Library Research Guide

index

Avoiding Plagiarism

Paraphrasing

1. Paraphrasing is used with small amounts of text.

2. Restate the author’s words or ideas into different words and grammar while maintaining the same meaning. Do not merely rearrange words or change only a few.

3. When writing paraphrases, one should read the original text, making sure they comprehend the author’s meaning, then put the original text away and write the paraphrase without looking at the original. When the paraphrase is complete, reread original and the paraphrase to make sure you have captured the meaning and author’s point of view. Be sure the information is accurate but that you have not unintentionally used the author’s words.

4. All paraphrases are followed by the source citation. If all sentences in a paragraph come from the same source and page, the writer should place one citation at the end of the paragraph.