Question

How do I summarize a book in a paper? Do I have to cite every sentence?

Details

I'm writing a paper on an analysis of Psychology books on women. The instructions say "you should spend approximately 1-2 pages summarizing the content and basic arguments of the book". I don't know if I am to cite after every sentence or if I even cite a summary in the paper at all.

Answered By: Kimberly Boyd
Last Updated: Jan 23, 2017     Views: 927

Hello,

There aren't really any guidelines for this type of summarizing paper in the APA manual.  It is a best practice though to begin your paragraph with a citation that will let the reader know where the material is coming from and to end the paragraph with another citation.  If the paragraph ends up being more than five or six sentences long, you may want to include an additional citation somewhere in the middle of the body of the paragraph. 

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