Academic writing often involves synthesizing information from a variety of published sources and incorporating other scholars’ writing and arguments into one’s own. This adds authority and credibility to a piece of writing and is critical to scholarly research and the growth of knowledge. It is usually done by paraphrasing the original material or by using direct quotations from sources to strengthen one’s argument and as evidence to support new research.
This article helps students learn how to properly paraphrase with some simple yet effective paraphrasing strategies and rules, so they can write papers free from plagiarism.
Quoting Vs. Paraphrasing
Quoting involves using someone’s words verbatim in one’s own piece and giving proper attribution to the source. In academic writing, quotes are generally used to analyze the original language, define concepts, or provide evidence. A direct quote always appears between quotation marks (“…”); the quoted text is identical to the original, and any changes made are clearly highlighted with the original author correctly credited.
Quotes are acceptable in scholarly writing when:
- A precise definition is required.
- The original author’s style or language is under focus.
- An argument needs to be supported by evidence.
- A specific claim must be analyzed or critiqued.
Paraphrasing, on the other hand, involves rewriting and building upon someone else’s ideas without changing the meaning or sense of the original.
Paraphrasing is important in scholarly writing because:
- The mental process that precedes successful paraphrasing helps the writer better comprehend the original.
- It shows that the writer clearly understands the meaning of a text.
- The writer’s voice prevails throughout the text.
- It stops the writer from using too many quotations, thus making the text much more readable.
- It is better than quoting bits of information from an otherwise unremarkable piece of writing.
While paraphrasing, one must be very careful not to (intentionally or otherwise) plagiarize another’s work. Plagiarizing is to pass off someone else’s words or ideas as one’s own. Intellectual plagiarism is taken very seriously in academia and attracts severe penalties.
Paraphrasing Strategies
The following are some tips, tricks, and strategies to help students avoid plagiarism and learn how to properly paraphrase original published work in their own writing.
- Reading for Comprehension
The original text must be read and re-read until the writer has thoroughly understood its full meaning and can restate it in their own words. The next step is to set the original aside and rewrite/translate it in one’s own words.
- Taking Notes
Another effective technique of paraphrasing is to take abbreviated notes while reading the text, set the notes aside for a few hours or a day, and then paraphrase from the notes. The subject of the paraphrase can be indicated by key words or phrases at the top of the notes. It might be helpful to record the source in the notes so that it can be properly attributed if the writer decides to incorporate the paraphrase in their writing.
Students who experience difficulties in using either of the above techniques likely don’t understand the original text completely or need to adhere to a more structured process until they have more experience in paraphrasing.
Once the student has grasped the original passage completely, they can apply the rules of paraphrasing and create their own version of the text.
Rules for Paraphrasing
- The first sentence should start at a different point from that of the original passage.
- The sentence structure should be changed (from active to passive voice, for instance).
- Information can be broken down into separate sentences.
- Using synonyms is important.
- Paraphrases should begin with a signal phrase that indicates to readers where the writing shifts from presenting the author’s ideas to paraphrasing someone else’s.
- The paraphrase must reflect the writer’s understanding of the original material.
These rules have been applied to the example below.
Original text:
“He allowed himself to be swayed by his conviction that human beings are not born once and for all on the day their mothers give birth to them, but that life obliges them over and over again to give birth to themselves.”
― Gabriel García Márquez, Love in the Time of Cholera
Paraphrased version:
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, in his novel Love in the Time of Cholera, suggests that human beings are continuously reinventing themselves. They are first born when their mothers give birth to them. After this, they are compelled by the experiences they go through in life to recreate themselves many times over. This belief is what prompted Don Leo Loayza to give his nephew a second chance.
1. The first sentence starts at a different point from that of the original passage.
Unlike the original, the paraphrased version starts by introducing the subject’s actual conviction that human beings are obligated to recreate themselves several times over. The important pieces of information are presented in a completely different order. Essentially, the sentence is flipped, moving the end to the beginning and the beginning to the end, thus creating an entirely different sentence structure.
2. The sentence structure changes (from active to passive voice in this case).
Active voice is used when the sentence focuses on the subject performing the action. For example:
- life obliges them (original)
Passive voice is used when the sentence focuses on the object upon which the action is being performed. For example:
- They are also compelled by the experiences they go through in life (paraphrase).
The original quote is in active voice, while the paraphrased version uses passive voice.
3. Information is broken down into separate sentences.
The original passage consists of a single sentence. It has been broken down into three separate sentences in the paraphrased version. Both reflect the same information, but the paraphrased version reflects the writer’s understanding of the original and presents it in their own words.
4. Synonyms are used.
Synonyms are words or phrases that have the same or similar meanings. The paraphrase above uses several synonyms:
- Obliged – compelled
- Give birth to – recreate
- Over and over again – many times over
- Conviction – belief
A thesaurus is a useful tool for students struggling to find suitable synonyms, but being handy with one isn’t enough for a successful paraphrase. Also, it is perfectly acceptable to borrow some words from the original wherever the use of a synonym would be unnecessary and confusing.
5. The paraphrase begins with a signal phrase.
Without a signal phrase, readers will have a hard time understanding which ideas are the writer’s and which ones come from another source, even when the source is properly attributed. This is because the attribution appears once at the end of the paraphrased material, even if the paraphrasing began several sentences prior. This is where a signal phrase comes in. When a reader sees phrases such as “Marquez suggests that,” “The author contends,” “Hopkins argues,” etc., they know that whatever follows is a paraphrase.
6. It is clear that the writer has understood the original text.
The idea of a paraphrase is not to alter the original text so much that it becomes unrecognizable – rather, it is to reflect that the writer has understood it well enough to explain it in their own words while adding or omitting information as necessary to contribute meaningfully to their work. By clearly explaining the idea presented in the original and adding contextual information that moves the discussion forward, the writer shows their familiarity with and understanding of the original work.
Once the final draft of the paraphrase is ready, the writer must compare it with the original text to make sure it presents all of the key information in a new form. Unique terms or phrases borrowed exactly from the source will have to be identified with quotation marks. The paraphrase must also retain the meaning of the original; academic honesty makes it necessary to represent another’s work as accurately as possible in one’s writing.
Paraphrasing Pitfalls
These are some of the pitfalls that students must be aware of while paraphrasing an original text.
- Changing only a few words here and there and retaining most or a significant portion of the original text is considered plagiarism.
- Changing the words but retaining the same word order and sentence structure is also considered plagiarism. Paraphrasing is much more than using synonyms for every possible word.
- Additional ideas, explanations, assessment, or interpretation must be confined to the discussion that follows the paraphrase. It has no place in the paraphrase itself. A paraphrase is expected to be nothing more than an objective and accurate representation of the original writer’s words and ideas.