Section 4: Working with Sources
Paraphrasing Sources
Paraphrasing means to rewrite someone else’s idea in your own words without changing the original meaning, while changing the structure of the original. A paraphrase is about the same length as the original.
You should paraphrase to:
- Avoid having too many quotes in your essay.
- Present, compare or contrast the contributions of others in your own writing style.
- Demonstrate that you understand the information you are using, as you are not simply copying it, but rewording and restructuring it (Stern, 2007).
Paraphrase, don’t patchwrite
When paraphrasing, it is essential to change the source’s structure and wording. If you copy the structure of the source too closely, you are patchwriting.
Patchwriting is a common mistake, but it is not an accepted form of academic writing and may be considered plagiarism, even if you cite your source.
Example: Difference between paraphrasing and patchwriting
Look at the original text in Table 1 and compare it to the two restatements on the right. As you can see, in the first example, the writer uses several exact phrases of the original (shown in red) and several synonyms or phrases that are very close to the original (shown in green). In addition, much of the structure of the paragraph is the same. This is an example of patchwriting, and despite a proper citation being included, it may be considered plagiarism.
In the second example, the writer uses their own voice to express the idea of the original text. Besides a few words that would be difficult to replace, such as “baby boom” and “Canadians”, the original has been entirely rewritten, and the structure has been changed significantly. This is an example of proper paraphrasing.
|
Original Text |
Patchwriting = Plagiarism |
| Why did the baby boom happen? A likely explanation is that during those 10 years, Canadians knew they could afford large families. The postwar economy was robust, the future seemed full of promise, and young couples wanted to share that bright future with a big family. A second reason was the high immigration levels that prevailed during the 1950s. | Foot and Stoffman (1966) theorize that a likely reason for the baby boom is that Canadians knew they were able to afford large families. Because the economy was healthy, young people saw a lot of promise in their future, which they desired to share with a large family. Another reason was the high number of immigrants. |
| Proper Paraphrase | |
| Foot and Stoffman (1966) theorize that there were two main reasons behind the baby boom, namely immigration that remained consistently high and a thriving economy that made young Canadians feel optimistic and gave them the confidence that they would have their means to support he large family they desired. |
Table 1: An original text with two paraphrases.
Note. From “Boom, bust & echo: How to profit from the coming demographic shift” by D. Foot and D. Stoffman, 1996.
How to Paraphrase
Step 1: Read the original text in its context
You cannot just grab pieces of information out of context, as this can lead to a misunderstanding of the information. Read your source in its context and ask questions like:
- What is the focus?
- How does this information relate to my research topic?
- What is the main thing that the authors found?
Once you have answered these questions, you will be prepared to identify the specific pieces of information that are relevant to your paper and that you may want to paraphrase.
Example: Original text
Here’s an original text in its context:
This study quantitatively and qualitatively evaluates the extent to which incorporating an artistic class assignment into a traditional lecture course stimulates student enjoyment and enhances the students’ perceived retention of course material. The results indicate that the project provides great benefits to college students by incorporating a variety of teaching methods and learning strategies. Artistic and creative assignments, such as the one described in this article, allow for student engagement, repetition of material, and processing and application of ideas. (Wellman, 2012)
After reading the entire source, you decide to paraphrase the highlighted part. Underline key words and check words and concepts in a monolingual dictionary:
- Engagement = being involved with someone or something in order to understand it
- Processing = dealing with something through a series of steps
Step 2: Break down the original into chunks
Break up the original part you want to paraphrase into chunks of meaning and number these chunks.
Example: Original text chunked down
(1) The results indicate that (2) the project provides great benefit to college students (3) by incorporating a variety of teaching methods and (4) learning strategies. (5) Artistic and creative assignments, (6) such as the one described in this article, (7) allow for student engagement, (8) repetition of material, and (9) processing and (10) application of ideas.
Step 3: Write a first draft of your paraphrase
Without looking at the original text, write a first draft of the paraphrase.
Example: First draft
By allowing students to complete creative activities as a part of a post-secondary course, students were more deeply involved with the course material, thinking about it and remembering it more effectively.
Step 4: Check the paraphrase with the following checklist
Did you…
- Change the sentence structure?
- Change the order of the words?
- Use synonyms for words that are not keywords?
- Use different types of connecting words?
- Change the order of the ideas (where possible)?
Step 5: Revise your paraphrase
Based on your answers to the checklist questions, revise your paraphrase.
Example: Revised paraphrase
| Original | Paraphrase – first draft | Paraphrase – final version |
| (1) The results indicate that (2) the project provides great benefit to college students (3) by incorporating a variety of teaching methods and (4) learning strategies. (5) Artistic and creative assignments, (6) such as the one described in this article, (7) allow for student engagement, (8) repetition of material, and (9) processing and (10) application of ideas. | By allowing students to complete creative activities as a part of a post-secondary course, students were more deeply involved with the course material, thinking about it and remembering it more effectively. | When students are encouraged to complete creative activities as a part of a post-secondary course, they are more deeply involved with course material, thinking about it and remembering it more effectively. |
Step 5: Integrate your final paraphrase
Integrate your paraphrase in your text and include a citation.
Using Generative AI to Paraphrase
Consider academic integrity
- Please refer to your course syllabus and university policies on using Generative AI. Using Generative AI to paraphrase is likely dangerous, as you will introduce AI-generated writing into your text. This will most likely be an academic integrity issue.
Use it effectively
- If you use Generative AI to paraphrase, use it to make you better at the skill. For example, you can prompt AI, “Please provide me with advice on paraphrasing the following passage into one concise sentence. Do not paraphrase it yourself. [Add the passage.]”
Beware of the limitations
- AI-generated paraphrases can miss the central meaning. In addition, they may not emphasize the point you need to emphasize in your writing.
Consider your learning journey
- Paraphrasing and summarizing are essential skills you will need at university and in the workplace. If you use AI, use it to improve these skills.
Consider ethics
- Make sure that you understand the ethical implications of using Generative AI. When you upload a passage to Generative AI and ask the tool to paraphrase it, you may be providing that material to its training database without the author’s permission.
References
Foot, D. K., & Stoffman, D. (1996). Boom, bust & echo: How to profit from the coming demographic shift. Macfarlane.
Stern, L. ( 2007). What every student should know about avoiding plagiarism. Pearson.
Attributions
“Paraphrasing Sources” by Nancy Bray, Introduction to Academic Writing, University of Alberta, is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
- Adapted from: “29 Paraphrasing” by Ulrike Kestler, Academic Integrity is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
