2.7: Citing Your Source With Signal Phrases
- Page ID
- 304750
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)As we’ve discussed above, you always need to cite your source-to show where the information you’re paraphrasing or quoting came from. To do this, you should use a signal phrase-in other words, a phrase that signals to your reader that what follows is someone else’s idea rather than your own.
Here are some examples of signal phrases that we’ve seen in this chapter:
"There is a connection between novelty and happiness," Dr. Laurie Santos, a cognitive scientist who teaches the wildly popular "Psychology and the Good Life" course at Yale, told me.
In "How to Have a Healthy Relationship with Social Media in 2021," Nicole Pajer suggests that social media causes us to not get along with each other because of politics.
According to Emma Marris, we aren’t going to be able to fix climate change with individual changes.
A signal phrase must include the author’s name. Depending on the situation, you may also include the title of the source (the article, book, or website where you found the information) or information about the author (such as if they are an expert in the field).
A signal phrase also includes a reporting verb or the phrase "according to":
A. Reporting Verbs
Reporting verbs are verbs like "claim," "argue," or "say." Here are some examples of them in use:
- Zeynep Tufekci argues that robots could be useful for humanity.
- My teachers say that it is a good habit to review notes right after class.
- Don Anair describes ways in which ride-sharing could help the environment.
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Some reporting verbs can be followed by that + a complete idea, while others can take a direct object. We’ll discuss this more in Chapter 3.
B. "According To"
If you use the phrase "according to," you do not need to use a reporting verb:
- According to Nicole Pajer, social media has many negative effects.
- Money could solve many problems for American children, according to the New York Times Editorial Board.
To cite correctly in MLA format, you need to include the author’s full name and the page number where you found the information in your paraphrase.
There are two exceptions to this rule:
- If you are using a source from a website that does not have page numbers, you do not need to include the page number.
- If you have already used the author’s full name in your paper, you can just use their last name (also known as their surname or family name).
You’ve seen several examples of how to use in-text citations in this chapter. For more, see Chapter 5.
At the end of your paper, you will include a Works Cited page that includes all of the information necessary for your reader to find the passage. You can find more information about composing your Works Cited page in Chapter 5.
8. PEER REVIEW
A peer review form for your paraphrase can be found in Appendix D: Peer and Self Review Forms. Use this form to give your classmate feedback on the elements of an effective paraphrase we’ve discussed in this chapter:
2. PARAPHRASE PEER REVIEW
Writer:
Reviewer:
Look at your partner’s paraphrase. Check the boxes that apply and answer the questions below. If the paraphrase does not meet the requirements, write suggestions for the writer in the "additional comments" column
|ll|l| Check the boxes that apply: & Additional comments &
\(\square\) &
| The paraphrase includes a grammatically |
| correct signal phrase (for example, |
| "according to the author..." or "the |
| author states...") |
&
\(\square\) &
| The paraphrase cites the source, including |
| the correct author’s name and article title. |
&
\(\square\) &
| The paraphrase uses different |
| grammatical structures than the original |
| passage. |
&
\(\square\) &
| The paraphrase uses different vocabulary |
| than the original passage. |
&
\(\square\) &
| The paraphrase is accurate. |
&
\(\square\) & The paraphrase is easy to understand. &
Overall Comments & &
\(\bullet\) &
| Is this an effective paraphrase? Why or why not? |
| What has the writer done well in this paraphrase? |
| - What could the writer do to improve this paraphrase? |
&