this section follow MLA style for in-text citations, which is explained in detail in Chapter 24.

As a rule, quote only in these situations:

Paraphrase passages whose details you wish to use but whose language is not particularly striking. Summarize any long passages whose main points you wish to record as support for a point you are making.