Paraphrasing occurs while appropriating information from the texts that you read, processing and filtering that information through your own perspective, and then incorporating that information into your own writing.

The following Writing from sources diagram explains this in further detail.

So how do you paraphrase? The following activity examines unacceptable and acceptable forms of paraphrasing. Begin by carefully reading the following extract…

“Many membrane peptides and proteins exhibit potent antimicrobial and antibacterial activities. They achieve this function by rupturing the cell membranes of the target organism. Antimicrobial peptides are produced by many animals, including humans, as an innate immune response against bacteria, fungi, and virus. The membrane-bound structure of the peptides gives insights into how they destroy the membrane. For example, a peptide bound to the surface of the lipid bilayer most likely destroys the membrane by micellization, while a peptide inserted into the bilayer probably kills the cell by forming pores.” (Hong 2006, 1)

Next, make little notes on different sections of the extract, stating what each part is doing. This step is quite useful when you are trying to paraphrase very dense or complex academic language.

Read paraphrase number three carefully. Is it plagiarism?Do you think it is acceptable? Why/why not?Although the key ideas of the original are still there (as indicated above), and the terminology is used correctly, the sentence structure and the approach to each idea has changed. Both the quote and the passage as a whole have been acknowledged. Paraphrase number three is an acceptable, and is not plagiarism.You would also need to provide a complete reference for this work in your bibliography.

Compare these two examples of writing. Note down similarities and differences between the two. What has been changed? What remained the same?

Original:
Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they overuse quotations in the final [research] paper. Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript should appear as directly quoted matter. Therefore, you should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking notes.

Paraphrase:
In research papers students often quote excessively, failing to keep quoted material down to a desirable level, or less than 10% of the paper. Since the problem usually originates during note taking, it is essential to minimize the material recorded verbatim.

(Source: Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers. 2nd ed. (1976): 46-47 http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/619/01/ )

Test out your paraphrasing skills.

When paraphrasing make sure you do not just swap a few words or sentences here and there. The whole structure of the passage you are paraphrasing needs to change.

Hence, paraphrasing is not…

• Just changing words from the original
• Keeping identical sentence structure
• Transferring ideas sentence per sentence.

Always keep in mind what you are paraphrasing and why.

How does the point relate to your assignment as a whole? Always thinking about this will help you decide what to paraphrase, what to quote directly and what to leave out.

What you choose to paraphrase from the original is CLOSELY related to your assignment argument

Remember WHY you are taking these ideas and information from the original text – to support your main idea – your argument.

Why not just use direct quotations? Paraphrasing is more difficult, so why bother to do it?

Research has demonstrated that students overuse quotations in their research papers. Learning to paraphrase will demonstrate that you have absorbed the ideas of others, but have also thought carefully about what they mean.

“Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they overuse quotations in the final [research] paper. Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript should appear as directly quoted matter. Therefore, you should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking notes.”

(Source: Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers. 2nd ed. (1976): 46-47 in http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/619/01/ )

Paraphrasing is not summarising. Summarising is when you give an overview of the author’s key ideas as a whole, or provide an overview of a topic.

A summary is usually shorter than the original piece of writing. It might state the ideas of a paragraph in one simple sentence.

A summary tells you about the whole passage.

For example

Original:
Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they overuse quotations in the final [research] paper. Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript should appear as directly quoted matter. Therefore, you should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking notes.

Summary:
Students should take just a few notes in direct quotation from sources to help minimize the amount of quoted material in a research paper (Lester 1976, 46-47).

(Source: Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers. 2nd ed. (1976): 46-47 http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/619/01/ )

When you paraphrase you need to think about another person’s words and how/why they relate to your thesis statement.

If you paraphrase well, you will not only demonstrate that you have understood the original content to your lecturer or professor, you will also be demonstrating that you know how it relates to your ideas. Also…

• You might be excited to find evidence to support your argument – Thesis Statement
• Your lecturer, however, is excited to see that you have understood the evidence you use to support your viewpoint.
• Good paraphrasing shows this understanding!

Sometimes it is better to quote directly rather than paraphrase.

Quoting is useful when you feel the author’s exact words really support your argument. Or if you feel their words make a point in a particularly striking or memorable way. But remember that if you overuse quotations from a source, that author’s words will lose their power.

Quoting directly can be used when…

• You want to add the power of an author’s words to support your argument
• You want to disagree with an author’s argument
• You are comparing and contrasting specific points of view
• You want to highlight particularly powerful or effective phrases.

Try to paraphrase much more frequently than quoting directly from a source. This will build up your thinking and processing of the topic, as you will not just be copying words down automatically.

When to paraphrase (most of the time)

• You want to use your own “voice” to present information
• You want to incorporate the author’s ideas into your own writing
• You want to avoid over-quotation!

Don’t forget to always reference your work – both within the essay or paper and at the end of it in the form of a bibliography.

Always remember to reference – in-text and end-list.

When to summarise

Summarise when you want to write about the background of a topic, or to give a quick overview of its history.

You should also summarise when you want to bring together several researchers’ ideas about a topic. Hence, summarise when…

• You want to establish the background to a topic
• You want to offer an overview of a topic
• You want to describe common knowledge from several sources about a topic
• You want to communicate the main ideas of a single source.

Again, always remember to reference – in-text and end-list.

It is important that you can easily distinguish between a quotation, a paraphrase and a summary. The following exercises will allow you to practice that skill.

Once you have completed your quotation, summary or paraphrase, how do you link the ideas of others to your ideas?

There are two ways in which to do this. They are called:

• Authorial prominent
  As the name implies, the author stands out!Use the authorial prominent style to link your ideas to another person’s when the author is a leader in your field, saying something quite different to other people on the subject or offering a contrasting view to others.When using the authorial prominent linking style place the author’s name near the beginning of your sentence. Make sure you reference their work correctly as well.In the example above the date of the relevant work is placed after each name, though referencing styles may differ according to the system you are using.Although Parsons (1981) strongly promotes methods of classroom discipline, Johnson (2008) gives clear evidence that “constructively managed controversy” has a positive effect on the learning that takes place in the classroom.

• Information prominent
  Use the information prominent style most of the time in your writing. It is particularly useful when you are using more than one source of evidence.When using this style, put the quote or paraphrase first and then place the author’s name at the end of the sentence.Don’t forget to include page numbers when you quote and when you paraphrase.For example:
  Stereotyping can lead to patronising, sexist labelling (Kaye 1994; Williams 2009).(note: For some referencing styles, you need to put the page number, if available, for paraphrase– not just for quotations: check your referencing style guide for this.)

Paraphrases, quotations and summaries to your own ideas

This next section will examine how you link:

• paraphrases,
• quotations, and
• summaries

to your own ideas smoothly and effectively in your writing.

There are many different ways to make connections between your idea and the ideas of others. These include:

• Stating the view of another, by using words like ‘According to …’
• Talking about the view of another when there is a bit of confusion about that view: ‘Smith’s claim seems…
• Agreeing with the view of another by saying ‘As (the author) says…’
• Disagreeing with the view of another. To do this you can use words like ‘In contrast to…’
• Drawing a conclusion using the work of another. Here you mention their work: ‘From Carlson’s conclusion…’ and then add ‘it can be argued…’
• Point out assumptions by beginning sentences like this: The assumption on which this depends…
• And finally, to state your own position by saying things like: ‘The perspective presented here is…’

(note: You must always put the year of publication in brackets next to the author’s name)

Look at your literature readings to see how other writers include citations in their work.

Examine this extract:
The key to success with diverse students is finding ways to provide them with the amounts and forms of instruction that they need in order to succeed in mastering the curriculum. Shepard (1991) articulated a theoretical perspective for planning appropriate instruction for diverse student populations: recognise that intelligence and reasoning are developed ability and learning-to-learn strategies are largely context specific, and that learning is a constructive process.

(Adapted from Good & Brophy 2000, Looking in Classrooms. 337).

Choosing the correct verb tense for words linking your ideas to others’ is also important. Most of the time, you should use the present tense for any verbs that link your work. The present tense makes your argument stronger and more direct, as seen in these examples.

Examples:
Multicultural experiences, although initially challenging, enrich lifelong learning (Gregson, 2010). Patterson (1971) demonstrates that rote learning has a crucial role when combined with other forms of learning.

There are some situations where you should choose the past tense for any linking verbs. These include situations where you are writing about something that happened in the past, where you disagree with the author or where an author’s view is unusual or not commonly held.

• Writing about a phenomena (something that happened)
• You disagree with the author;
• When it’s a ‘one-off’ finding and not in accord with most accepted other viewpoints.

For example:
Although Ausubel (1964) stated that learning via memorisation is an exercise that brings about little learning, Patterson (1971) claims that rote learning has a crucial role when combined with other forms of learning.

Finally, when working on your paraphrasing, quoting and summarising skills, you may also find the following websites handy.

Academic Integrity at Curtin:

Student Guidelines for Avoiding Plagiarism. Office of Assessment, Teaching and Learning. Curtin University of Technology 2010.
http://academicintegrity.curtin.edu.au/

Endnote:

Does the mechanics of referencing for you!
http://libguides.library.curtin.edu.au/