Paraphrase is defined as putting a source's words and ideas into your own words. It's basically saying something in a different way.
Reasons for using a paraphrase:
You want to express an idea from the source, but not use the exact language that was used to express it
You can summarize the key point of a source in fewer words
You want to avoid using too many direct quotations in your paper
You want to report numerical data or statistics
When paraphrasing:
Make sure the paraphrase is an accurate and a fair representation
Ensure that the paraphrase fits with your tone and the context of your document
Read the text carefully in order to gain a full understanding of the text
Put the original text aside and write your paraphrase in your own words and phrases
Review your paraphrase. Does it reflect the original text but in your words and style? Did you include the main points?
Make sure that you change the sentence structure and substitute enough words to make it your own!
Use attributions or signal phrases to indicate a paraphrase (i.e. "According to," etc.)
Use an in-text citation to indicate the source, i.e. an APA-style in-text citation could look like this: (Author, Year, p. [page #])
Use a target phrase to introduce a paraphrase!
Signal phrases, such as the examples below, alert the reader that you're about to paraphrase from another source:
X states...
X argues...
x believes...
X claims...
X demonstrates...
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Original Passage: Nevertheless, many modern critics continue to believe that all vampires, folkloric and literary, are sexual - overtly or covertly. Along with a few vampire authors, they interpret the vampire as representing the unacceptable sexual Other within us - or without - that we do not wish to acknowledge. Such views generally appear in the context of modern depth psychology, Freudian or Jungian, or possibly feminist or queer theory, and define the vampire in terms of unconscious sexual desires and fears. (p. 54) Source: Hallab, M. Y. (2009). Vampire god: The allure of the undead in Western culture. SUNY Press. |
Acceptable Paraphrases: • Hallab (2009) argues that most critics view vampires through a psychological lens, which is especially evident in their claims that the vampire is a manifestation of sexual anxieties (p. 54). • The author explains that critics view vampires through a psychological lens, which is especially evident in their claims that the vampire is a manifestation of sexual anxieties (Hallab, 2009, p. 54). |
Why are these acceptable paraphrases? • Noticeably different from the original passage • Manage to accurately convey the author’s ideas using original words/phrases • In-text citation and signal phrases are used to give credit to the author’s ideas |
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Original Passage: Nevertheless, many modern critics continue to believe that all vampires, folkloric and literary, are sexual - overtly or covertly. Along with a few vampire authors, they interpret the vampire as representing the unacceptable sexual Other within us - or without - that we do not wish to acknowledge. Such views generally appear in the context of modern depth psychology, Freudian or Jungian, or possibly feminist or queer theory, and define the vampire in terms of unconscious sexual desires and fears. (p. 54) Source: Hallab, M. Y. (2009). Vampire god: The allure of the undead in Western culture. SUNY Press. |
Plagiarized Example: • A lot of critics believe all vampires are sexual. They interpret the vampire as representing the sexual Other - that we don't want to acknowledge. Such views usually appear in the context of modern psychology, Freudian or Jungian, or feminist or queer theory. They define the vampire in terms of hidden sexual desires and fears (Hallab, 2009, p. 54). |
Why is this plagiarism? • Even though the citation is provided, this would be considered plagiarism! • Does not change the original passage's sentence structure • Uses too many of the author's exact words and phrases without enclosing them in quotation marks • Only has a few substituted synonyms here and there |