How to paraphrase

Paraphrasing is rewording the idea or concepts of others in your own style without changing the original meaning of the idea or concept. If you try to reproduce someone’s idea or concept, your work will be treated as plagiarized content.

Paraphrasing and quoting

There is a difference between paraphrasing and quoting. When you reword the content of the original source, it is called paraphrasing. When you try to use the same words, phrases, or sentences of others’ work, it is quoting. When you want to use the content of the source as such, enclose the content in quotation marks and give credit to the source as a citation. It is recommended that you paraphrase rather than reproduce the original to give more relevance to your text.

Paraphrasing and summarizing

There is a difference between paraphrasing and summarizing. Summarizing is shortening the original content by taking the main ideas. When you are expected to summarize, read the content and try to summarize the content in your own words. You need not include the examples or case studies presented in the original work. A summary will help if the original text from the source is too lengthy.

Paraphrasing and citing a source

If you paraphrase the works of others, it is important that you cite the source both in your text and in the reference list or works-cited list. Remember not to change only a few terms or use similar terms when you try to paraphrase the idea given in the original source.

Paraphrasing procedure

The procedure to be followed when paraphrasing is

• Highlight key terms and ideas presented in the source.
• Understand the concepts given in the original source thoroughly by reading it multiple times.
• Read the passage fully and try to rewrite it in your style. Do not try to paraphrase individual sentences.
• Double-check that you do not use the exact or even similar words in your paraphrased content.
• Ensure that the intended meaning is retained and the idea is not lost.
• Include the source you referred to in the text.

Paraphrasing guidelines

The following guidelines help you paraphrase the original content:

• Unless you receive instructions to follow a specific voice from your instructor, you can paraphrase active voice into passive voice and vice versa.
• Try to split multiple sentences into several individual sentences and combine two or three individual sentences into a single sentence.
• Do not directly write the concept present in the original source. Create a few sentences of your own.
• Change terms used in the published version with your own words. However, do not change technical terms that are to be used as such.

Example paraphrasing

In the below example, you will find the MLA style of citing works.

The below quote is taken from the book Goals! Written by Brain Tracy.

If you read fifteen minutes each evening, rather than watching television, you will complete about fifteen books per year. If you read the great classics of English literature for fifteen minutes each day, in seven years you will have read the one hundred greatest books ever written. You will be one of the best-educated and most erudite people of your generation. And you can achieve this just by reading fifteen minutes each evening before you go to bed.

The paraphrased text will look like this:

Everyone knows the importance of reading, as it helps us gain knowledge. Some give lame excuses stating that they do not have time, but waste time on other unimportant items. If you spend even a little time reading, you can study many books and enrich your knowledge. Tracy claims that you can complete reading fifteen books a year just by spending fifteen minutes a day (104).

In addition to giving an in-text citation, you will need to include a full citation in the works-cited list.

Key takeaways

• Paraphrasing is rewording the idea or concepts of others in your own style without changing the original meaning of the idea or concept.
• When you try to use the same words or phrases or sentences of others’ work, it is called quoting.
• If you paraphrase the works of others, it is important that you cite the source both in your text and in the works-cited list.

Work cited

Tracy, Brian. Goals: How to Get Everything You Want–Faster than You Ever Thought Possible. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2010.