Did you know that you could paraphrase material without plagiarizing it? Paraphrasing is an essential skill in academic writing. But many times, instead of doing it right, most students will copy and paste a text or change just a few words and then call it paraphrasing. But that isn't paraphrasing. Paraphrasing is rewriting a text in a different way to make the meaning much clearer to the reader. It involves expressing the meaning of a text in different words. Paraphrasing is vital in academic writing, so you must know how to paraphrase well.
In this article, we will define paraphrasing, its reasons, different ways of paraphrasing, and the difference between paraphrasing and summarizing. We will also address the dos and don'ts of paraphrasing, the checklist for paraphrasing, and the frequently asked questions.
Before learning how to paraphrase well, you must understand what paraphrasing is. Paraphrasing is restating or rewording someone else's thoughts or ideas using your own words. It involves changing words or phrases of a text but still retaining its intended meaning. Paraphrasing is important because, besides making the meaning of a text more precise, it:
After reading a paraphrased text, readers should accurately understand the author's position on a topic. Therefore, your work is to root out and explain the author's ideas and claims.
When paraphrasing, ensure that your choice of words, phrasing, and sentence structure differs from the original source.
The following are instances when you should paraphrase a text:
Paraphrasing is a technique used to ensure that the original text is well-represented. So why is this necessary? The following are reasons for paraphrasing.
This is perhaps the most apparent reason for paraphrasing. Plagiarism is using someone else's words as your own without giving them the credit they deserve. It is a serious academic offense and, thus, should be avoided.
Paraphrasing involves using your own words to convey another author's ideas. This means you will only convey one author's perspective instead of multiple authors.
The main point of paraphrasing is focusing on the author's ideas instead of their words. This means reading and understanding their ideas and conveying them in your own words. Doing this makes your text sound much more natural like it comes from you instead of someone else.
Paraphrasing is an excellent way to save time, especially when working on an urgent assignment. Since no extensive research is needed, you will complete assignments much faster.
If you directly quoted a complicated passage without further context, readers would think you do not understand the ideas. Paraphrasing allows you to articulate the problematic passage, thus showing that you are knowledgeable on the subject matter.
Sometimes you may use direct quotes to show evidence of your study. But other times, you may get carried away and use too many direct quotes all over your work, thereby interrupting the author's unique voice. Paraphrasing allows you to maintain the flow of writing without losing the author's voice.
Since you are restating someone else's words, you can be more selective on what to include and omit. Technically, this does not mean manipulating the author's words but rather leaving out unrelated or irrelevant information.
Putting someone else's ideas into your own words is easier said than done. If you are wondering how to paraphrase well, the following guide will help.
Paraphrasing is about conveying another person's ideas using your own words. Therefore, the first step should be comprehending the author's passage. Do this by reading the source materials to identify the ideas and arguments. Then write these down to help organize your thoughts and words. When paraphrasing, Note-taking is critical because it will improve your understanding of the material. As you read the passage, take note of the author's tone, perspective, voice, writing style, and sentence structure.
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Additionally, jot down the source of the text you wish to paraphrase and the page number so you can use it later in the paper.
Now that you have understood the writer's arguments and taken note of the tone and style come up with a plan. Think of how well you want to articulate the ideas and arguments, then decide on your tone, writing style, and sentence structure to use in this text.
Decide which information or idea is vital in the passage you are trying to paraphrase. Then highlight the keywords that you must keep for your text. But ensure that even as you omit certain words, you are not losing the meaning of the passage. As you read, ask yourself the following questions;
When you answer these questions, you can identify the critical information in the passage. You aim to restate the text while keeping the original meaning.
Now use your own words to write your version of the text. Avoid copying and pasting or replacing words with their synonyms. Make sure to rewrite the author's ideas uniquely. But there are instances when you may be forced to use the writer's own words. In such an instance, you can use direct quotes.
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When writing a paraphrase, it is crucial to rely on your notes instead of the author's work. Use these tips to help you.
Even though you have paraphrased a text in your own words, provide citations because you have borrowed ideas from another author. It's vital to refer specifically to the author. Referring to the author strengthens the credibility of your work by clarifying where the ideas are coming from.
The following are effective techniques for paraphrasing a text.
Synonyms are words that have the same meanings but different spellings. For example, happy and joyful. Check synonyms of the keywords but make sure to take note of all the essential words. Use the Thesaurus to find synonyms or any other related terms.
For example: She doesn't have any money for groceries
Paraphrase example: She does not have the cash to purchase foodstuffs.Â
In the above examples, we have found synonyms for three words, cash, purchase, and foodstuffs.
Keep in mind that for clarity, there is no need to find synonyms for every word.
In an active voice, the subject is performing an action. For example, she ate food. She is a subject performing an action, eating food. In a passive voice, the action is the focus, and the subject is the recipient of the mentioned action. For example, The food was eaten by her.
Changing how the words are positioned in a sentence is also a way to paraphrase and prevent plagiarism. Doing this will help emphasize how you have understood and paraphrased the original text.
You can also change the form of the words used in a text. For example,
The region of Africa is considered risky by key investors.
Studies show that investment in Africa is risky.
The example above shows that the noun investors has been replaced with the adjective risky.
Sometimes it does not hurt to combine all the different methods when paraphrasing. This means using synonyms, changing word positions, and using passive voice.
Remember that to paraphrase successfully; you must combine all the different techniques. It is not enough to use synonyms or change the word order.
Paraphrasing is not simple, so it is easy to make mistakes. The following are errors to look out for ensuring you have paraphrased well.
Even though paraphrasing and summarizing are ways of rewriting someone else's words, they are different. They are pretty different. The following are the main differences between the two:
On the same note, paraphrasing differs from quoting. Using quotes is appropriate when giving a precise definition, saying something in the author's language, critiquing a claim, or giving evidence to support an argument.
The following are the dos and don'ts of paraphrasing a text.
Dos
Don'ts
To avoid the risk of plagiarizing, you must keep the following paraphrasing tips in mind.
Paraphrasing well can be overwhelming. The following checklist will help you to do it right.
Do you have more questions about how to paraphrase well? You are not alone. The following are frequently asked questions concerning paraphrasing.
Paraphrasing is a way to present a passage in different words or phrases while retaining the author's meaning.
Paraphrases do not have quotation marks. However, you should use quotation marks if any words are sourced verbatim from the original text. When you do this, add direct quotes around the quoted phrases or sentences and provide citations at the end of the text.
The 4 R's of paraphrasing is a strategy you can use when learning to paraphrase effectively. These are:
Only if you paraphrase and fail to cite and reference the original text can your paraphrased text be considered plagiarized. The hallmark of paraphrasing is to present someone else's ideas and facts as though they are your own. Paraphrasing itself is not plagiarism when you cite and reference the sources. You need relevant in-text citations formatted per your chosen or directed citation style (MLA, APA, ASA, AMA, Turabian/Chicago, or Harvard).
Paraphrasing is expressing someone else's ideas or thoughts using your words to make the text simple and clear to the readers. Paraphrasing is a skill that can be hard to master. You must do it right; otherwise, you will miss the whole point or plagiarize your work. Paraphrasing has a greater objective when you do it right. It tells readers that you understood the material and can express it clearly.
With that said, we hope the five tips will help. Remember that knowing when to paraphrase effectively will help you in your academic assignments. And you can always ask for help if your feel stuck.
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