Patch-writing

Definition (v.):

"Copying from a source text and then deleting some words"

"A grotesque patchwork of long quotations that reveals little or nothing of the named author's own thoughts or insights"

 

 It's so easy to copy and paste text from one electronic document to another. Even if you make minor changes, add an beginning and concluding sentence, and properly cite your sources, if you use quote, after quote, after quote in your paper it is a bad writing technique called Patch-writing. Over-use of direct quotes can obscure the author's voice and reveal little of the author's own thoughts and analysis. Patch-writing is also sometimes called "unintentional plagiarism." By learning and practicing how to effectively paraphrase, summarize, and properly incorporate quotations, you can improve your writing and avoid the pitfalls of patch-writing


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