Paraphrasing

Learning Objective

  • Describe when and how to paraphrase

There are two ways to integrate source material besides direct quotation: paraphrasing and summarizing.

Paraphrasing and summarizing are similar, but they differ in scope. Summarizing condenses and rewords a source, while paraphrasing rewords it without significantly changing its length. A paraphrase stays true to the original meaning, while a summary requires more processing and may incorporate your perspective.

What Is Paraphrasing?

Key Takeaway: Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is restating another writer’s ideas in your own words without altering the original meaning or significantly changing in length.

When paraphrasing, you may need to clarify terms or references from other parts of the original text, but adding personal commentary or altering the passage’s intent—save your analysis for later. Remember, paraphrasing still requires a citation. Even when you use someone else’s ideas but put those ideas into your own words, you still need to acknowledge the source of those ideas!

What Does Good Paraphrasing Look Like?

Effective paraphrasing clearly conveys the original idea while properly introducing and citing the source. Let’s compare strong and weak examples in both MLA and APA styles.

Example: Paraphrasing in MLA FORMAT

In our first example, the writer is using MLA style to write a research essay for a literature class. 

Weak Paraphrase:
While Gatsby is deeply in love with Daisy in The Great Gatsby, his love for her is indistinguishable from his love of his possessions (Callahan).

  • What’s wrong? It’s hard to tell what exactly is being paraphrased. Is the entire source about the comparison between Gatsby’s love for Daisy and his love for his possessions? And, if this is the first or only reference to this particular piece of evidence in the research essay, the writer should include more information and signal phrasing about the source of this paraphrase in order to properly introduce it.  

Improved Paraphrase:
John F. Callahan, in his article “F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Evolving American Dream,” argues that while Gatsby is deeply in love with Daisy in The Great Gatsby, his love for her is indistinguishable from his love of his possessions (381).

  • Why is this better? The writer names the author, article title, and provides a page number, making it clear that this paraphrase reflects a specific part of Callahan’s argument rather than summarizing his entire essay.

Example: Paraphrasing in Apa style

Here’s another example from an essay in APA style for a criminal justice class.

Weak Paraphrase:
Computer criminals have lots of ways to get away with credit card fraud (Cameron, 2002).

  • What’s wrong? This paraphrase is too vague. It doesn’t explain what specific point the source is making or why the information is relevant.

Improved Paraphrase:
Cameron (2002) explains that computer criminals committing credit card fraud exploit gaps in law enforcement. They also use technology to their advantage, communicating with other criminals through email and chat rooms.

  • Why is this better? The paraphrase provides key details, clarifying the author’s point. It also integrates the author’s name naturally, which is preferred in APA style. Alternatively, the citation could have been placed at the end in parentheses.

What are the benefits of paraphrasing? It contextualizes the information (who said it, when, and where). It restates all the key points used by the source. Most importantly, it allows the writer to maintain a strong voice while sharing important information from the source. Paraphrasing is likely the most common way you will integrate your source information. Quoting should be minimal in most research papers.

Remember, paraphrasing isn’t just about swapping out a few words. Students sometimes attempt to paraphrase by just changing a few words in the source material. True paraphrasing requires understanding the material and rewriting it in your own words while preserving the original meaning. It can be challenging, but with practice, you’ll get better!

Try it

Paraphrasing is a skill that takes time to develop. One way of becoming familiar with paraphrasing is by examining successful and unsuccessful attempts at paraphrasing. Read the quote below from page 179 of Howard Gardner’s book titled Multiple Intelligences and then examine the attempt at paraphrasing that follows.

“America today has veered too far in the direction of formal testing without adequate consideration of the costs and limitations of an exclusive emphasis on that approach.”[1]

A critical component of successful paraphrasing includes citing your original source. The citation may be made as an in-text citation, a footnote, or an endnote, but it must be included. You want to make clear and get credit for engaging with other thinkers in your work, and a correct citation foregrounds that strength. Failure to cite your sources is a violation of intellectual integrity (plagiarism), or taking someone else’s words or ideas and presenting them as your own. Sources should always be cited properly.

ExamplE: Citing Paraphrased Sources

Consider the following examples.

  • Example of in-text citation:
    • According to Levy (1997), the tutor-tool framework is useful.
  • Example of footnote or endnote:
    • According to Levy, the tutor-tool framework is useful.
  • Bottom of page or chapter:
    • Michael Levy, Computer-Assisted Language Learning: Context and Conceptualization (New York: Oxford), 178.

Try It

Take a look at the following paraphrased passages and determine if it is plagiarized or not plagiarized.

  1. Gardner, Howard. Multiple Intelligences: New Horizons in Theory and Practice. BasicBooks, 2006 ↵