49 Elements of Rhetoric: Paraphrase and Summarize from Sources for Position Argument Essay

Sources for Argumentative Essay

The purpose of this assignment is for you to paraphrase, summarize or extract a direct quote for the source material you found in your articles. After reading your articles, select a passage from each one that you feel adds to your essay or supports a point you are making in your essay. After you select the passage, complete the Article Work Handout. 

To complete this assignment:

1. Copy and paste the passage from each article and write it as a quote.

2. Paraphrase the quote and then paste it beneath the quote. 

3. Summarize the quote and then paste it beneath the quote. 

3. The assignment will end up with three quoted passages, three summaries, and three paraphrases of the passages.

4. Don’t forget to cite the material with an acknowledgement/signal phrase or a parenthetical citation.

Here is an example:

Original quote:Organize

“Called epigenetic modification, such gene activation or silencing typically stems from two types of chemical groups that latch on to chromosomes as charms attach to a bracelet, says Manel Esteller of the Spanish National Cancer Centre in Madrid. Methyl groups that clip on to DNA tend to turn genes off. On the other hand, acetyl groups attaching to histones, the chemical core of chromosomes, usually turn genes on.”

My paraphrase:

In the article, “Same Difference,” Christian Brownlee discusses a study done by Manel Estellar of the Spanish National Cancer Centre in Madrid that discovered a process called epigenetic modification. In this process, chemical groups “latch on to chromosomes as charms attach to a bracelet,” and then turn certain genes on or shut them off (Brownlee).

**It is a good idea to copy and paste the bibliographic information (author, article title, database, date, etc.) for each source as you use it so you have it when you make the Works Cited page.

ATTRIBUTIONS

• Content Adapted from Paraphrase and Summarize from Sources for Position Argument Essay (2019)  by Lori Walk and Roxanna Dewey for Glendale Community College is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-4.0 International License.