How to Paraphrase to Avoid Plagiarism

Most unintentional plagiarism occurs because writers aren't sure how to paraphrase. They assume that because they have changed a few words from the original, a citation will be enough. Avoiding plagiarism in a paraphrase takes more than that—a paraphrase must be in your own words and sentence structure. Though writing paraphrases takes some practice, using a systematic approach will help you avoid unintentional plagiarism.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Read the passage you want to paraphrase until you're sure you understand what the author is saying.
2. Put the source away. Close books, turn over photocopies or minimize electronic sources. When the original source is in sight, you'll be tempted to look at it—and you'll end up with plagiarism in your paraphrase.
3. Record the idea of the passage, first writing down notes if you need to. Rework your sentences until you are satisfied that you have fully and clearly captured the author's idea.
4. Compare your paraphrase against the original passage. Check to see that you have used your own words and sentence structure, and also make sure that you have captured the meaning. Start the process again if you unintentionally plagiarized or if you have not captured the meaning.
5. Type your paraphrase into your essay once you are satisfied with it. Cite the source fully before writing more.

Tips & Warnings

• Writing the paraphrase in a different document than your essay will help you focus on the paraphrase instead of how it fits into your essay.
• Words that are necessary to discuss the topic do not need to be altered in a paraphrase. For example, you wouldn't change "domestic cats" to "tame felines" in a paraphrase.
• If the exact words of a passage are important, quote them. If you consistently use many of the author's words as you attempt to paraphrase, you may have located a passage that is better used as a quote.
• Don't use a thesaurus as you paraphrase. The goal of a paraphrase is to convey the author's idea in your own words and sentence structure, and a thesaurus can make this difficult.