From a research perspective, integrate means to unify and bring your ideas together clearly.

When it comes time to supply supporting evidence for your ideas, it is important to be able to identify where you found a particular piece of information, which is why using a consistent filing system to organize secondary research is a key technique.

Then you will integrate your secondary research, being careful to document which words and ideas come from secondary sources. Let’s learn how to do this!

Incorporating Evidence from Sources

After evaluating and selecting sources to support your research question, the next research step is to incorporate them and cite them in your work.

There are three ways to incorporate outside work from either a primary or secondary source: direct quote, summary, and paraphrase.

The three ways can seem quite similar, but there are some fundamental differences.

Direct Quote

A direct quote is when you use information from another source by copying it directly or word for word into your work.

To indicate to your audience that words have been directly copied, you use quotation marks. The quotation marks also indicate that the ideas, as well as the words of the original author, are being used in the exact same way.

When directly quoting, you must include an in-text citation. This will be further explained later in this subtopic.

Summaries and Paraphrases

Summaries and paraphrases also include borrowed information from another source. However, the words borrowed are changed and put into your own words. Essentially, the words of the original source change, but the ideas stay the same.

A summary includes the main ideas presented in the original source. The main points are the key pieces of information integral to understanding the entire source. A summary takes a whole text and provides a condensed version of all the main points.

On the other hand, a paraphrase takes just a section of a text and restates the ideas in your own words. A paraphrase is more detailed than a summary. A paraphrase includes the main ideas, as well as some of the supporting detail presented in the original source (Purdue Online Writing Lab, n.d.).

When summarizing and paraphrasing, it is important to remain neutral. Giving attribution to the author by using an in-text citation is also required. More to come on this later in the subtopic.

Scenario and example:

You’ve been tasked to write a research paper on alternative medicine. You’ve narrowed the scope of your research to look at the benefits of meditation. Particularly, you’re wanting to incorporate the physical health benefits of meditation and have found a source with great information. View the source. Now it is time to decide what information you will use from the source and how you will incorporate it into your work.

The paragraphs you’re most interested in begin:

“The health benefits of meditation are so potent that…” (“Spring Cleaning,” 2019, para. 5).

“High blood pressure. Eliciting the relaxation response has been found to…” (“Spring Cleaning,” 2019, para. 6).

Option A:

DIRECT QUOTE

According to Dr. Randall Zusman, meditation can help “people who would like to avoid the use of medication if at all possible” (“Spring Cleaning,” 2019, para. 6).

 

Show Answer

• Information from the original source is copied word for word.
• Use of quotation marks is included.
• In-text citation is included.

Option B:

SUMMARY

Meditation is a powerful way to treat a number of physical ailments. Meditation has a number of benefits ranging from reducing inflammation to decreasing blood pressure (“Spring Cleaning,” 2019).

 

Show Answer

• Includes all the main ideas presented in the original source.
• Words change, but ideas stay the same.
• Can you find the main ideas?
  • Answer: highlighted in pink

Meditation is a powerful way to treat a number of physical ailments. Meditation has a number of benefits ranging from reducing inflammation to decreasing blood pressure (“Spring Cleaning,” 2019).

Option C:

PARAPHRASE

Meditation can improve an individual’s health in a number of ways. It is often used to treat physical ailments. In addition, it can be used to support traditional therapies. One well-known benefit is it can help people manage stress by relaxing the mind and body. (“Spring Cleaning,” 2019).

 

Show Answer

• Paraphrase is more detailed than the summary.
• Paraphrase includes the main ideas, as well as some of the supporting detail presented in the original source.
• Words change, but ideas stay the same.
• Can you tell which paragraph has been paraphrased?
  • Answer: paragraph 5
• Can you find the main ideas and supporting detail?
  • Answer: main ideas highlighted in pink, supporting detail highlighted in grey

Meditation can improve an individual’s health in a number of ways. It is often used to treat physical ailments. In addition, it can be used to support traditional therapies. One well-known benefit is it can help people manage stress by relaxing the mind and body (“Spring Cleaning,” 2019).

Documentation of Sources

When you use direct quotes, summaries, or paraphrases in your work, you need to document and source the information used. This acknowledges and gives credit to the original author of the work. It tells your reader not only that you’ve borrowed information from a secondary source but also important information about the source, such as who wrote it, who published it, and when it was published (Purdue Online Writing Lab, n.d.-b).

This is important:

• For academic honesty purposes
• To give context to the audience regarding how current the information is (Note: Your reader is likely to interpret data from 1970 versus 2010 differently.)
• It shows you understand and value the role of documentation conventions and styles (APA, MLA)
  • This is especially relevant to students because proper documentation of sources prevents plagiarism and shows a commitment to academic honesty.

There are two components to documenting sources:

• In-text citations
• A References page

Before we consider these elements more closely, let’s explore different documentation styles.

Documentation Conventions and Styles

There are a number of different style conventions for how to document references, usually connected to different subject matters.

A few main ones are:

• APA – The American Psychological Association
• MLA – The Modern Language Association
• CMOS – The Chicago Manual of Style

For a complete overview of each style, see the Citation Chart published by Purdue Online Writing Lab (2018).

Please note the following examples and explanations use APA format.

In-text Citations

Here is a brief overview of the basics you’ll need to know to create a correct in-text citation:

Try It!

Begin your journey with integrating quotes, summaries, and paraphrases in the activity below. Each question has a passage that requires an in-text citation. Use the reference information provided to edit the passage to include an in-text citation.

(Portions of this section have been adapted from the Thoughtful Learning article “Should Smoking Be Banned in Public Restaurants?” and “The Killer Bean” and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

View one source.)

Be mindful with the amount of directly quoted material you include in your work! A general guideline is to use no more than 10% directly quoted material.

References

See Integrate References