13.6 Integrating Information from Sources
Incorporating information from sources involves more than simply inserting quotations, paraphrasing, or a summary and including a bibliographic entry in your document. Introducing context for the information and integrating the information into your own sentences also forms a critical aspect of using sources successfully.
Signal Phrases
Academic writing requires the use of signal phrases (or attributive tags) to properly document quoted, paraphrased, and summarized material. In APA, signal phrases require the use of the author’s last name and a strong verb. These phrases may also emphasize different types of information related to the source, such as the source’s title or publisher, to further contextualize and guide your reader’s response to the cited material.
Using Strong Verbs in Signal Phrases
To avoid repetition, you will want to vary your vocabulary. Rather than simply using “states” back-to-back throughout your entire document, offer a more specific verb that signals to the reader just how you are using the source. See Table 13.1 below for examples of strong signal-phrase verbs.
|
Acknowledges |
Counters |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
Admits |
Declares |
Observes |
|
Agrees |
Denies |
Points out |
|
Argues |
Disputes |
Reasons |
|
Asserts |
Emphasizes |
Refutes |
|
Believes |
Finds |
Rejects |
|
Claims |
Illustrates |
Reports |
|
Compares |
Implies |
Responds |
|
Confirms |
Insists |
Suggests |
|
Comments |
Maintains |
Thinks |
|
Contends |
Mentions |
Writes |
Signal phrases provide the audience with valuable insight into how you, the writer, intend the quoted material to be understood. In addition to setting up how you use the source and its reliability, signal phrases can also be used as meaningful transitions moving your readers between your ideas and those of your support.
While providing the author credentials is the most common type of signal phrase, there are others you should be aware of. Table 13.2 below offers examples of common types of signal phrases and why you might use them in a document.
|
Type of Signal Phrase |
Purpose |
Example |
|---|---|---|
|
The author’s credentials are indicated. |
Build credibility for the passage you are about to present. |
Grace Chapmen, Curator of Human Health & Evolutionary Medicine at the Springfield Natural History Museum, explains… |
|
The author’s lack of credentials is indicated. |
Illustrates a lack of the source’s authority on the subject matter and persuades the audience not to adopt the author’s ideas. Pointing to an author’s lack of credentials can be beneficial when developing your response to counterarguments. |
Matthew Smythe, whose background is in marriage counseling and not foreign policy, claims… |
|
Author’s social or political stance, if necessary to the content, is explained. |
Helps a reader to understand why the author expresses a particular view. This understanding can positively or negatively influence an audience.
|
Employing nonviolent civil disobedience, Roland Hayes, prominent civil rights activist, preaches… Richard Spencer, who takes credit for the term “alt-right,” denies… |
|
Publisher of the source is identified. |
Reinforces the credibility of the information presented by utilizing the reputation and credibility of the publisher of the source material. Note: When only referencing the publisher, make sure to include a parenthetical in-text citation identifying the author (or title, if no author is available) at the end of the cited material. |
According to a recent Gallup poll… |
|
The title of the source is included. |
Informs the reader where the cited passage is being pulled from. This is especially useful if the author has multiple publications or if the publication is particularly well-known. |
In “Understanding Human Behavior,” Riley argues… |
|
Information that establishes context is presented. |
Clarifies the author’s purpose. Offers more information on the original circumstances for the quotation. |
In a speech presented during the Boston Free Speech Rally, Elaine Wallace encourages… |
This section is derived from Using Sources in Your Document in Howdy or Hello? Technical and Professional Communication Copyright © 2022 by Matt McKinney, Kalani Pattison, Sarah LeMire, Kathy Anders, and Nicole Hagstrom-Schmidt is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
