Study Notes: Paragraph Development, Paraphrasing, and Nature-Based Solutions

Elements of a Well-Developed Paragraph

  • Relevant: the paragraph should support the overall purpose of the paper.
  • Well-structured: the paragraph should have a clear purpose; all sentences must relate to one central point or idea (the topic sentence).
  • Unified: sentences should relate to one central point and follow a clear purpose.
  • Cohesive: sentences should develop logically and be well-connected (follow a logical structure).
  • Well-evidenced: source material is used and cited appropriately and accurately and where necessary.
  • Show higher-order critical thinking.

The Current Solid Waste Management Crisis in Lebanon

  • 1.1 The Lack of Recycling

    • A problem in Lebanon is that people do not recycle waste well.
    • Consequences of not recycling: landfills fill up quickly, attracting rats and disease; plastic decomposes for hundreds of years; microplastics can contaminate oceans and disrupt food chains.
    • Recycling is important because it reduces the amount of plastic manufactured and supports a sustainable future.
    • Rodgers et al. (2023) claim that recycling is essential for a sustainable future, not just a good habit.
    • To solve the waste problem long term, Lebanon must increase citizen recycling.

  • 3 Take another look at our example of a weak paragraph. Is this good use of source material? Why/why not?

    • Exercise prompt to critique source integration and usefulness of paraphrase.

  • 1.1 The Lack of Recycling (Page 4)

    • Another perspective: lack of incentive to separate recyclables from regular waste.
    • In Greater Beirut, waste is disposed of in the same bag and collected via community trash bins.
    • Lebanon does not encourage recycling with separate household bins and has standardized collection fees (not based on bags).
    • Result: little incentive to separate waste; mixed waste makes recycling costly, time-consuming, and unsustainable at processing plants.
    • Statistic: only 8% of recyclables are recycled per year in Lebanon (Bardus & Massoud, 2022).
    • Implication: a large portion of recyclable material ends up in landfills.
    • 8 ext{ ext%}
      ightarrow ext{low recycling rate}

Paraphrasing and Source Material

  • Aims (Page 6)

    • Choose appropriate source material for paraphrasing.
    • Review ENGL 102 skills for paraphrasing.
    • Paraphrase source material at the sentence level.
    • At home: paraphrase across multiple sentences in a text.

  • 1. Choosing Effective Source Material (Page 7)

    • What type of information provides strong support?

  • 1.1 Examples of Poor Support (Page 8)

    • Examples of paraphrases that are weak or lack significance:
    • Rayan et al. (2021) note that IoT can assess health treatment individually.
    • Cupertino et al. (2022, p. 9) claim Hungary is landlocked with many bordering countries.
    • Abugabah et al. (2020) note RFID has security issues if a hacker accesses data.
    • These paraphrases may be common knowledge or lack significance.

  • 1.2 Common Knowledge (Page 9)

    • Common knowledge: information trusted by a typical educated reader; no citation needed.
    • Examples: "Hungary is a landlocked state" (Cupertino et al. 2022, p. 9) may be considered common knowledge.

  • 1.3 Significance (Page 11)

    • Students often pick source information that lacks significance.
    • IoT can be useful in health care as it tracks activities, identifies patient choices, and evaluates outcomes.
    • Strong source material has opinion and specific reasoning; significance enhances the claim.

  • 1.4 Strong Support (Page 12)

    • Strong support includes: opinions, facts (not common knowledge), statistics/data, complex technical information, ideas and suggestions.

  • 1.3 Significance (Page 13)

    • Example: Abugabah et al. (2020) note RFID security concerns; consider what makes this more significant (e.g., potential impact, risk magnitude).

Paraphrasing Skills

  • Page 14: Paraphrasing concepts recap.

  • Page 15: Three Techniques for Paraphrasing

    • Vocabulary
    • Grammatical structure
    • Necessary word class (and optional elements)

  • 2.1 Techniques and Examples (Pages 16-17)

    • Example: Cartmen (2022) states that smoking is the main cause of cancer among adolescents.
    • Sample Paraphrase 1 (Sentence-to-Sentence):
    • Paraphrase: Among youths, smoking is the leading cause of cancer.
    • Page 17: Original vs paraphrase example
    • Original: Racial disparities in home ownership: Whites 71%, African American 41%, Latino 45%.
    • Paraphrase (Part-of-Sentence): A substantial share of minority groups (including African Americans and Latinos) live in owner-occupied housing in America, while over 70% of White families own their homes (Martinovich, 2022).
    • Paraphrase guidance: You are not required to paraphrase all numbers; you can paraphrase a portion of a sentence.

  • 2.2 Recap: Parenthetical and Narrative Citations (Page 18)

    • Page numbers are recommended but not compulsory with paraphrases unless the source is more than 30 pages.

  • 19–21: Paraphrase and citation practice

    • Example: Energy conservation is a critical issue; Blew (2019) notes a city may require ~20,000extmegawatts20{,}000 ext{ megawatts} of capacity.
    • Do not mix a paraphrased citation with your own thought; ensure attribution is clear.
    • Narrative citations can help distinguish ideas from sources.
    • Example rewrite: "Energy conservation is an extremely critical issue to address going forward for a number of countries, because, as Blew (2019) notes, a single city alone requires approximately 20,000extMW20{,}000 ext{ MW}." (
    • The goal is to clearly separate your interpretation from the source’s claims.

  • 22–23 Practice

    • Task: You are writing a report on Nature-Based Approaches to Reducing Flood Risks in Coastal Communities and need evidence for the final part of your paragraph.

Nature-Based Solutions to Reducing Coastal Flood Risk (Case Study)

  • 2.1 Nature-Based Solutions (Page 24)

    • One way to reduce flood risks from coastal flooding is to implement nature-based solutions (NBS).
    • Natural processes include mangroves, wetlands, and marsh ecosystems to reduce wave power and provide storm protection.
    • Marino and Levin (2023): Compared with traditional man-made structures (e.g., dams, embankments), NBS are more effective and also improve water quality and provide wildlife habitats; they are cost-effective.
    • Task: Complete the paragraph by paraphrasing one sentence from the source.

  • 2.1 The Value of Nature-Based Solutions Along Our Coasts (Page 25)

    • Key findings:
    • Coastal marshes can reduce wave energy by over 50 ext{%}.
    • Mangroves can reduce wave height and energy by up to 66 ext{%}.
    • Coastal wetlands provide storm protection valued at 23.2extbilliondollars/year23.2 ext{ billion dollars/year} in the US.
    • Coastal reefs provide 1.8extbilliondollars/year1.8 ext{ billion dollars/year} in flood protection benefits.
    • Nature-based solutions are among the most cost-effective ways to protect against coastal flooding.
    • Every 11 spent to restore wetlands and reefs results in 77 dollars of direct flood reduction benefits. (Return ratio: 7:17:1)
    • Source: The Nature Conservancy (2020).
    • Note: This section emphasizes the economic efficiency of NBS and tangible benefits per dollar invested.

  • 2.? Data context and paraphrase practice (Page 26–27)

    • Paraphrase one sentence from Marino & Levin (2023) and The Nature Conservancy (2020) to complete the paragraph.
    • Example given: The United States data show a return of 77 dollars for every 11 dollar spent on wetlands restoration (The Nature Conservancy, 2020).
    • The paragraph should maintain the overall meaning while using paraphrase rather than direct quotation.

  • 2.1 Nature-Based Solutions (Page 31)

    • Example: One sentence can be paraphrased to consolidate claims, e.g., converting two sentences into a single paraphrase.
    • This page demonstrates that two sentences can be combined into one paraphrase while preserving meaning.

  • 2.1 Nature-Based Solutions (Page 32–33)

    • The Value section: Reiterates key figures and encourages using multiple parts to support a paragraph.
    • Page 33: The Nature Conservancy notes that nature-based solutions are cost-efficient, with substantial annual flood reduction value in the US (e.g., wetlands and reefs contributing billions in flood reduction).
    • Note: Some wording may be rephrased to avoid redundancy; maintain accuracy of figures.

  • 32–33 Look for how to assemble evidence from multiple parts to support a single paragraph.

  • 34 Advanced: Paraphrasing Across Multiple Sentences (Page 28)

    • It is possible to paraphrase across multiple sentences from a source; this is advanced and may be used in ENGL 214.

  • 34 Practice note: Paraphrasing across multiple articles into a single sentence is also possible in advanced work.

Paraphrasing Across Multiple Sentences (Advanced)

  • Imagining evidence spans multiple sentences in a source, you can combine them into one paraphrase.

  • Example practice: Two-sentence paraphrases can become one sentence (as shown on the slide).

  • 3 Practice: Nature-Based Solutions paragraph exercise

    • Task: Develop a paragraph explaining how nature-based solutions reduce flood risk, with evidence from Marino & Levin (2023) and The Nature Conservancy (2020).
    • Aim: Demonstrate integration of multiple sources and clear attribution.

Summary of Practical Guidelines for Paraphrasing and Citations

  • Choose material with strong significance and relevance to your argument.
  • Distinguish your own analysis from source material using clear citations.
  • Use a mix of paraphrase and sometimes direct quotes, if necessary, but rely primarily on paraphrase.
  • When paraphrasing across multiple sentences, maintain the original meaning and avoid undermining your own voice.
  • Use either parenthetical or narrative citations; page numbers are optional for paraphrases unless the source is >30 pages.
  • For numbers, statistics, and economic values, present them clearly with appropriate units and, when helpful, convert to a common form (e.g., dollars to scientific notation) using LaTeX where required: e.g., 23.2imes109extdollars/year23.2 imes 10^9 ext{ dollars/year}, 1.8imes109extdollars/year1.8 imes 10^9 ext{ dollars/year}, 700 ext{%} return, 8 ext{%} recycling rate, 20,000extMW20{,}000 ext{ MW}, 7:17:1 return ratio.

Notable Figures and Concepts to Remember

  • Lebanon solid waste context:
    • Recycling is essential but currently limited; only 8 ext{%} of recyclables are recycled in Lebanon (Bardus & Massoud, 2022).
    • Lack of household recycling bins and standardized collection fees reduce incentives to separate waste.
  • Paraphrasing and source use:
    • Strong paraphrase reuses source material without over-reliance on direct quotes.
    • Distinguish source claims from your own ideas with clear citations; use both narrative and parenthetical forms as appropriate.
  • Nature-based solutions case:
    • Mangroves and coastal wetlands provide substantial wave-damping and storm protection benefits.
    • Economic case: extbenefitperdollar=7ext{benefit per dollar} = 7; i.e., every 11 spent yields 77 in direct flood reduction benefits; sometimes cited as a 700 ext{%} return.

End of Notes