PARAPHRASING - GUIDELINES
WHAT IS PARAPHRASING?
Most academic writing tasks (essays, reports, reviews etc.) require students to
draw upon the work of experts in the subject to support key points. This can be
done either by direct quoting the experts or by paraphrasing their ideas.
Paraphrasing is a central skill in academic writing. We show our understanding of
the ideas of experts on the topic by rewriting these in our own words. This is why
lecturers prefer paraphrasing to direct quotation. When we rephrase information
in our own words, we show how we understand the original text and also show
that we can express the ideas in our own way. Paraphrasing involves using reading
and writing skills to clarify our understanding and to convey this understanding to
our reader. We are therefore telling the reader both about the original text and
about our own learning.
WHAT ARE THE CRITERIA FOR A GOOD PARAPHRASE?
A good paraphrase:
 conveys the same ideas as the original source,

but uses largely different words within a different sentence structure

is relevant to the ideas in your argument

is linked to the rest of the text

is referenced in the text and in the reference list
HOW IS PARAPHRASING DIFFERENT FROM SUMMARISING?
Paraphrasing and summarising involve similar processes. A summary focuses on the
overview and the main points in the original. A summary is a shorter version, with
examples and details left out. A paraphrase is sometimes shorter, but it could also be
longer. Both paraphrases and summaries require in-text references to the original
text.
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HOW IS PARAPHRASING DIFFERENT FROM QUOTING?
Paraphrasing…
Quoting…
When we paraphrase we take information
written by another writer and express this in a
different way, using different words. This
process is often called ‘putting the information
into your own words’. Each paraphrase needs a
reference to the original text.
In quoting you use the exact words of the author,
and these are usually placed in quotation marks
or, if longer, as indented text. Each quote needs
to include a reference to the original text and a
page number.
Example:
Example:
The key advantages of email are that it is simple
to use and asynchronous which means that a
message can be sent at any time without the
receiver needing to be available at the same time.
A receiver can respond more carefully than if, for
example, they were responding to a phone call
(Mundell, 2005).
Mundell (2005) highlights some benefits of email,
“apart from ease of use, email has other
advantages. Because it is asynchronous, people can
send and receive messages without the need for the
other party to be immediately available. This may
allow respondents to construct a more thoughtful
reply than would be the case during a conventional
phone conversation or personal discussion” (p.
199).
PARAPHRASING EFFECTIVELY HELPS AVOID PLAGIARISM
It’s important to communicate the same meaning as the ideas in the original text,
but to do so in different words. This can’t be done just by substituting some words
for their synonyms alone. It requires more substantial changes to sentence
structure.
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STEPS IN PARAPHRASING
In paraphrasing we aim to generate our own phrases and sentences which explain
the ideas in the original.
1
Read the source text to get the general idea (gist). It’s helpful to skim it quickly
first and then read it through in more detail to make sure you understand the
main ideas. Some people find it helpful to highlight or underline key ideas on a
photocopy.
2
Look away from the text and think about the ideas you’ve just read. This is an
important step as it helps you to identify the key ideas that are relevant to you
and helps you start to reconstruct the ideas your own words.
3
Start rewriting the key ideas, putting the text into your own words. This can be
difficult if you keep looking at the source text.
4
It’s a good idea to work on paraphrasing the ideas in the section of text or
paragraph rather than focusing on single sentences – You could:

Use a different word order as well as different words. By starting a
sentence in a different way you will be more likely to use different words:
Culture shock is… change to People experience culture shock when…

Use synonyms or words of similar meaning:
merge with change to integrate; reject change to dismiss

Change the forms of words: nouns – verbs; nouns to adjectives etc.:
Impact on the environment change to environmental effects

Use different lengths of sentence and different linking words
See the use of these different techniques in the longer examples of paraphrasing
given below.
5
Return to the original text. Compare your paraphrase to check whether your
paraphrase keeps to the meaning intended by the writer of the original. Add the
in-text reference.
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POINTS TO CONSIDER WHEN PARAPHRASING:

One general guideline for paraphrasing is not to copy groups of more than 3
words from the original – if you want to copy more, you should treat it as a
quote.

Sometimes you will need to copy some individual words exactly because a
synonym may alter the meaning significantly, or because the word is a
commonly used term in the field.

Paraphrasing is a good activity for helping build vocabulary knowledge. Crosscheck meanings of synonyms in an English dictionary or a thesaurus.

When writing an assignment you should be paraphrasing from a number of
different sources. Practice paraphrasing as you make notes.

All sources you paraphrase or quote from must be referenced.

It’s common to have to draft and re-draft paraphrases. Some sections of text
will be more difficult than others.
WHEN TO PARAPHRASE
There are several considerations to think about when deciding whether to
paraphrase or quote from an original source including:

How difficult it is to paraphrase

How many quotations you have used throughout your assignment.
Quotations should be used sparingly in your writing.

How long the original text is. It is generally better to paraphrase/summarise
rather than quote long sections of text.

Sometimes the original text is particularly interesting or well written and
because of this you may choose to quote rather than paraphrase.
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