| Signal Your
Commentary on Source Material
In this handout, we’ll be looking at how to signal
your commentary on source material. This handout assumes that you
know how to
paraphrase and
summarize, and it operates under two key
premises:
1. Source material cannot make your points for you. Essentially,
source material backs up your points; therefore, you will typically
have to introduce source material and comment on how it helps prove
your point. (For more information about introducing source material,
see the Academic Center handout “Signal
the Use of a Source.”
2. The reader has to be able to distinguish source material from
your commentary. (If the reader cannot, then you are guilty of
plagiarism.)
You might be asking yourself—why do I have to comment on what
I quote,
paraphrase, or
summarize? The answer is simple. Since you
have spent time researching the material, you are knowledgeable about
your topic. Your audience or readers may not be able to interpret
the facts or examples that are provided in the source material. As
the knowledgeable writer, it is your obligation to show your audience
the significance of the material that you’ve cited. In other
words, your commentary shows how your source material relates to,
explains, or proves your point(s). Ultimately, signaling from source
material helps you not only to avoid plagiarism but also to make your
writing flow smoothly.
As always, when you use source material, whether that source material
is paraphrased, summarized, or directly quoted, you’ll need
to cite appropriately. You’ll notice in our examples that we’ve
always cited. Our examples may be either in
APA
or MLA format.
You can signal that you are beginning your commentary with
|
