Paraphrasing

1.

Paraphrasing

2.

Paraphrasing
• changing the wording of a text so that it is
significantly different from the original source,
without changing the meaning.
• Effective paraphrasing is a key academic skill
needed to avoid the risk of plagiarism: it
demonstrates your understanding of a source.
• This unit focuses on techniques for
paraphrasing as part of the note-making and
summarising process.

3.

The elements of effective
paraphrasing
• totally different words and sentence structure
from the original;
• the name of the original author and text;
• a page citation (unless you also present the
direct quote--in that case, you can just cite the
quote itself)

4.

Example
• direct quote:
“Who attacked the United States on September
11—a guy on dialysis from a cave in Afghanistan,
or your friends, Saudi Arabia?” (Michael
Moore's book Dude, Where's My Country.).
• paraphrase:
Michael Moore suggests that Saudi Arabia might
be to blame for the attacks on the World Trade
Center (15).

5.

When and why would I use a
paraphrase?
• You are including the information from the
text in a research paper.
• You are writing a summary.
• You are explaining a quotation before or after
you present it.
• You are doing an assignment that asks you to
explain the meaning of a passage.
• You are studying for a test and want to see if
you understand the ideas from a text.

6.

How different should the paraphrase
be from the original?
• When you paraphrase, make sure you are not
copying the author’s phrases or sentence
structure.
• A paraphrase should show that you have
taken in the author's idea, understood it, and
can explain it in your own words.
• Therefore, your rewrite should look totally
different from the original.

7.

Example
• original quote
“Passing students who have not mastered the work
cheats them and the employers who expect
graduates to have basic skills” (“In Praise of the F
Word” by Mary Sherry)
-When we pass students who have not mastered
the work, we cheat them and the employers who
expect graduates to have particular skills.
-According to Mary Sherry, it is not fair to pass
students who have not done strong work in
school. She argues that passing these students will
hurt them in their future careers.

8.

Techniques for paraphrasing
a. Changing vocabulary by using synonyms:
• argues > claims/ eighteenth century > 1700s/
wages > labour costs/ economise > saving
• NB. Do not attempt to paraphrase every word,
since some have no true synonym, e.g.
demand, economy, energy

9.

Techniques for paraphrasing
(b) Changing word class:
• explanation (n.) > explain (v.) / mechanical
(adj.) > mechanise
• (v.) / profitable (adj.) > profitability (n.)

10.

Techniques for paraphrasing
(c) Changing word order:
• . . . the best explanation for the British location
of the industrial revolution is found by
studying demand factors.
• > A focus on demand may help explain the UK
origin of the industrial revolution.

11.

Paraphrasing steps
1. Read the material that you plan to paraphrase. Read it several times
so that you understand it well.
2. Set the original aside, and write your paraphrase on a note card.
3. Jot down a few words below your paraphrase to remind you later
how you envision using this material. At the top of the note card, write
a key word or phrase to indicate the subject of your paraphrase.
4. Compare the length of what you’ve written to the original text. They
should be the same length. Remember, a paraphrase does not
condense material.
5. Use quotation marks to identify any unique term or phraseology you
have borrowed exactly from the source.
6. RecOrd the source (including the page) on your note card so that
you can credit it easily if you decide to incorporate the material into
your paper.