1. When reading your outside sources, look for information that supports that main ideas of your paper. When you find this information, mark it in some way. To do this, you might want to have a working thesis and a rough outline before you begin reading your information. This doesn’t mean that your thesis/outline can’t change. It simply means you’re organized before you start.
Working Thesis:
“The death penalty
should be abolished for four reasons.”
Rough Outline:
1. Death penalty is “cruel and unusual punishment.”
2. Innocent people could be executed.
3. More minorities get death penalty than whites.
4. Bible is against death penalty.
As you read, look for information that relates to one or more of your four main points. For example, if you find a section in your source that discusses the number of minorities who are executed vs. the number of whites, mark this section in some way. You might want to write “minorities” beside it, or you could keep track of your information on notecards. At any rate, find a system that works for you so that when you write the section of your paper that deals with minorities, you will easily be able to find the outside source that addresses the same issue.
2. If you find outside information that isn’t in your rough outline but you feel it would really add to your paper, mark it and change your outline—or even your thesis if necessary. For example, if you find an article which states that the cost of the death penalty is actually higher than the cost of keeping someone in prison for life, you may want to include that information as one of your main points.
3. When using outside information to support a specific point, make sure the source relates to the point you’re trying to make. If you’re writing the section of your paper that deals with the execution of innocent people, statistics detailing the number of executions during the previous year will not be relevant unless you can tell your readers how many of those executions involved innocent people. In other words, don’t use outside information just for the sake of making your paper longer or because your instructor told you to use a source. Instead, use outside information to support and develop your ideas.
4. Use quotes when you can’t put the source into your own words or when the author’s words are so effective that you don’t want to change them. Otherwise, paraphrase or summarize your sources. No more than 20% of your finished paper should be quoted. The rest should consist of paraphrase and summary as well as your own ideas.
5. Whenever possible, introduce a quote, paraphrase, or summary rather than simply “jumping into” the information. It’s also helpful to state the qualifications of the author of your source, especially if the person is an “expert” on the subject you’re discussing. If you don’t introduce a quote, the information is referred to as a “blind quote.”
Blind quote:
“People who are executed as a result of the death penalty often suffer horrible deaths. Sometimes it takes as long as twenty minutes for a person who has been electrocuted to die” (Smith 135).
Quote that has been introduced:
According to Bob Smith, a guard at the South Dakota State Penitentiary who has witnessed 130 executions, “People who are executed as a result of the death penalty often suffer horrible deaths. Sometimes it takes as long as twenty minutes for a person who has been electrocuted to die” (135).
Notice that you don’t need to use the author’s last name in your citation since you have already introduced it in the text of your paper. Also, if you use Smith as a source again, your introduction can be much shorter:
Smith states that the eyes of victims often pop out of their sockets (136).
Listed below are several phrases that you can use to introduce outside information:
According to . . .
As Smith states . . .
As Smith writes . . .
Smith claims . . .
Smith believes . . .
In his book The Death Penalty, Smith explains . . .
In an article published in Time magazine Bob Smith describes . . .
In a recent study Bob Smith found that . . .
Of course, you can also come up with your own introduction.