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Tutorials: Paraphrasing

Here you will find videos and handouts on various topics to help you with using the Library and our many resources, as well as writing your paper.

Paraphrasing

  • The essential information and ideas expressed by someone else, presented in a new form (i.e., your own words)
  • A more detailed restatement than a summary, which focuses concisely on a single main idea
  • It is better than quoting information from an undistinguished passage
  • It helps control the temptation to quote too much
  • The mental process required for successful paraphrasing helps in grasping the full meaning of the original content
  • Reread the original passage until you understand its full meaning. 

  • Set the original aside and write your paraphrase. 

  • Jot down a few words below your paraphrase to remind you later how you envision using this material. Add a note or comment at the start of the paraphrase to indicate the subject of your paraphrase. 

  • Check your rendition with the original to make sure that your version accurately expresses all the essential information in a new form. Make any changes as necessary.

  • Use quotation marks to identify any unique term or phraseology you have borrowed exactly from the source. 

  • Record the source (including page number) next to the paraphrase so that you can credit it easily if you decided to incorporate the material into your project. 

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