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From reading to writing
To avoid plagiarism, writers must mind the formal aspects of citation and create direct and indirect quotes according to a selected or given citation style (see chapter on citation). Further, the linguistic aspects of citation, especially indirect citations, must be taken into account.
But how can a read text be effectively transformed into a text of one's own without violating the principles of good scientific practice? With her reading and writing strategy "From Reading to Writing" (Ruhmann, 1999, pp. 30-41), Ruhmann proposes an approach with several steps which divides precise reading as well as paraprhasing, that is formulating what has been read in one's own words, into solvable sub-steps.
The example below was created and adapted on the basis of Ruhmann, 1999, pp. 30-41. It contains five steps:
- Step 1: Read the text
- Step 2: Understand and write down the content
- Step 3: Write a coherent text
- Step 4: Provide a coherent text with references
- Step 5 (optional): Insert the referred author's voices
Example
The example illustrates the approach described above.
The example gives the opportunity to practice summarizing read facts on Teaching Library into your own text.
Follow the steps and come up with your own solution for each step before looking at our sample solution.
Step 1: Read the text
Please read the following paragraphs, which come from various sources:
Finally, if one looks at the past and present trends, one can define the teaching library, at the most basic level, as a library that values collaborative integration of information literacy instruction into curricula, the use of evidence-based assessments to measure student learning, and an acceptance of librarians as teachers and partners who bring much value to advance student success within academic communities.
Source: Page 220 from Ariew, S. A. (2014). How We Got Here: A Historical Look at the Academic Teaching Library and the Role of the Teaching Librarian. Communications in Information Literacy, 8(2), 208–224. https://doi.org/10.15760/comminfolit.2014.8.2.167
Integrating course assignments with the students’ own research themes has proven beneficial, as it allows them to accumulate materials necessary for their research and keeps them motivated during the whole course. Students find that the knowledge gained in the course is useful for their learning and research activities, as well as for finding interesting information in their everyday life and in their work setting.
Source: Page 59 from Seiler, V., Miil, K., & Lepik, K. (2012). How to Fit Teaching of Information Literacy in with Students’ Needs: an on-line Credit Course Model from the University of Tartu Library. LIBER Quarterly: The Journal of the Association of European Research Libraries, 22(1), 42–63. https://doi.org/10.18352/lq.8040
Library instruction is one potential strategy for improving students' retention and academic achievement. Attending and participating in library instruction strengthens all three aspects of engagement: emotional, cognitive, and behavioral. In addition to increasing engagement, library instruction also teaches students college success skills. During library instruction students learn essential research and information literacy skills to apply during class. Students' confidence in their own abilities, their comfort level in seeking help from a librarian, and their research abilities improve as a result of attending library instruction. All these factors make library instruction an important component of student success.
Source: Page 8 from Wright, L. B. (2021). Assessing library instruction: A study of the relationship between attendance, retention, and student success. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 47(5), Article 102431, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2021.102431
PDF with paragraphs
Step 2: Understand and write down the content
Please read the paragraphs from step 1 again carefully and note the following information for each paragraph:
- What topic is covered in the paragraph?
Find a keyword or heading for it.
- What is the main message of the paragraph?
- Formulate a statement / several statements.
- What is the source of the main message?
Table 2 shows a possible solution.
Table 2: Capture the main message by reading carefully
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What is the source of the main message
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Topic (keyword or heading)
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Main message (own statements)
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Original text
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| (Ariew, 2014, p. 220) |
Teaching Library | objectives
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The main objectives of the teaching library include working together to educate students in information literacy as part of their curriculum, tracking student progress using evidence, and promoting students academic development with librarians as teaching and collaborating partners.
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Finally, if one looks at the past and present trends, one can define the teaching library, at the most basic level, as a library that values collaborative integration of information literacy instruction into curricula, the use of evidence-based assessments to measure student learning, and an acceptance of librarians as teachers and partners who bring much value to advance student success within academic communities.
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| (Seiler et al., 2012, p. 59) |
Teaching Library | course integration |
In teaching information literacy it is recommendable to connect course assignments to students' research interests, enabling them to collect essential research materials, maintain motivation, and apply their learnings not only to their academic work but also to their daily lives and professional environments. |
Integrating course assignments with the students’ own research themes has proven beneficial, as it allows them to accumulate materials necessary for their research and keeps them motivated during the whole course. Students find that the knowledge gained in the course is useful for their learning and research activities, as well as for finding interesting information in their everyday life and in their work setting.
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| (Wright, 2021, p. 8) |
Library instruction | student success |
Attending library instruction can help students improve their academic performance and retention. On the one hand, it can encourage their engagement. On the other hand, it teaches students important college success skills, such as research and information literacy, which in turn increase their research capabilities, their confidence and their willingness to seek assistance from librarians. Consequently, library instruction can be a key factor in supporting student achievement. |
Library instruction is one potential strategy for improving students' retention and academic achievement. Attending and participating in library instruction strengthens all three aspects of engagement: emotional, cognitive, and behavioral. In addition to increasing engagement, library instruction also teaches students college success skills. During library instruction students learn essential research and information literacy skills to apply during class. Students' confidence in their own abilities, their comfort level in seeking help from a librarian, and their research abilities improve as a result of attending library instruction. All these factors make library instruction an important component of student success. |
Step 3: Write a coherent text
Write a coherent text from your statements from step 2 and document the sources from which you have taken the statements.
Table 3 shows a possible solution.
Table 3: From individual main messages to a coherent text
Main messages from step 2
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Coherent text
- (Ariew, 2014, p. 220)
- (Seiler et al., 2012, p. 59)
- (Wright, 2021, p. 8)
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The main objectives of the teaching library include working together to educate students in information literacy as part of their curriculum, tracking student progress using evidence, and promoting students academic development with librarians as teaching and collaborating partners.
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The main objectives of the teaching library include working together to educate students in information literacy as part of their curriculum, tracking student progress using evidence, and promoting students academic development with librarians as teaching and collaborating partners. In teaching information literacy it is recommendable to connect course assignments to students' research interests, enabling them to collect essential research materials, maintain motivation, and apply their learnings not only to their academic work but also to their daily lives and professional environments.Attending library instruction can help students improve their academic performance and retention. On the one hand, it can encourage their engagement. On the other hand, it teaches students important college success skills, such as research and information literacy, which in turn increase their research capabilities, their confidence and their willingness to seek assistance from librarians. Consequently, library instruction can be a key factor in supporting student achievement.
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In teaching information literacy it is recommendable to connect course assignments to students' research interests, enabling them to collect essential research materials, maintain motivation, and apply their learnings not only to their academic work but also to their daily lives and professional environments.
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Attending library instruction can help students improve their academic performance and retention. On the one hand, it can encourage their engagement. On the other hand, it teaches students important college success skills, such as research and information literacy, which in turn increase their research capabilities, their confidence and their willingness to seek assistance from librarians. Consequently, library instruction can be a key factor in supporting student achievement.
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Step 4: Provide a coherent text with references
Add in-text citations or footnotes to your coherent text from step 3 according to the citation style you are using.
Table 4 shows a possible solution.
Table 4: Coherent text with in-text citations
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Coherent text from step 3
- (Ariew, 2014, p. 220)
- (Seiler et al., 2012, p. 59)
- (Wright, 2021, p. 8)
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Coherent text with in-text citations (in-text citations according to the citation style "APA, 7th ed. (English)", for futher information on citation styles see chapter on citation)
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The main objectives of the teaching library include working together to educate students in information literacy as part of their curriculum, tracking student progress using evidence, and promoting students academic development with librarians as teaching and collaborating partners. In teaching information literacy it is recommendable to connect course assignments to students' research interests, enabling them to collect essential research materials, maintain motivation, and apply their learnings not only to their academic work but also to their daily lives and professional environments.Attending library instruction can help students improve their academic performance and retention. On the one hand, it can encourage their engagement. On the other hand, it teaches students important college success skills, such as research and information literacy, which in turn increase their research capabilities, their confidence and their willingness to seek assistance from librarians. Consequently, library instruction can be a key factor in supporting student achievement.
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The main objectives of the teaching library include working together to educate students in information literacy as part of their curriculum, tracking student progress using evidence, and promoting students academic development with librarians as teaching and collaborating partners (Ariew, 2014, p. 220). In teaching information literacy it is recommendable to connect course assignments to students' research interests, enabling them to collect essential research materials, maintain motivation, and apply their learnings not only to their academic work but also to their daily lives and professional environments (Seiler et al., 2012, p. 59). Attending library instruction can help students improve their academic performance and retention (Wright, 2021, p. 8): On the one hand, it can encourage their engagement. On the other hand, it teaches students important college success skills, such as research and information literacy, which in turn increase their research capabilities, their confidence and their willingness to seek assistance from librarians. Consequently, library instruction can be a key factor in supporting student achievement (Wright, 2021, p. 8).
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Step 5 (optional): Insert the referred author's voices
Please rewrite your coherent text from step 4 by inserting the so-called author's voice, for example:
According to Müller ...
..., according to Müller
If necessary, adapt your in-text citations according to the citation style used.
Your text should quote the opinion of the author(s) in a neutral, non-judgmental way.
Table 5 shows a possible solution.
Table 5: Coherent text before and after the inclusion of the author's voice
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Coherent text from step 4 with in-text citations according to APA, 7th ed. (English)
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Coherent text with referred author's voice and adapted in-text citations (according to APA, 7th ed. (English) in-text citations are shortened when the referred author's voice is part of the sentence, see chapter on citation)
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The main objectives of the teaching library include working together to educate students in information literacy as part of their curriculum, tracking student progress using evidence, and promoting students academic development with librarians as teaching and collaborating partners (Ariew, 2014, p. 220). In teaching information literacy it is recommendable to connect course assignments to students' research interests, enabling them to collect essential research materials, maintain motivation, and apply their learnings not only to their academic work but also to their daily lives and professional environments (Seiler et al., 2012, p. 59). Attending library instruction can help students improve their academic performance and retention (Wright, 2021, p. 8): On the one hand, it can encourage their engagement. On the other hand, it teaches students important college success skills, such as research and information literacy, which in turn increase their research capabilities, their confidence and their willingness to seek assistance from librarians. Consequently, library instruction can be a key factor in supporting student achievement (Wright, 2021, p. 8).
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According to Ariew (2021, p. 220) the main objectives of the teaching library include working together to educate students in information literacy as part of their curriculum, tracking student progress using evidence, and promoting students academic development with librarians as teaching and collaborating partners. In teaching information literacy Seiler et al. (2012, p. 59) recommend to connect course assignments to students' research interests, enabling them to collect essential research materials, maintain motivation, and apply their learnings not only to their academic work but also to their daily lives and professional environments. Wright (2021, p. 8) points out that attending library instruction can help students improve their academic performance and retention: On the one hand, it can encourage their engagement. On the other hand, it teaches students important college success skills, such as research and information literacy, which in turn increase their research capabilities, their confidence and their willingness to seek assistance from librarians; consequently, library instruction can be a key factor in supporting student achievement.
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Please note: The inclusion of an author's voice is used selectively and is not common in all disciplines.
Finally, Table 6 shows the comparison of the original text with the paraphrases developed step by step in this example.
Table 6: Comparison of original text, paraphrase with author's voice, paraphrase without author's voice
Original text
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Paraphrase with in-text citations according to APA, 7th ed. (English)
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Paraphrase with referred author's voice and adapted in-text citations according to APA 7th ed. (English)
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Finally, if one looks at the past and present trends, one can define the teaching library, at the most basic level, as a library that values collaborative integration of information literacy instruction into curricula, the use of evidence-based assessments to measure student learning, and an acceptance of librarians as teachers and partners who bring much value to advance student success within academic communities.
Source: Page 220 from Ariew, S. A. (2014). How We Got Here: A Historical Look at the Academic Teaching Library and the Role of the Teaching Librarian. Communications in Information Literacy, 8(2), 208–224. https://doi.org/10.15760/comminfolit.2014.8.2.167
Integrating course assignments with the students’ own research themes has proven beneficial, as it allows them to accumulate materials necessary for their research and keeps them motivated during the whole course. Students find that the knowledge gained in the course is useful for their learning and research activities, as well as for finding interesting information in their everyday life and in their work setting.
Source: Page 59 from Seiler, V., Miil, K., & Lepik, K. (2012). How to Fit Teaching of Information Literacy in with Students’ Needs: an on-line Credit Course Model from the University of Tartu Library. LIBER Quarterly: The Journal of the Association of European Research Libraries, 22(1), 42–63. https://doi.org/10.18352/lq.8040
Library instruction is one potential strategy for improving students' retention and academic achievement. Attending and participating in library instruction strengthens all three aspects of engagement: emotional, cognitive, and behavioral. In addition to increasing engagement, library instruction also teaches students college success skills. During library instruction students learn essential research and information literacy skills to apply during class. Students' confidence in their own abilities, their comfort level in seeking help from a librarian, and their research abilities improve as a result of attending library instruction. All these factors make library instruction an important component of student success.
Source: Page 8 from Wright, L. B. (2021). Assessing library instruction: A study of the relationship between attendance, retention, and student success. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 47(5), Article 102431, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2021.102431
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The main objectives of the teaching library include working together to educate students in information literacy as part of their curriculum, tracking student progress using evidence, and promoting students academic development with librarians as teaching and collaborating partners (Ariew, 2014, p. 220). In teaching information literacy it is recommendable to connect course assignments to students' research interests, enabling them to collect essential research materials, maintain motivation, and apply their learnings not only to their academic work but also to their daily lives and professional environments (Seiler et al., 2012, p. 59). Attending library instruction can help students improve their academic performance and retention (Wright, 2021, p. 8): On the one hand, it can encourage their engagement. On the other hand, it teaches students important college success skills, such as research and information literacy, which in turn increase their research capabilities, their confidence and their willingness to seek assistance from librarians. Consequently, library instruction can be a key factor in supporting student achievement (Wright, 2021, p. 8).
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According to Ariew (2021, p. 220) the main objectives of the teaching library include working together to educate students in information literacy as part of their curriculum, tracking student progress using evidence, and promoting students academic development with librarians as teaching and collaborating partners. In teaching information literacy Seiler et al. (2012, p. 59) recommend to connect course assignments to students' research interests, enabling them to collect essential research materials, maintain motivation, and apply their learnings not only to their academic work but also to their daily lives and professional environments. Wright (2021, p. 8) points out that attending library instruction can help students improve their academic performance and retention: On the one hand, it can encourage their engagement. On the other hand, it teaches students important college success skills, such as research and information literacy, which in turn increase their research capabilities, their confidence and their willingness to seek assistance from librarians; consequently, library instruction can be a key factor in supporting student achievement.
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