2-1 Copyright 2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills for International Students in Business, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia

Chapter 2

Note-taking, paraphrasing and summarising

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Learning objectivesOn completion of this chapter students will know

how to: take notes from oral and written sources summarise written text paraphrase relevant information from

references use quotations.

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Note-taking Note-taking is an essential skill for retaining

information from:– lectures

– readings

– oral presentations and discussions.

Eunson (2005) states that the process of prioritising relevant information from a whole mass of information is called ‘tactile thinking’.

Tactile thinking is used for efficient note-taking.

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Methods of note-taking Index cards Colour-coded material Numerical or alphabetical arrangement of

material

Use any method or a combination of methods but be consistent for efficient recovery of notes.

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Note-taking from lectures Less time for note-taking at lectures than from

reading materials Shorten words/phrases.

example: Australia Au.

experiment exp. Use symbols instead of the words.

example: dollar $

percentage %

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Note-taking from written sources Maintaining careful notes from your resources

is a key skill in writing a research essay. Develop your own style (e.g. note cards,

indexed files, software such as Endnote) Be meticulous!

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Key referencing information If the notes are from a book write down:

– Author name(s)– Year of publication – Page number– Title of book– Place of publication – Publisher’s name

If the notes are from a journal write down:– Author name(s)– Title of article– Page numbers– Year of publication– Name of journal– Volume and issue numbers

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Key referencing information (cont.)

If the notes are from online sources write down:– Author name(s)/publishing institution

– Title of article

– Year of publication

– Date viewed

2-9 Copyright 2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills for International Students in Business, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia

Electronic note-taking Different from note-taking from electronic

sources. Many software programs (e.g. OneNote,

Internet clipboards, PasteHere) assist electronic note-taking.

Software primarily operates on a copy/paste method.

Notes taken in this way must be paraphrased before insertion into written documents to avoid plagiarism.

2-10 Copyright 2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills for International Students in Business, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia

Electronic reference storage Software programs such as Endnotes

accurately store information for the generation of reference lists but students will not gain practice in writing the lists manually.

Use them to store a large number of references.

Practise writing the list by hand according to styles such as Harvard, APA and MLA.

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Summarising Three components:

– Equal coverage of all parts of the text Follow the headings and subheadings

– Objective presentation of the text (not your opinion)

– Your own words

Be brief but thorough. Most useful for noting large slabs of

information.

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Summarising (cont.) Five steps to summarising (Swales & Feak,

2005):– Read text quickly to determine important

information.

– Read text in detail and note down main facts and ideas.

– Write main points in your own words.

– Write important material in relation to the main points.

– Re-draft summary, adding or deleting materials if necessary.

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Paraphrasing Use for smaller units of information, such as

one or two sentences. Maintain the exact meaning and reference the

idea appropriately. See examples on next slide and also in

Chapter 4: Academic conventions, pp 74–76.

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Paraphrasing (cont.)Example

Original text

‘To be effective, a brand identity needs to resonate with customers, differentiate the brand from competitors, and represent what the organization can and will do over time’ (Aker & Joachimsthaler 2000, p. 40).

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Paraphrase (cont.)Example (cont.)

Acceptable paraphraseA brand that aims for a successful identity must fulfil the following criteria: meet the practical and emotional needs of its customers, portray itself as being different from other brands selling similar services or products and provide a future vision of the company. (Aker & Joachimsthaler, 2000)

Longer, new structure, and synonyms used where appropriate

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Paraphrasing (cont.)Example (cont.)

Unacceptable paraphrase

An effective brand resonates with customers, differs from competitors and represents what the company will try to do over time (Aker & Joachimsthaler, 2000).

Most key words are unchanged and the structure of the original has been kept.

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Six steps in paraphrasing1.Read original passage and understand the

meaning fully (several readings).

2.Find synonyms for the information words.

3.Make notes from the original passage.

4.Write the paraphrase from your notes.

5.Check your paraphrase to see if all the information from the original is included and you are not plagiarising the passage.

6.Reference the source appropriately in-text as well as in the reference list.

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Quoting from sources Use quotations only when the original words

add to your argument. Ask yourself:

– Does the quotation support my argument?

– Is it memorable?

– Does it add the weight of an authority?

– Is the quotation necessary because it provides the specific details of a law or regulation?

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Quoting from sources (cont.) Avoid writing an essay that is a collection of

patched together quotes. Be careful not to insert a quote just because

you think it ‘looks good’. Show quotation marks and the full reference,

including the page number.

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Summary: Note-taking Helps students prioritise and remember

material. Uses shortened forms of words or phrases. Places details under subheadings. Can be done in any method the student is

comfortable with.

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Summary: Summarising Shorter version of the original. Three main components:

– equal coverage– unbiased – rewritten in your own words.

Five steps: – skim reading– detailed reading– writing of main points– writing of essential elements of main points – redrafting.

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Summary: Paraphrasing Rephrases material without changing meaning. Includes the same amount of information as

the original text. Six steps:

– reading and understanding

– finding synonyms for information words

– making notes

– writing a paraphrase

– revising the paraphrase

– referencing.

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Summary: Quoting Should be done only if it is memorable or the

paraphrase leads to loss of essence or meaning.

Includes the words, grammar and punctuation of the original writing.

Material that is added to or deleted from the original text should be inserted in parentheses.