Let us say you want to introduce information from another source like a book, journal, or website into your paper. You could approach this by quoting the work directly or trying to convey the information from the original source in your paper by rephrasing it in your own words. This approach is referred to as paraphrasing.
Is there a difference between quoting and paraphrasing?
Before further addressing how to effectively paraphrase to avoid plagiarism, let’s look at two confusing terms; quoting and paraphrasing. While, quoting and paraphrasing might seem confusing, they are actually different: let us take a moment to make a clear distinction between the two.
What is Quoting?
What is quoting? To quote is to include the identical wording from the original source in your paper. Quoted material in your paper is distinguished from your own words by the use of quotation marks (“”) or by indenting the quoted text. Additionally, quotation marks or indenting all the quoted material should be cited using footnotes, endnotes, or in-text citations.
What is Paraphrasing?
Paraphrasing, on the other hand, is to include the ideas or information from an original source in your paper by rephrasing those ideas or information in your own words. The key to successful paraphrasing is to use a few words from the original text and always be mindful not to change the meaning you are trying to convey as you rephrase and cite your paraphrase. Without proper citation, your paraphrase could be constructed as plagiarism.
Paraphrasing provides you with an alternative rather than using direct quotations and allows you to integrate evidence source material into assignments. Paraphrasing can be used for note-asking and explaining information in tables, charts, and diagrams.
Why should I paraphrase?
Some of the good reasons to paraphrase include:
To maintain the flow of the writing
Authors have unique ways of expressing ideas hence using direct quotes can interrupt this flow. Additionally using too many quotes can make an essay sound choppy and difficult to follow, therefore paraphrasing can help communicate an important idea in a passage or source without interrupting the flow of ideas in the essay.
To simplify a passage that is difficult to understand
Paraphrasing helps you to explain or simplify a passage that may be difficult to understand. By showing readers that you understand the idea, paraphrasing not only clarifies the idea in the passage but also illustrates that you can articulate this hard message to the reader, you are knowledgeable about the topic and should be trusted.
To eliminate relevant information
Paraphrasing is written using the author’s own words, which allows them to be more selective in what information from the passage should be included or omitted in the essay.
To avoid plagiarism
When you paraphrase your work, you steer clear of plagiarism, therefore always remember to include in-text citations and a full reference at the end of the essay for the paraphrased text.
When do I paraphrase?
You need to understand that you need to paraphrase short sections of work only, for example, a sentence or two or a short paragraph:
You can use a paraphrase as an alternative instead of a direct quotation.
- To rewrite someone else’s ideas in your own words
- To express someone else’s ideas in your own words
- To support claims in or provide evidence for your writing.
How do I paraphrase to avoid plagiarism?
Now that you have understood what is paraphrasing and when you should paraphrase. An academic assignment cannot exist without any information from peer-reviewed scientific works. Therefore instructors often ask students to avoid direct quotations to see whether they understand the material they are using. Thus, the best way to handle a quotation is to paraphrase it. However, the process of paraphrasing is much trickier than it might seem. How so? Replacing a few words will not create your version of someone else’s thoughts. Here are some tips on how to paraphrase.
Read the entire article!!!
Most lecturers will always recommend you read the entire article you intend to use in your research. As tiresome and boring as it seems, your brain needs full context to process the idea. In short, good research requires you to do more reading than writing. While several scholars complain that education is not cheap, your teachers know how to make it worthwhile. For instance, let’s say that when you understand the key message, you can interpret any quotation you like. The ability to see the bigger picture is what all renowned companies value, therefore this skill will help you in the future.
Use keywords instead of junk parts/sections
Scholars often have a hard time remembering the long complex thoughts they need to paraphrase, so they search for ‘simpler’ quotes. Still, this gets easier if you divide the idea into several parts with keywords, for instance.
Assistance to war refugees is a humanitarian concept.
Support can preserve the psychological well-being of those people.
Such projects help the suffering individuals find jobs.
Long sentences become more unstable when written in this format. Moreover, you can remember the main points faster by associating them with keywords. Then you can write the paraphrased work from scratch using your memory.
Make it simple: OWN IT.
Scientific articles often include many terms that you cannot paraphrase. However, if that is the case, you can start by defining each term and then “deciphering” the implication behind the whole sentence. Once everything is clear, you can easily create your version. Importantly, you might need to use some original “big words” to sound formal. Additionally, make sure you know the meaning of all the terms you choose to keep, or else the paraphrased version may become a convoluted interpretation instead of a nice quote.
Use different words
Experienced writers know that terminology is not everything, therefore they adhere to three simple rules.
- Use synonyms. Your research should have one style which is yours, therefore you can simply go with your intuition and rewrite the quote in your own words.
- Simplify only what you can. rewrite the original quote. For instance, if there is a bulky noun cluster or passive voice, you can write that in a simpler form, making the thought easier to grasp.
- No additional interpretation is allowed. You should comment on quotes but not distort them. Using the next sentence for your explanation is a great idea.
- Change the sentence structure, not the order.
Academic writing can be very tricky, especially when it comes to plagiarism. That is why you should not keep the sentence structure the same. For instance, moving an if-clause from the beginning to the end can be of service when you are trying to embed the quotation in your stylistic patterns, additionally, it is even better to “dress” the thought in different grammatical structures, keeping the message the same. Imagine that your reader is a picky client who will only accept your work after top-notch rebranding.
Note that if all this sounds too complicated and you need an easy-to-follow example, try professional essay writing services.
Avoid negative particles
Expert writers understand that using “do not” 10 times in a row will make any text boring and repetitive. Here are some constructions that can change that.
- “The data about this accident is absent.” This statement might sound a bit like a governmental website, but you can express it through such phrases without excessive negativity.
- “Researchers have failed to locate the ship.” Such statements are usually about specific expeditions. For instance, a business company funded the search operation, but it was unsuccessful.
- “Scientists never succeeded.” This expression implies that other researchers are free to try what their counterparts could not do. The phrasing is also cautious, which is a good thing in academic writing.
Use abbreviations consistently
No matter if you’re an experienced professional or a student who is just writing their first paper ever, you should not use the same abbreviations with different meanings. If the UN means “United Nations,” it’s not advisable to use it to denote a Korean musical group in the paraphrased quote later.
While your texts must be personalized, they should also be scientific, which means that you must consider all details and make a glossary if there are many abbreviations in your essay.
Never twist the original thought
English is a superb language that has never lacked words that can express anything that’s on your mind. Still, you must remember a few things while paraphrasing.
- You can’t change the main idea.
- Even if that could help your argumentation, you should stick to what the author said—no more, no less.
- Preserve all precise information. Even if that’s something trite, like “the 4th of July is an important date in the USA,” you should still mention exactly that day.
- Don’t add your analogies. Academic writing is about precision, which means that no extra metaphors should make it into your paraphrased quote.
Create an in-text citation.
Once everything is in the proper order, you should mention the author of the quotation you’ve chosen. There are many websites that will help you create an in-text and bibliography citation online. Using them is convenient, but it’s better to double-check all the details and correct possible errors at once. Every responsible writer reviews their quotes to insert the right page number and the year of publication.
Proofread the ready sentence.
Once you’ve completed all the steps above, make sure that your custom version of the quote has no typos or grammatical errors. That might seem like an insignificant detail, but no good writer will let such things spoil the impression of their work. Surely, many automatic correction services can spot the most obvious mistakes, but you can ensure that none of them are left in your paper by accident.
Golden rules when paraphrasing
Undeniably, there is no doubt that paraphrasing is always risky even if you place a reference by providing an original source. The reason for that is the possible lack of proper writing skills and the scholar’s inability to change the sentence. Unfortunately, colleges and universities all over the world use plagiarism checkers like Turnitin where a highly similarity index always becomes a problem if some paraphrasing has undergone minor change only.
Here are some proper paraphrasing rules to consider.
- Expanding original sentences by bringing in more analysis and personal thinking without ruining the original author’s idea.
- Always focus on your main thesis and the reasons why something or an idea is important.
- Analyze the structure of words and stylistic changes. For instance, you can alternate between passive and active voice.
- Edit your work by reading some parts aloud and try to explain the author’s ideas the way you would do it for a friend.
- Reverse-engineer each sentence by researching the logos and the pathos of the message in question.
Paraphrasing in APA
The rules state that writing information from other sources in your own words requires adding an in-text citation at the end of the paraphrased part, for example:
Sound engineering of transient waveforms became a leading subject of modern research not only among professional engineers but also among amateur college students involved in DJing and music production following the success of recent publications in the United States (Bridges, 2007).
For more specific details, read our post Quoting and paraphrasing (APA style)
Paraphrasing in MLA
MLA Handbook 9th edition rules are mostly the same as they were in the previous 8th edition. The only difference is the inclusion of sensitive or diverse language that is gender-neutral and uses “they” instead of “he” or “she” when paraphrasing things. It adds an in-text citing portion at the end of the paragraph part, for example,
The medical research in the field of autism spectrum has shown that not all parents have been equally supportive of Montessori teaching methods (Jones 4).
For more specific details, read our post Quoting and paraphrasing (MLA style)
Paraphrasing Example
When using an original source, the most important thing to do is to paraphrase a source correctly by staying as close to the original source as possible as you can.
Here are some examples that have both sufficient and insufficient paraphrasing.
Original Source:
Advancements in computing have opened the possibility of mechanizing the process of music creation. Through Concatenative Sound Synthesis, the best-matched segments between target and source sounds are found and synthesized. Factors that affect the distance of the match, such as the order and weight of the features are examined and presented here. A robust algorithm to automatically assign consistent weights to all features using the Analytic Hierarchy Process is also designed and described.
Source:
Norowi, N., & Miranda, E. (2011). Order-dependent feature selection in Concatenative Sound Synthesis using Analytical Hierarchy Process. 2011 IEEE EUROCON – International Conference on Computer as a Tool. https://doi.org/10.1109/eurocon.2011.5929206
Insufficient Paraphrasing Case:
Advancements in computing helped reveal the mechanizing possibility of music creation. Using Concatenative Sound Synthesis, best-matched segments between target and source sounds have been found and synthesized. Some factors that affect the distance of the match include the order and weight of the features that have been examined and presented. It also describes and designs a robust algorithm that assigns consistent weight to all features automatically by using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (Norowi & Miranda, 2011).
Correct Paraphrasing Example:
The latest changes that have taken place in the field of computing and engineering have paved the way for keeping various processes in music creation mechanized. The process itself implements the Concatenative Sound Synthesis method. It takes best-matched segments in the passage between source and target sound content to determine the ground for synthesis processes. The list of factors that play an important role, such as the order and the weight of the features, affects the distance of the match. This information has been presented in the research along with a robust algorithm calculation that helps to assign weights to all aspects in question by turning to studies of the Analytic Hierarchy Process method (Norowi & Miranda, 2011).
As you might have noticed, the second paraphrasing example has somewhat expanded and changed the original structure while keeping the original message unchanged.
Conclusion: Paraphrasing Tips
Some helpful paraphrasing tips to consider:
- Convert your ideas from notes that you have taken when composing your research paper or college assignment.
- Always provide a reference according to a specified writing style.
- Always check the original source twice to ensure that what you have paraphrased remains true and original.
- Use different wording and play with grammar and sentence structure.
- Add a piece of more detailed information to help your readers understand the subject and the importance of some idea or research.
- Do not alter the original idea of the author. It will be seen as plagiarism that is caused by false content that is matched to a certain source.
Still, it is crucial to check the similarity index to avoid plagiarism as paraphrasing is a creative process. Consider using an online plagiarism checker to evaluate your written content in terms of similarities and plagiarism risks. It will also help you to address various formatting and citing issues that you may have.
Takeaway: Don’t be afraid to voice your thoughts!
You can’t write a great academic essay without quoting, but that’s not the main part. Paraphrasing helps students and scientists alike integrate important information in their own papers, creating something completely original. That’s a useful exercise if you want to become a confident speaker and make all your statements impactful.
Quotes can help accomplish that goal, but your ideas remain foundational to everything that you say or write. That’s why you should never hesitate to craft unique thesis statements and further your own arguments. Just remember—to be persuasive means to be yourself.
