Source Blending

What is source blending?

Source blending is the skillful incorporation of paraphrasing, quoting, and summarizing source material into your papers, and it takes more practice and structure than throwing bananas, berries, and protein powder into your next smoothie.

For example, let’s say you’ve found a credible source that supports your argument. Now what?

• Do you paste that passage into your document, surround it with quotation marks, add a citation, and call it a day?
• Or would it be better to stick to your own words, rephrasing the author’s thoughts in a way that is most suited to your discussion?
• Do you (or your readers) even need all this verbiage?

For help answering these questions, peruse the links and guidance below.

Short Takes: Citation Principles, Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Quoting

These Graduate Writing Center video tutorials offer a concise overview of essential source-blending skills:

• Core Principles of Correct Citation
• Summarizing
• Paraphrasing
• Quoting
• Signal Phrases

Source Blending: A Demonstration

Here's an example of the range of ways in which you can employ source blending—in this case, using text from Warren Berger's A More Beautiful Question (New York: Bloomsbury, 2014; citations are in Chicago Author-Date style):

• Quoting: Warren Berger (2014) suggests that "it can be a relief to know that, in coming up with fresh ideas, we don't have to invent from scratch; we can draw upon what already exists and use that as raw material. The key may lie in connecting those bits and pieces in a clever, unusual, and useful way, resulting in . . . smart recombinations" (103–4).
   
• Paraphrasing: According to Warren Berger (2014), new ideas are often not products of pure invention, unrelated to anything that has come before, but instead arise from familiar knowledge. The newness of new ideas, he proposes, frequently lies in the way in which they recontextualize and repurpose that familiar knowledge. 
   
• Summarizing: Although it may seem counterintuitive, one way to create new knowledge is to use what we already know, but use it in a new context or application (Berger 2014).

Note that it's often useful to move back and forth in a single sentence between material from the source (whether summarized, paraphrased, or quoted) and your own language and ideas: 

• Mixed: Warren Berger (2014) explains that "fresh ideas" might not actually be so fresh (103). Combining pieces of previous knowledge "in a clever, unusual, and useful way" leads to "smart recombinations" that allow old ideas to spark new ones (Berger 2014, 103–104).

How can I learn more about blending sources into my writing?

• "Paraphrasing and Quoting for All Citation Styles" (Thesis Processing Office (TPO) handout; scroll down) defines summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting, provides guidance on when to choose which technique, and gives examples of best practices and proper formatting.
• "Plagiarism Prevention 101" (NPS video, ca. 30', from Foundations of Academic Writing) recognizes students' need to cite, quote, paraphrase, and summarize a potentially wide range of sources in their writing and gives tips on using sources to develop better arguments and the basics of avoiding plagiarism.
• "Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Quoting: A Guide to Doing it Right!" (Genesee Library video, 14:12) provides guidance on when to paraphrase, summarize, or quote as well as step-by-step instructions on how to (and now not to) paraphrase.

Source Blending Links

Using Signal Phrases

• GWC video (8:54): "Signal Phrases"
• TPO handout (scroll down): "Using Signal Phrases Effectively"
• GWC workshop: "Debating with Your Sources: They Say/I Say"

Source Blending and iThenticate

• TPO infographic: "Interpreting iThenticate"
• GWC handout: "Plagiarism Prevention & iThenticate" (link in introduction)

Additional Resources

• Webpage: "Quotation, Paraphrase, Summary, and Analysis," George Mason University Writing Center
• Book: Writing with Sources: A Guide for Students, 2nd ed., Gordon Harvey, Hackett Publishing