Paraphrasing, together with summarising and quoting, refers to a way of incorporating another writer's idea(s)  into your own writing.

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What is paraphrasing?

Paraphrasing means using your own words to express the same idea as that in the original text.

 

It is important to remember that a paraphrase:

1. Expresses the same idea as that in the original text.

2. Uses your own words to express the same idea.

3. Has approximately the same length as the original text.

4. Uses in-text citations to acknowledge the original source.

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Why do I need to paraphrase?

1. To demonstrate that you have understood the ideas used in the original text.

2. To incorporate another writer’s idea(s)in your own text in a way that fits your own writing style.

3. To make a complex and demanding text easier to comprehend.

4. To avoid quoting extensively, which is NOT valued as a good academic practice.

 

What do I need to paraphrase?

A sentence or two or a short paragraph at most.

A text which contains an important idea for your purposes but is written in a style that is:

• Difficult for your readers to understand.

• Idiosyncratic, that is, a writer’s unique way of expressing their ideas.

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How do I paraphrase?

• Read the part of the text you want to paraphrase and ensure that you understand it thoroughly.

• As you read, make notes using your own words.

• After you have read the text, compare the original with your own notes and ensure that you have not altered the meaning of the original in any way.

• Based on your notes only, write your paraphrase.

• After you have finished, compare your paraphrase with the original text again to ensure that you have included all of the ideas of the original text and that you have expressed them accurately using your own words.

• Add an appropriate citation following the citation system that has been given to you by your instructor/supervisor.

• Finally, review your text for possible syntax, grammar or spelling mistakes.

 

To paraphrase, you can:

• Use synonyms.

• Change the word order.

The best way to paraphrase is to do both.

One common problem students encounter, especially at the beginning, is that they only change a few words without changing the word order in the original.

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An example:

Let’s imagine you wanted to use the following sentence from a book on Thermodynamics:

• “...[A] hot object brought in contact with a cold object becomes cooler, whereas the cold object becomes warmer”.

• From: J. M. Smith, H. C. Van Ness, and M. M. Abbott, Introduction to Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics, 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1975, p.14.

 

1. Paraphrasing by changing a few words:

• A hot object close to a cold object becomes cooler, while the cold object gets warmer.

 

Only 3 words have been changed here, while the rest of the text remains as it was in the original.

Being so close to the original, this would be considered inadequate and, therefore, if you used it as such in your text, you could be accused of committing plagiarism.

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2. Paraphrasing by using synonyms and changing word order:

• When two objects are in close proximity, heat flows from the hotter to the colder object making it hotter  and vice versa.

 

Here, the same idea is expressed, but both the words and the word order have been changed.

The resulting sentence is very different from the original and that’s the optimum way to paraphrase!

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Where can I find more information on paraphrasing?

• A, Wallwork, English for Writing Research Papers, 2nd ed. Heidelberg: Springer, 2016.

• S. Bailey, Academic Writing: A Handbook for International Students, 5th ed. New York: Routledge, 2015.

• A. Gillett, A, Hammond, and M. Martala. Inside Track to Successful Academic Writing. Harlow, Essex: Longman Pearson Education, 2009.

• M. S. Robinson, F. L. Stoller, M. S. Costanza-Robinson, and J. K. Jones. Write like a chemist: a guide and a resource. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.

• https://www.eapfoundation.com