Summary vs. Interpretation

Students often "over quote" under the illusion that using statements from the book, no matter the content, will make their papers stronger. However, it is important to remember that a quote should be used as a piece of strong evidence.

Any quotations used from a text should support your thesis. You can see the Writing Center's online presentation for examples of the difference between summary and interpretation.

Often students use too much of a quote. To prevent this, look at the sentence(s) you've chosen, identify the main idea, and use that section or sentence in your analysis.