Research Help

How do I paraphrase?

Purdue has a great list on how to paraphrase on their website. This is what they recommend to do for great paraphrasing:

1. Read and reread the original source
2. Write your own paraphrase as notes (Purdue recommends note cards so that you can refer back to it if this is something you would put into your paper. You can also use note taking software [Word, GoogleDoc, etc.] or paper and pen)
3. Under your notes, write how you would use your source in your research, where that would lead to, and what has yet to be explored
4. Re-evaluate your source and your paraphrase. Is your paraphrase accurate?
5. Use quotation marks to reference key passages in the original source as needed
6. Make sure to cite the source in its entirety (page, time marker, website, etc.) so you can correctly cite your source if you use your paraphrase in your paper

Purdue also has examples of great, good, and bad paraphrasing.

If I paraphrase, do I need to cite?

Yep! You always need to cite if it isn't your own, original work. Just because you did not directly quote a work does not mean that you should not cite. You do need to cite before, during, or after a paragraph when you are referencing someone else's work.

Paraphrasing is a great skill to have because it sharpens your retention skills and makes you a better student. It carries into avoiding plagiarism and copyright infringement both in and out of class.

Good paraphrasing skills can make you a better communicator both in academic settings and in the workforce. Paraphrasing a phrase, topic, or article can deepen your understanding of that work. Paraphrasing is the act of breaking it down into something digestible in order to relay it to someone else. Good paraphrasing conveys that you understand the original source and relaying the important details.

Think about a conversation with your friends where you had told them about another conversation with a mutual friend from a week ago. You would not relay the entire conversation because that would take too long. You would relay the conversation with the feeling and the general topics that had happened. Occasionally, you would say a direct quote that your friend said, but you would summarize in your own words. That is paraphrasing.