1. Working with Sources
Nicole Branch
Santa Clara University Library
Background image courtesy of Flickr user Kevin Schraer.
2. Today we will…
• Review and practice quoting, summarizing
and synthesizing
• Explore authority in the context of your
upcoming assignments
• Practice applying relevance and context to
sources
4. What is summary? (& paraphrase &
quote…)
https://vimeo.com/27119582
5. Quote
• Using the exact words of another.
• Example: “Cassius Clay is a slave name. I
didn't choose it and I don't want it. I am
Muhammad Ali, a free name - it means
beloved of God - and I insist people use it
when people speak to me and of me.”
- Muhammad Ali
6. Paraphrase
• “Putting a passage from source material into
your own words.” (Purdue Owl)
• Example: Ali explains that he changed his
name because he considers his given name to
be descended from slavery.
7. Summary
• “The brief restatement of a source’s main ideas”
(Vossler)
• Example: [Ali] goes on to point out how names
are closely linked to stereotypes of both national
and ethnic identity and when a reporter asks if he
intends to change his name 'legally', Ali rejects
the idea that he must ask permission to choose
his own name.
- From:https://diva.sfsu.edu/collections/sfbatv/bundles/186005
8. Synthesis
• “In composition courses, “synthesis” commonly
refers to writing about printed texts, drawing
together particular themes or traits that you observe
in those texts and organizing the material from each
text according to those themes or traits.” (Drew
University Online Resources for Writers)
9. Example- Synthesis
Marqusee notes that Ali’s personality and career
could not be confined to one nation, he inspired
people from all around the globe…. It appears that
writing trying to asses the impact of Muhammed
Ali… characterize Ali as an inclusive rather than
exclusive figure. Considering Ali’s allegiance to
separatist Nation of Islam in America, these
conclusions add to the complexity of Ali and his
ongoing legacy.
- From: Saeed, 2002, p. 51
11. Summary Practice
Opposed to the draft, Ali refused to serve in the
Vietnam War. He was convicted of violating the
Selective Service Act in 1967 and stripped of his
titles. He was also banned from boxing anywhere,
since his boxing license was universally revoked…..
Ali appealed his conviction, and it was overturned
by the Supreme Court on a technicality.
From: Encyclopedia of American Studies, 2010
13. How’d You Do?
Opposed to the draft, Ali refused to serve in the
Vietnam War. He was convicted of violating the
Selective Service Act in 1967 and stripped of his
titles. He was also banned from boxing anywhere,
since his boxing license was universally revoked…..
Ali appealed his conviction, and it was overturned
by the Supreme Court on a technicality.
From: Encyclopedia of American Studies, 2010
14. When to Cite
• Provide credit each time you quote,
paraphrase, summarize or synthesize
someone’s work.
• Applies to ideas as well as written words.
15. Two Sides of Citation
• Citations in-text
• Reference list or works cited list
• Every citation in-text must be in your
reference list; every item in your reference list
must be in your text.
16. In-Text Citation
• In MLA, the in-text citation must include the
page number and the name of the author if
not named in the sentence.
• Example: The author observes the
contradiction between the image of Ali as a
unifying force and his ties to a religious
organization that is identified as separatist
(Saeed 53).
17. Works Cited Entry
• Author, Title, [Journal Name], Publisher,
[Volume & Issue Number], Publication Date,
[Page Numbers]
Saeed, Amid. “What's in a name? Muhammad
Ali and the Politics of Cultural Identity.” Sport in
Society, 5, no. 3 (2002): 52-72.
18. Analyzing Sources
• Evaluate the authority or background of the
author,
• Identify the intended audience or purpose,
• Compare or contrast this work with another
• Explain how this work illuminates your
analysis or perspective
19. Questions for Critical Analysis
• What are the author's credentials—cultural or
formal?
• When was the source published?
• What kind of source is this (popular, academic,
historic, literature)?
• What is the purpose of the source (to inform, to
persuade, to report)?
• What are the perspectives of biases that might be
apparent in the work?
21. Practice Critical Citation
• Find background information about the
author or text using the suggested resources
• Craft a sentence or two that contextualizes
one of the sources you will be using for your
upcoming comparative analysis or for the the
recent reading by James Baldwin
• Record & share
