MLA-3: Integrating and Synthesizing Sources Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering essential concepts for effectively integrating, quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing, and synthesizing sources using MLA style guidelines.

Summary

A condensed restatement of a source's main ideas in your own words, used when a passage is lengthy and you want to condense a chapter to a paragraph or a paragraph to a sentence.

Paraphrase

An expression of an author's ideas in your own words and sentence structure, using approximately the same number of words and details as in the original source.

Quotation

The borrowing of an author's exact words, enclosed in quotation marks to show readers that both the idea and the exact words belong to the author.

Ellipsis Mark

A punctuation mark consisting of three periods with spaces between, used to condense a quoted passage by indicating that words have been omitted.

Brackets

Square punctuation marks used to insert your own words into quoted material to clarify a confusing reference, maintain grammatical consistency, or indicate changes in letter capitalization.

[sic]

A word inserted in brackets directly following an error (such as a misspelling) in a direct quotation to indicate that the error appeared in the original source.

Long Quotation (MLA)

A quotation of more than four typed lines of prose or more than three lines of poetry, set off by indenting one-half inch from the left margin without quotation marks.

Signal Phrase

Introductory words that prepare readers for a summary, paraphrase, or direct quotation, usually naming the author and providing context or credentials.

Ethos

A writer's credibility, established in source integration by including the author's title, credentials, or experience in the signal phrase.

Quotation Sandwich

A method of integrating source material where a quotation is sandwiched between an introductory signal phrase and a following interpretive comment connecting it to the argument.

Synthesis

The practice of combining multiple sources in a research paper to create a conversation, showing how sources relate to, support, extend, or counter one another.