Plagiarism & Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is very different from just quoting or summarizing and is much better than resorting to plagiarism.

So what's the difference?

When quoting something, it usually works best if you can’t express the phrase any better than the original author. Paraphrasing works best to show your own understanding of the phrase, in a different light or tone. You can also try a summary, though this only works best to explain a larger passage related to your paper. So, in essence, paraphrasing shows how much you learned about a topic or what you learned from a source. It shows your understanding and as such, provides a certain kind of strength to your writing and your own ideas that you are trying to convey in writing.

Quoting is when you copy sentences or passages, word-for-word and place it within quotation marks ("...") in your own writing. Proper citation should always be included when quoting a source. In essence, you are saying exactly what the author said, because you can't say it any better.

Paraphrasing occurs when you take a sentence or passage and put it in your own words, your own tone and way of speaking and/ or writing. The words, phrases, and sentence structure has been completely changed into your own style, but the meaning or idea of the original author is still the same. Even though the wording and sentence structure is different, you are still borrowing from someone else and should include proper citation.

Finally, summarizing involves stating the main ideas or points of a text in your own words. It is like paraphrasing, but generally reserved for larger passages that hold the information, findings, or main points that you want to use in your own writing. It presents a kind of general overview that is often shorter than the original passage. As with the other two, proper citation should be included, because you are still taking information from another source. So make sure that you cite your sources.

There are times where some of these strategies work best, for instance:

• Use quotes when you can’t possibly express an author’s words any better or they when already covey a powerful message.
• Use a paraphrase as another option to quoting, to express another’s ideas in your own words and to support your own claims.
• Use a summary when the sources passage is too long to quote or paraphrase (more than 4 sentences), or when only the main ideas of a source are relevant or if the details might distract, overwhelm, or confuse your readers.

Each strategy offers a different strength or even weakness to your writing, so choose carefully and consider what is expected of you from your assignment and your instructor.

If you use a Quote try the ICE method.

First, Introduce the Author, relevant background information, and a verb (of course adjusting to the preferred citation format) within the sentence. (Example: "According to renowned author J.R.R. Tolkien...")

Then, Cite. the source, provide in-text citations, place the phrase or passage in quotation marks (“…”) and copy the passage word-for-word, keeping all original punctuation. Everything the original author has said, should be in the quote.

Finally, Explain why the phrase or passage is important to what you are saying. How does it add to what you are trying to prove? What’s the significance of the quote?

This method will help provide clarity and support your reasoning for quoting something, rather than writing it in your own words. It also ensures that your reader understands that the phrase is not your own, but rather someone else's ideas and words.

If you use a summary, read the source carefully and try to highlight any major points as you go.

Then, go back and re-read the source, make any relevant notes, leaving out the examples and evidence.

Next, without looking at the source, rewrite your notes in your own words, as you would when writing the actual paper; be sure to restate the main points at the beginning of the summary and include any major points from the conclusion or final finding of the source.

Finally, include an in-text citation using the preferred style format for your assignment.

This method will help you gain a better understanding of the passage you want to use and helps you to try and write out the points and ideas without relying on the passage's original structure.

And finally, if you use a paraphrase, read the source text carefully, try to understand it as best as you can.

Then, set aside the original and write your paraphrase, (try using notecards, if you have them). Keep in mind the main points and think about how YOU would write it. Don’t just replace every other word; that would be a form of plagiarism.

Next, review your paraphrase. Check to see if it reflects the original, but in your words and writing style instead of the author's. Are the main points there?

Be sure to include the in-text citation in the preferred style format to show that the idea came from another source.

And finally, explain why the paraphrased information is important to your work. How does it add to what you are saying?

Like the summary method, this one will help you gain a better understanding of the source material and help you to write without relying on the source's original structure.

So why is paraphrasing better?

Well, it is often better than simply quoting a source and helps you to control that urge to quote everything. It shows your readers how much you understand the topic or subject of the source. It also helps you understand your topic better as well as your source that you are borrowing from. Finally, it demonstrates that you clearly understand the source, by expressing the main ideas in your own way (however, you still need those citations). Paraphrasing is a great way to add strength to your own writing and your own ideas and show what your thoughts are on the topic, rather than showcasing what others have already said.

Here are some DOs and DON'Ts to consider for paraphrasing

• DO use a direct quote IF you can’t express an idea any more clearly or succinctly in your own style. If needed, you can use only part of a quote with ellipsis (…), if it works well with your own writing.

• DO paraphrase long portions of text that you can incorporate in your own words. Think of it as a kind of translation, taking the same idea, but using different words and sentence structure to say it.

• DO understand the purpose of Paraphrasing, it’s not about avoiding thinking for yourself in writing, but rather demonstrating your understanding of the material. The whole point of it all, is interpreting information in your own way to show a greater understanding.

• DON’T start by picking up a thesaurus and switching out a few words. This is a type of Plagiarism called Find-and-Replace. Ideally you want to use language that is familiar to you. Using a thesaurus may lead to problems such as, if you are unfamiliar with the concept or you have difficulty with English, you might end up using the wrong synonym resulting in a very strange paraphrase. Or a sentence that just doesn't make any sense to your reader. If you need to, try reading the sentence out loud. If it doesn't make sense out loud, then it won't make sense on paper.

• DON’T just copy without quotation marks. Even if you keep just a few phrases and paraphrase the rest, that’s okay, but remember that anything taken directly from a source (word-for-word) must be put in quotations and cited properly.

• DON’T paraphrase to closely to the original source, cosmetic changes to the borrowed source is NOT paraphrasing.

So while paraphrasing is a great way to avoid plagiarism, it takes some practice to recognize how to write something without relying too much on the source. But, don't worry. Take your time, take notes and check your source. If you are unsure about something, ask a librarian or tutor. They may have some ideas on how to reword something.

Paraphrasing can seem a little tricky at first, but there is a way that you can effectively use it. Try the following:

• Read your source text carefully. Take notes on a sheet of paper or notecard, labeling each with relevant citation information so you don’t lose where you got it from.

• Try to “capture the original idea” in just a few words.

• And then from your notes, write your paraphrase. Don't use the original text at this stage. Use just your notes.

• Once you have it written out, compare it to the original. Is your paraphrase too close to the original? To vague? Or just right? If it is just right, you can plug it into paper, with proper citation, of course.

Here is how Point-Form Notes work, if you are unfamiliar with them:Write short, usually incomplete sentence fragments that answer:

• Who? What? (Important Person/Character, Significant Objects)
• When? Where? (Setting: Time & Place)
• Why? (Explains character’s actions & motivations)

For example:

Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Ch. 2

• 12:07 a.m.
• dead dog lying on Mrs. Shears’s front lawn
• garden fork (pitch fork) sticking through Mrs. Shears’s poodle dog (Wellington)
• [perhaps dog is murdered?]
• novel written in 1st person “I”
• narrator [main character? not sure] lives across the street from Mrs. Shears
• (etc.)

Here's how the Plotinick Strategy works:

Write down the source name, author(s) and other relevant information alongside the notes.

• Convert the ideas from your notes into full sentences.
• Provide a reference/ citation.
• Go back to the original source and check that (a.) your paraphrase is accurate and (b.) you actually said everything in your own words.

By using this strategy, you can be sure that your paraphrase is accurate and avoids all plagiarism. So try it out next time you are working on a research assignment and remember that the Art of Paraphrasing takes time, so don't get frustrated if you don't understand it right way. Take your time and practice.