paraphrasing cite online

Paraphrases

A paraphrase restates another’s idea (or your own previously published idea) in your own words. Paraphrasing allows you to summarize and synthesize information from one or more sources, focus on significant information, and compare and contrast relevant details.

Published authors paraphrase their sources most of the time, rather than directly quoting the sources; student authors should emulate this practice by paraphrasing more than directly quoting.

When you paraphrase, cite the original work using either the narrative or parenthetical citation format .

Although it is not required to provide a page or paragraph number in the citation, you may include one (in addition to the author and year) when it would help interested readers locate the relevant passage within a long or complex work (e.g., a book).

Webster-Stratton (2016) described a case example of a 4-year-old girl who showed an insecure attachment to her mother; in working with the family dyad, the therapist focused on increasing the mother’s empathy for her child (pp. 152–153).

These guidelines pertain to when you read a primary source and paraphrase it yourself. If you read a paraphrase of a primary source in a published work and want to cite that source, it is best to read and cite the primary source directly if possible; if not, use a secondary source citation .

Paraphrases are covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Sections 8.23 and 8.24 and the Concise Guide Sections 8.23 and 8.24

Related handout

• Paraphrasing and Citation Activities (PDF, 357KB)

Long paraphrases

A paraphrase may continue for several sentences. In such cases, cite the work being paraphrased on first mention. Once the work has been cited, it is not necessary to repeat the citation as long as the context of the writing makes it clear that the same work continues to be paraphrased.

Velez et al. (2018) found that for women of color, sexism and racism in the workplace were associated with poor work and mental health outcomes, including job-related burnout, turnover intentions, and psychological distress. However, self-esteem, person–organization fit, and perceived organizational support mediated these effects. Additionally, stronger womanist attitudes—which acknowledge the unique challenges faced by women of color in a sexist and racist society—weakened the association of workplace discrimination with psychological distress. These findings underscore the importance of considering multiple forms of workplace discrimination in clinical practice and research with women of color, along with efforts to challenge and reduce such discrimination.

If the paraphrase continues into a new paragraph, reintroduce the citation. If the paraphrase incorporates multiple sources or switches among sources, repeat the citation so the source is clear. Read your sentences carefully to ensure you have cited sources appropriately.

Play therapists can experience many symptoms of impaired wellness, including emotional exhaustion or reduced ability to empathize with others (Elwood et al., 2011; Figley, 2002), disruption in personal relationships (Elwood et al., 2011; Robinson-Keilig, 2014), decreased satisfaction with work (Elwood et al., 2011), avoidance of particular situations (Figley, 2002; O’Halloran & Linton, 2000), and feelings or thoughts of helplessness (Elwood et al., 2011; Figley, 2002; O’Halloran & Linton, 2000).

Paraphrase Tool to Avoid Plagiarism

Have you ever struggled with paraphrasing in your academic writing? Paraphrasing allows you to demonstrate your understanding of the material and avoid plagiarism but it can be challenging and time-consuming. That’s why we recommend using our free online paraphrasing tool.  

The tool will help you reword any text quickly and accurately, ensuring that your work is original. Keep reading to learn more about it and discover how to paraphrase to avoid plagiarism.

• ✔️ How to Use the Tool
• ⭐ Tool Benefits
• 🔤 Paraphrasing Definition
• 👩‍🏫 How to Paraphrase
• 🚩 Unacceptable Paraphrasing
• 🔎 References

✔️ How to Use the Paraphrase Tool to Avoid Plagiarism? 

Our online paraphrasing app has a user-friendly interface, so you can reword any text in a few clicks. We designed it with students in mind, considering their unique academic needs. 

Here’s a small guide on how to use our paraphrase tool to avoid plagiarism: 

• Copy and paste the passage into the field. 
• Choose the percentage of words that should be paraphrased. 
• Click the “Paraphrase” button and wait for the result. 

⭐ Paraphrase Without Plagiarism: Tool Benefits

Many benefits make our tool stand out among similar paraphrasing software. Let’s have a look at the main advantages!

🔤 Paraphrasing Definition in Writing

In academic writing, paraphrasing involves rewording or expressing information from a source in your own words while maintaining the original meaning. It is a valuable skill that allows you to incorporate ideas from others but avoid plagiarism . Paraphrasing also helps you demonstrate your understanding of the source material and convey it in your writing style.

How Are Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing Different? 

It is common for students to mistakenly confuse paraphrasing with quoting and summarizing, as all these skills contribute to plagiarism-free academic writing. However, understanding the distinctions between the three is crucial to boost your writing skills.

👩‍🏫 How to Properly Paraphrase to Avoid Plagiarism 

You can always use our paraphrase tool to avoid plagiarism. However, if you want to practice manual paraphrasing and master this skill, check out our guide. 

• Read the passage. Look for the main ideas, supporting details, and the overall message of the text. 
• Set the original aside. After understanding the text, put it aside and write from your memory to avoid unintentional plagiarism. 
• Check against the original. Once you have rewritten the passage in your own words, compare it to the original text to ensure accuracy. 
• Use signal phrases. To attribute ideas to the original source, incorporate signal phrases such as “One study found that…,” “According to Brown,” or “Brown notes that…”. 
• Quote any borrowed terms. If specific terms or phrases are unique to the source and cannot be paraphrased, use quotation marks to quote them. 
• Cite the source. Finally, ensure you provide a proper citation that includes the author, publication year, and other relevant details according to the appropriate citation style (such as APA, MLA, or Chicago). 

🚩 What Is Unacceptable Paraphrasing? 

Here is a list of signs that indicate unacceptable paraphrasing: 

• Word-for-word copying. The text mirrors the original too closely, using the same sentence structure and vocabulary without enclosing them in quotation marks. 
• Insufficient modification. Only a few words or phrases are changed from the source. 
• Failure to capture the essence. The paraphrased version fails to convey the source’s meaning or key points. 
• Excessive reliance on synonyms. Overusing synonyms without genuinely understanding the context and intended meaning of the original text can lead to flawed paraphrasing. 
• Lack of citation or attribution. It is unacceptable to paraphrase without clearly indicating the source or providing proper citation , as this can be considered plagiarism. 

Check out an example of incorrect and acceptable paraphrasing.

📍 Paraphrase to Avoid Plagiarism: FAQ

📍 what does it mean to paraphrase a source.

To paraphrase a source means to restate the information from that source in your own words while maintaining the original meaning. Paraphrasing involves comprehending the material, expressing it in a new way, and providing proper attribution to the source.

📍 Do you need quotation marks when paraphrasing?

No, you usually don’t need quotation marks when paraphrasing. However, quotation marks are necessary if you use specific terms from the original text that cannot be reworded. Even though paraphrases don’t require quotation marks, you should still provide in-text citations to acknowledge the source.

📍 What is one benefit of paraphrasing?

One benefit of paraphrasing is that it allows you to make connections between ideas by controlling how they are presented and making them sound natural. By using your words to rephrase information, you can better integrate it into your writing style and context. It can enhance clarity and help avoid plagiarism while conveying the original meaning.

📍 When would you want to directly quote a source over paraphrasing it?

It’s better to directly quote a source when the exact wording is crucial to your argument or when the author uses unique terms or especially vivid or strong language. For example, you should directly quote textual evidence from a book or poem for your literary analysis paper.

🔎 References 

• Quoting and Paraphrasing (MLA Style) | Loyola Marymount University  
• Paraphrasing Sources | Lumen  
• Paraphrasing & Quoting | Azusa Pacific University  
• Paraphrasing & Avoiding Plagiarism | TUS Library  
• Paraphrase: Write It in Your Own Words | Purdue Online Writing Lab  
• Avoiding Plagiarism | Johns Hopkins Sheridan Libraries  

We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. If you continue, we will assume that you agree to our cookies

Paraphrasing Tool

Paraphrasing Tool in partnership with QuillBot. Paraphrase everywhere with the free Chrome Extension .

Try our other writing services

Avoid plagiarism in your paraphrased text

What's a paraphrasing tool?

This AI-powered paraphraser lets you rewrite text in your own words. Use it to  paraphrase articles, essays, and other pieces of text. You can also use it to rephrase sentences and find synonyms for individual words. And the best part? It’s all 100% free!

What's paraphrasing?

Paraphrasing involves expressing someone else’s ideas or thoughts in your own words while maintaining the original meaning. Paraphrasing tools can help you quickly reword text by replacing certain words with synonyms or restructuring sentences. They can also make your text more concise, clear, and suitable for a specific audience. Paraphrasing is an essential skill in academic writing and professional communication.

Why use this paraphrasing tool?

• Save time: Gone are the days when you had to reword sentences yourself; now you can rewrite an individual sentence or a complete text with one click.
• Improve your writing: Your writing will always be clear and easy to understand. Automatically ensure consistent language throughout. 
• Preserve original meaning: Paraphrase without fear of losing the point of your text.
• No annoying ads: We care about the user experience, so we don’t run any ads.
• Accurate: Reliable and grammatically correct paraphrasing.
• No sign-up required: We don’t need your data for you to use our paraphrasing tool.
• Super simple to use: A simple interface even your grandma could use.
• It’s 100% free: No hidden costs, just unlimited use of a free paraphrasing tool.

People are in love with our paraphrasing tool

Features of the paraphrasing tool

Rephrase individual sentences

With the Scribbr Paraphrasing Tool, you can easily reformulate individual sentences.

• Write varied headlines
• Rephrase the subject line of an email
• Create unique image captions

Paraphrase a whole text

Our paraphraser can also help with longer passages (up to 125 words per input). Upload your document or copy your text into the input field.

With one click, you can reformulate the entire text.

Find synonyms with ease

Simply click on any word to open the interactive thesaurus.

• Choose from a list of suggested synonyms
• Find the synonym with the most appropriate meaning
• Replace the word with a single click

Paraphrase in two ways

• Standard: Offers a compromise between modifying and preserving the meaning of the original text
• Fluency: Improves language and corrects grammatical mistakes

Upload different types of documents

Upload any Microsoft Word document, Google Doc, or PDF into the paraphrasing tool.

Download or copy your results

After you’re done, you can easily download or copy your text to use somewhere else.

Powered by AI

The paraphrasing tool uses natural language processing to rewrite any text you give it. This way, you can paraphrase any text within seconds.

How does this paraphrasing tool work?

1. put your text into the paraphraser, 2. select your method of paraphrasing, 3. select the quantity of synonyms you want, 4. edit your text where needed, who can use this paraphrasing tool.

Paraphrasing tools can help students to understand texts and improve the quality of their writing. 

Create original lesson plans, presentations, or other educational materials.

Researchers

Explain complex concepts or ideas to a wider audience. 

Journalists

Quickly and easily rephrase text to avoid repetitive language.

Copywriters

By using a paraphrasing tool, you can quickly and easily rework existing content to create something new and unique.

Bloggers can rewrite existing content to make it their own.

Writers who need to rewrite content, such as adapting an article for a different context or writing content for a different audience.

A paraphrasing tool lets you quickly rewrite your original content for each medium, ensuring you reach the right audience on each platform.

The all-purpose paraphrasing tool

The Scribbr Paraphrasing Tool is the perfect assistant in a variety of contexts.

Brainstorming

Writer’s block? Use our paraphraser to get some inspiration.

Professional communication

Produce creative headings for your blog posts or PowerPoint slides.

Academic writing

Paraphrase sources smoothly in your thesis or research paper.

Social media

Craft memorable captions and content for your social media posts.

Paraphrase text online, for free

The Scribbr Paraphrasing Tool lets you rewrite as many sentences as you want—for free.

Write with 100% confidence 👉

Ask our team.

Want to contact us directly? No problem. We are always here for you.

• Chat with us
• Email [email protected]
• Call +44 (0)20 3917 4242
• WhatsApp +31 20 261 6040

Frequently asked questions

The act of putting someone else’s ideas or words into your own words is called paraphrasing, rephrasing, or rewording. Even though they are often used interchangeably, the terms can mean slightly different things:

Paraphrasing   is restating someone else’s ideas or words in your own words while retaining their meaning. Paraphrasing changes sentence structure, word choice, and sentence length to convey the same meaning.

Rephrasing   may involve more substantial changes to the original text, including changing the order of sentences or the overall structure of the text.

Rewording   is changing individual words in a text without changing its meaning or structure, often using synonyms.

It can. One of the two methods of paraphrasing is called “Fluency.” This will improve the language and fix grammatical errors in the text you’re paraphrasing.

Paraphrasing and using a paraphrasing tool aren’t cheating. It’s a great tool for saving time and coming up with new ways to express yourself in writing.  However, always be sure to credit your sources.  Avoid plagiarism.  

If you don’t properly reference text paraphrased from another source, you’re plagiarising. If you use someone else’s text and paraphrase it, you need to credit the original source. You can do that by using citations. There are different styles, like APA, MLA, Harvard, and Chicago. Find more information about referencing sources  here.

Paraphrasing   without crediting the original author   is a   form of plagiarism , because you’re presenting someone else’s ideas as if they were your own.

However, paraphrasing is not plagiarism if you correctly referencing the source . This means including an   in-text citation   and a full reference, formatted according to your required   citation style.

As well as citing, make sure that any paraphrased text is completely rewritten in your own words.

Plagiarism   means using someone else’s words or ideas and passing them off as your own.   Paraphrasing   means putting someone else’s ideas in your own words.

So when does paraphrasing count as plagiarism?

• Paraphrasing   is   plagiarism if you don’t properly credit the original author.
• Paraphrasing   is   plagiarism if your text is too close to the original wording (even if you cite the source). If you directly copy a sentence or phrase, you should   quote   it instead.
• Paraphrasing  is not   plagiarism if you put the author’s ideas completely in your own words   and   properly referencing the source .

Paraphraser

Make your academic writing clear and original.

See how we are better than Quillbot

We took an abstract from a research paper and pit ourselves against Quillbot. While Quillbot simply restructures sentences with a few different words here and there, SciSpace’s paraphraser gives fresh, unique content while retaining the meaning of the source text. See for yourself.

In the past, Internet users primarily consumed material online, whether it was text, video, or audio. Yet, users are increasingly turning to tools like wikis, blogs, social networking sites, and video sharing websites to produce, alter, distribute, and debate online media.

Traditionally, consumers used the Internet to simply expend content: they read it, they watched it, and they used it to buy products and services.

Gone are the days when Internet enthusiasts were satisfied with merely browsing online content, be it in textual, visual, or auditory form. Nowadays, these users have taken to embracing a vast array of innovative resources such as wikis, blogs, social media platforms, and video-sharing sites to create, modify, circulate, and discuss online content.

In the past, the digital realm was a mere conduit for consumers to access information, passively absorbing it through reading, viewing, and purchasing.

Internet users used to rely heavily on the Internet for their media consumption needs. Wikis, blogs, social networking sites, and video sharing websites are just a few examples of the tools that people are increasingly resorting to in order to create, modify, disseminate, and discuss online material.

In the past, users' primary Internet activities was content consumption (reading, watching videos, and making purchases).

If you're using a paraphrasing tool, be smart about it

Improve your writing with ease using SciSpace's paraphrasing tool. Enjoy powerful features designed to save your time and give a better quality output.

Style your text in any tone

Connect with your audience better by conveying the words you want in the way you want. Choose from 22 preset tones or customize your tone to sound like any personality you have in mind.

Paraphrase into 75 languages

Overcome language barriers and express yourself freely in 75 languages. Choose your preferred language and style your text without worrying about your language proficiency.

Customize the length and variation of paraphrased text

Not everyone has the same needs while paraphrasing. Some want to tweak a few phrases, while others want to completely restructure their text. That’s why SciSpace’s paraphrasing tool allows you to choose the extent to which you want to paraphrase.

Stay in charge of your content

A paraphrasing tool is a mere AI assistant. You get to call the shots. So, feel free to edit the output content, whether you want to change a particular word or a sentence.

Perform AI detection

Ensure originality even if your source text was written by an AI. Analyze the text for AI-written content and rephrase accordingly. And if you want a more detailed AI report, head over to our AI detector.

SciSpace’s paraphrasing tool brings out the best in your writing

Our paraphraser is simple and intuitive, giving you the best paraphrased output every single time.

Some commonly asked questions about paraphrasing tools

• What is a paraphrasing tool? A paraphraser or paraphrasing tool is a software that assists users in changing the words and structure of text without taking away the meaning. Paraphrasing tools are handy for writers who refer to other sources often in their writing.
• Is paraphrasing illegal? Laws around paraphrasing vary by country. It may be considered plagiarism in some countries, while in others, it might not. However, in all cases, paraphrasing text is frowned upon if you don't credit the source.
• Is using a paraphrasing tool cheating? Paraphrasing tools are meant to assist and improve your writing skills. If you use it for that and credit the original author appropriately, it’s not considered cheating.
• Can a paraphrasing tool help me avoid plagiarism? While a paraphraser can help you avoid verbatim plagiarism, which is copy-pasting the source word for word, it still might be considered partial plagiarism. Thus, to truly avoid plagiarism, you need to cite the source.
• How can I paraphrase into another language? Most tools let you paraphrase in different dialects of English. However, SciSpace's paraphraser allows you rephrase text into 75 languages.
• How do I cite a paraphrase? A paraphrased text can be cited in the same way as a quote. You simply need to consider the citation style and include appropriate details.
• How does paraphrasing different from plagiarism? Simply put, paraphrasing is an action, while plagiarism is an idea. Paraphrasing is putting someone else’s ideas in your own words. Paraphrasing is considered plagiarism when you fail to cite the source.
• What are the things I should keep in mind when paraphrasing? Two of the most important things to be mindful of when paraphrasing text are that you should be aware of what the original author is trying to say. Context should be retained regardless of paraphrasing. Secondly, you should always cite your source.

Explore our range of reading and writing tools

Ease up your research workflow with SciSpace's cohort of exciting AI tools

SciSpace Copilot

Ai detector, citation generator.

Generate formatted bibliographies, citations, and works cited automatically

What is mybib.

MyBib is a free bibliography and citation generator that makes accurate citations for you to copy straight into your academic assignments and papers.

If you're a student, academic, or teacher, and you're tired of the other bibliography and citation tools out there, then you're going to love MyBib. MyBib creates accurate citations automatically for books, journals, websites, and videos just by searching for a title or identifier (such as a URL or ISBN).

Plus, we're using the same citation formatting engine as professional-grade reference managers such as Zotero and Mendeley, so you can be sure our bibliographies are perfectly accurate in over 9,000 styles -- including APA 6 & 7, Chicago, Harvard, and MLA 7 & 8.

Quick features:

Home / Guides / Citation Guides / MLA Format / Paraphrasing in MLA

Paraphrasing in MLA

Paraphrasing is a valuable skill. It allows you to seamlessly integrate another person’s ideas into your work, and it is the preferred way to integrate most research information into a paper.

In addition to writing a good paraphrase, you must also include a citation with the paraphrase. One effective way to do this is by using MLA in-text citations .

But first, let’s define paraphrasing.

What is a paraphrase? Why is it beneficial?

• A paraphrase is a piece of information written in a new way after reading and analyzing a source.
• A paraphrase translates the main ideas of a passage into a new passage that uses your own words and perspective.
• A paraphrase lets you control what point or information is highlighted.
• A paraphrase allows you turn a long passage into a condensed, focused passage.
• Direct quotes are helpful, but paraphrasing allows you show that you truly understand a work. Think about it: Is it easier to quote a source or paraphrase?

What does MLA have to do with it?

Academic integrity is extremely important, and a paraphrase allows you to use someone’s ideas efficiently in your work…but that is only part of the work. In order to stay ethical, you’ll also need include an in-text citation. That’s where MLA style comes in.

An MLA in-text citation gives appropriate credit to the original source. By following the guidelines of the MLA style and including an accurate citation, you can avoid accusations of plagiarism.

MLA stands for the Modern Language Association, which is a scholarly association dedicated to the study and advancement of languages. The MLA style comes from their published MLA Handbook , which provides rules and guidelines on research and writing. The latest update to the MLA style occurred in 2021, and careful consideration needs to be paid to these guidelines.

Although there are other styles of research and writing, MLA is the primary style guide for humanities, language, and literature in the United States.

How to paraphrase

Steps in paraphrasing.

• Read the original source material carefully. It is always a good idea to read it more than once so you can paraphrase accurately.
• Consider why the source was written, when it was written, who it was written by, and who the target audience was.
• What were the key ideas or points communicated?
• What is the key point you want to highlight from the source?
• What other contextual facts about the source do you think are important to include?
• Based on your notes, put together a paraphrase.
• Next, take a minute to double check your paraphrase against the original to ensure that you have used your own writing style.
• Finally, add an MLA in-text citation.

How to add an MLA in-text citation

In order to give credit for ideas that are not yours, citing is key. According the MLA, after you create a paraphrase, you should include an in-text citation with the paraphrase. In addition to the short, in-text citation, a full reference of the source should be included on your Works Cited page. This article will focus only on the in-text citation, but see this guide for more information on MLA works cited citations.

An MLA in-text citation can be done in two ways:

• Parenthetical

Both approaches require you to know the following:

• Last name of the author
• Page number

Parenthetical citation

One way to cite in the text is to use a parenthetical citation after the paraphrase. This includes putting the author’s last name and page number where you found the information at the end of the sentence, before the final period.

Using a website as a source? Note that if a source does not have page numbers, you do not have to include the page number in your parenthetical citation.

Parenthetical in-text citation structure:

Paraphrase (Author Last Name Page #)

Parenthetical example:

I kept pounding on the doors ’til my hands hurt and I woke up the dogs (Bronte 12).

Place that end punctuation carefully! Note that there is no period at the end of the sentence, but the period is outside the parentheses. Also, there is no comma between the author’s last name and the page number.

Citation in prose

A citation in prose means that you include the author’s last name within the page text and the page number at the end of the sentence in parentheses. A citation in prose would look like this:

Citation in prose citation structure:

Paraphrase with Author Last Name (Page #)

In-prose example:

Bronte explains how Lockwood kept pounding on the doors until his hands began to hurt and he woke up the dogs (12).

Example of how to paraphrase

Here is a piece of text taken from the novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen:

“In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”

Elizabeth’s astonishment was beyond expression. She stared, coloured, doubted, and was silent. This he considered sufficient encouragement; and the avowal of all that he felt, and had long felt for her, immediately followed. He spoke well; but there were feelings besides those of the heart to be detailed; and he was not more eloquent on the subject of tenderness than of pride. His sense of her inferiority—of its being a degradation—of the family obstacles which had always opposed to inclination, were dwelt on with a warmth which seemed due to the consequence he was wounding, but was very unlikely to recommend his suit.

A paraphrase of the above would go something like this:

Mr. Darcy had meant to communicate that he loved Elizabeth, but in the end all he managed to do was communicate all the reasons he had fought against his feelings for her (Austen 390).

Notice the benefits of paraphrasing here?

• The paraphrase is (thankfully) much shorter than the full excerpt.
• The paraphrase writer could have mentioned several different ideas and points. Instead, paraphrasing allowed the writer to focus on the main point they wanted to highlight.
• The paraphrase demonstrates the writer’s deep understanding of what was communicated in the original passage.

Also, as mentioned previously, every in-text citation needs to have a matching, full citation in the Works Cited page. Here is the full citation for the above example:

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice . 1813. Project Gutenberg , 2008, www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/42671.

How NOT to paraphrase

When you paraphrase, do not do the follow:

• Use most of the same words and switch out a few words for synonyms.
• Use most of the same words and change the sentence order a little.
• Take key phrases from the sentences and put them into a new paragraph without quoting them.
• Create a good paraphrase but forget to include an in-text citation.
• Create a good paraphrase but cite the wrong source.

Other MLA considerations

The Modern Language Association advises that summaries, paraphrases, and direct quotations can all be used to back up your argument. However, direct quotations should be used infrequently. Try to save them for experts who are speaking on the topic.

Although you are putting a paraphrase into your own words, you still need to cite it because the ideas are not your own. MLA style asks for the author’s last name and the page number where you found the information.

Key takeaways

• The ability to paraphrase is of the utmost importance in regard to academic integrity.
• To paraphrase well, read the original a few times, consider the context, jot down the key ideas, compose your paraphrase, compare your paraphrase to the original, and add an in-text citation.
• The MLA advises using in-text citations in order to give proper credit to a paraphrase’s original source.

Published October 28, 2020. Updated July 18, 2021.

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

We are sorry that this post was not useful for you!

Let us improve this post!

Tell us how we can improve this post?

MLA Citation Examples

MLA Formatting

Writing Tools

Citation Generators

Other Citation Styles

Plagiarism Checker

Upload a paper to check for plagiarism against billions of sources and get advanced writing suggestions for clarity and style.

Get Started

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Paraphrase: Write It in Your Own Words

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

Paraphrasing is one way to use a text in your own writing without directly quoting source material. Anytime you are taking information from a source that is not your own, you need to specify where you got that information.

A paraphrase is...

• Your own rendition of essential information and ideas expressed by someone else, presented in a new form.
• One legitimate way (when accompanied by accurate documentation) to borrow from a source.
• A more detailed restatement than a summary, which focuses concisely on a single main idea.

Paraphrasing is a valuable skill because...

• It is better than quoting information from an undistinguished passage.
• It helps you control the temptation to quote too much.
• The mental process required for successful paraphrasing helps you to grasp the full meaning of the original.

6 Steps to Effective Paraphrasing

• Reread the original passage until you understand its full meaning.
• Set the original aside, and write your paraphrase on a note card.
• Jot down a few words below your paraphrase to remind you later how you envision using this material. At the top of the note card, write a key word or phrase 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.
• Use quotation marks to identify any unique term or phraseology you have borrowed exactly from the source.
• Record the source (including the page) on your note card so that you can credit it easily if you decide to incorporate the material into your paper.

Some examples to compare

Note that the examples in this section use MLA style for in-text citation.

The original passage:

Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they overuse quotations in the final [research] paper. Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript should appear as directly quoted matter. Therefore, you should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking notes. Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers . 2nd ed., 1976, pp. 46-47.

A legitimate paraphrase:

In research papers, students often quote excessively, failing to keep quoted material down to a desirable level. Since the problem usually originates during note taking, it is essential to minimize the material recorded verbatim (Lester 46-47).

An acceptable summary:

Students should take just a few notes in direct quotation from sources to help minimize the amount of quoted material in a research paper (Lester 46-47).

A plagiarized version:

Students often use too many direct quotations when they take notes, resulting in too many of them in the final research paper. In fact, probably only about 10% of the final copy should consist of directly quoted material. So it is important to limit the amount of source material copied while taking notes.

A note about plagiarism: This example has been classed as plagiarism, in part, because of its failure to deploy any citation. Plagiarism is a serious offense in the academic world. However, we acknowledge that plagiarism is a difficult term to define; that its definition may be contextually sensitive; and that not all instances of plagiarism are created equal—that is, there are varying “degrees of egregiousness” for different cases of plagiarism.

Sign in to Your Personal/Admin Account

With an admin account, you can also access customisation features on this platform to display to your institutional users.

Don't have a personal account yet? Sign up now. --> Sign up now.

Change Password

Sign up via facebook.

[email protected]

Additional info required

Are you sure you want to reset the form?

Your mail has been sent successfully

Are you sure you want to remove the alert?

Your session is about to expire! You will be logged out in

Do you wish to stay logged in?

We're sorry, but that page can’t be found.

Please visit our Home page or try using the Search, Explore or Browse links above to find what you are looking for.

Delete This?

Are you sure you want to remove the page from "My Saved Items"?

Subscription Required

This item is only available to the members of institutions that have purchased access. If you belong to such an institution please Log In

SIGN in to your personal account

Use your personal account to save 'favourite' articles, chapters and books. Sign In now

Don't have a personal account yet? Sign Up now

Citation Options

$articlemlacitations

Getting your document ready for printing...

Your document is ready. please click here to proceed., your download is in progress and will appear in your browser shortly, share this via....

Clip has been saved successfully

APA Citation Guide (7th edition) : Paraphrasing

• What Kind of Source Is This?
• Advertisements
• Books & eBooks
• Book Reviews
• Class Handouts, Presentations, and Readings
• Encyclopedias & Dictionaries
• Government Documents
• Images, Charts, Graphs, Maps & Tables
• Journal Articles
• Magazine Articles
• Newspaper Articles
• Personal Communication (Interviews, Emails)
• Social Media
• Videos & DVDs

Paraphrasing

• Works Cited in Another Source
• No Author, No Date etc.
• Sample Paper, Reference List & Annotated Bibliography
• Powerpoint Presentations

On This Page

Paraphrasing examples.

• In-Text Citation for More Than One Author

In-Text Citation for Group or Corporate Authors

No author and/or no date.

When you write information from a source in your own words, cite the source by adding an in-text citation at the end of the paraphrased portion as follows:

Mother-infant attachment became a leading topic of developmental research following the publication of John Bowlby's studies (Hunt, 1993).

Note : If you refer to the author's name in a sentence you do not have to include the name again as part of your in-text citation, instead include the year of publication following his/her name:

Hunt (1993) noted that mother-infant attachment became a leading topic of developmental research after the publication of John Bowlby's studies.

Original Source

Homeless individuals commonly come from families who are riddled with problems and marital disharmony, and are alienated from their parents. They have often been physically and even sexually abused, have relocated frequently, and many of them may be asked to leave home or are actually thrown out, or alternatively are placed in group homes or in foster care. They often have no one to care for them and no one knows them intimately.

Source from: 

Rokach, A. (2005). The causes of loneliness in homeless youth. The Journal of Psychology , 139, 469-480. 

Example: Incorrect Paraphrasing

The homeless come from families with problems. Frequently, they have been physically or sexually abused, or have lived in group homes. Usually no one cares for them or knows them intimately (Rokach, 2005). 

Note : In this incorrect example the writing is too similar to the original source. The student only changed or removed a few words and has not phrased the ideas in a new way. 

Example: Correct Paraphrasing

Many homeless experience isolation in part due to suffering from abuse or neglect during their childhood (Rokach, 2005).

Note : The example keeps the idea of the original writing but phrases it in a new way.

In-Text Citation For Two or More Authors/Editors

No Known Author:

Note that in most cases where a personal author is not named, a group author may be cited instead (eg. Statistics Canada). However, in certain cases, such as religious ancient texts, the author is unknown. Where you'd normally put the author's last name, instead use the first one, two, or three words from the title. Don't count initial articles like "A", "An" or "The". You should provide enough words to make it clear which work you're referring to from your References List.

If the title in the References list is in italics, italicize the words from the title in the in-text citation.

If you are citing an article, a chapter of a book or a page from a website, put the words in double quotation marks.

Capitalize the titles using title case (every major word is capitalized) even if the reference list entry uses sentence case (only first word is capitalized).

( Cell Biology , 2012, p. 157)

("Nursing," 2011, p. 9)

No Known Date of Publication :

Where you'd normally put the year of publication, instead use the letters "n.d.".

(Smith, n.d., p. 200)

• << Previous: Quoting
• Next: Works Cited in Another Source >>
• Last Updated: Aug 29, 2024 4:58 PM
• URL: https://columbiacollege-ca.libguides.com/apa

Advanced Paraphrasing Tool

Elevate your writing with our free and ai-powered paraphraser. instantly correct or rephrase your sentences in different tones., paraphrasing tool, please rewrite my sentence, what is paraphrasing.

Paraphrasing is the art of rewriting text into other words. This includes using synonyms, restructuring phrases, and connecting ideas in different ways. A state-of-the-art paraphraser provides automatic and simple-to-use rephrasing of complete sentences.

Why Should I Paraphrase My Sentences?

By paraphrasing existing sentences, you can elevate your writing and achieve different goals as a writer. That’s why rephrasing is helpful in plenty of cases: rewriting citations, strengthening the message of your text, and rewording your ideas while improving style.

How Does Rephrasing Help Me Become a Better Writer?

This feature is highly customizable, meaning you’re in control. Choose from five different categories—general, formal, concise, fluent, or simple—to transform your writing to better suit the context and tone. Paraphrasing helps you by refining and perfecting your masterpieces.

Where Can I Use the Paraphrasing Tool?

Rephrasing is available wherever and whenever! All you need is a LanguageTool account and a stable internet connection to rewrite your sentences in almost all of LanguageTool's extensions. The feature is easily accessible for everyone that aims to improve their writing.

Thunderbird

What exactly does an online paraphraser do.

LanguageTool’s paraphrasing feature does so much more than just rewrite sentences. Not only does it check for stronger, more suitable word choice, but it also corrects your sentence as a whole to ensure high-quality writing. With its intuitive and user-friendly interface, everyone can leverage Artificial Intelligence to achieve the best results possible.

What Other Features Does LanguageTool’s Paraphraser Provide?

The best part of using A.I. to paraphrase your writing is that the suggested sentences come free of spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. Want to also improve style? Simply go back to the general correction to view stylistic suggestions.

As multilingual as you

Make your text sound professional and avoid embarrassing style, punctuation, and grammar mistakes

It’s an online tool that rewrites texts in a new (stylistically different) way by using alternative wording and a rephrased sentence structure.

This function is recommended for all types of texts, including professional, academic, and creative writing. It’s available for all LanguageTool users, but unlimited paraphrasing is only available in Premium.

A paraphrasing tool can easily enhance your writing by improving the tone and style of your text. Moreover, it helps you avoid having to write direct citations by rewriting copy-and-pasted text.

Premium accounts offer even more useful and powerful features:

Only with Premium

Sentence correction of longer texts

Style guide for customizing individual rules

Team features for companies

More in-depth suggestions, especially for word choice and style

How Can I Effectively Use the Rephrasing Tool?

For basic users, the paraphrasing feature is limited to three times daily. If you need more rephrased sentences, you can upgrade to LanguageTool Premium to get access to unlimited paraphrasing in six languages and several English dialects. Remember: No personal data is stored (ever) and privacy guidelines are strictly followed (always).

Strengthen Your Communication Skills

Try out the best paraphrasing tool for free and discover how LanguageTool can elevate your writing.

Welcome back! Please log in to continue.

Don't have an account? Sign up

© 2024 All Rights Reserved

Join us! To Unlock the Power of AI.

Already have an account? Log in

Give Feedback

How was your experience with this tool let us know?

Thanks for sharing your amazing feedback

Paraphrase Online

Paraphrase online is a free online paraphrasing tool used to change words and rephrase sentences.

How to Use our Paraphrasing Tool?

It is very easy to paraphrase online with our paraphrasing tool. To rephrase, follow the steps below.

• Type/paste the text into the input box or upload a file (.doc, .docx, .pdf, .txt) from local storage.
• Select the required paraphrasing mode and click on the "Paraphrase" button.
• The paraphrased text will be displayed on the right box. You can also change the modes for different outputs.
• You can also copy and download the paraphrased text by clicking on the output buttons.

Free Paraphrasing Tool

Our paraphrasing tool (paraphraser) helps students, writers, and bloggers to avoid plagiarism. This rewording tool uses advanced AI algorithms to change sentence structure, synonymize the text and make other similar changes. 

This word changer has a built-in paraphrase generator that helps in rephrasing any paragraph accurately.

What is Paraphrasing?

Paraphrasing is one way to use a text in your own writing without directly quoting source material ( according to Purdue University ). It is the process of rewording and rearranging sentence structure while keeping the original meaning of the context.

Features of Paraphrase Online

Paraphrase Online offers numerous features such as paraphrasing essays, assignments, and rewording articles. Our paraphrase tool works as the best sentence rephraser and word changer.

Upload Files

You can use this feature to upload files directly from your device and skip the copy-paste or typing step. Our tool supports Doc, Docx, PDF & .txt file formats.

Free and Secure

Our word paraphraser is 100% free and completely secure to use for all kinds of rephrasing paragraphs and sentences to avoid plagiarism.

Rephrase Accurately

Our rephrase tool is based on advanced AI algorithms that can rephrase more accurately than humans and makes text grammatically correct and plagiarism free.

Ease to use

Paraphrase Online has a user-friendly interface and simple navigation that makes our paraphrase generator the most easy to use paraphrasing tool online.

Plagiarism Free Content

Content paraphrased by our sentence rephraser will be 100% plagiarism-free. Our paraphrasing tool helps you rephrase any text in seconds to avoid plagiarism issues.

Speed & Customization

Our paraphraser can rephrase any text within seconds and provides quick results. Paraphrase Online also allows you to customize the output to suit your needs, e.g: choosing the specific words to be replaced.

05 Different Paraphrasing Modes

Our paraphrasing tool offers five different paraphrasing modes/styles that you can choose from as per your need and requirement. Here is a brief profile of each mode:

Word Changer

The Word Changer mode is designed to replace the words in the text with suitable synonyms. This mode focuses on changing words and does not make other types of alterations.

Sentence Rephraser

The Sentence Rephraser mode is made to rephrase sentences as a whole by making changes to the words as well as the phrases.

The Academic mode of our paraphrasing tool makes your text more formal and suitable for academic uses.

The Creative mode makes smart and extensive changes to the text to make it look different from the original version. This mode is best for avoiding plagiarism, improving readability, and enhancing engagement.

The Shorten mode rephrases text while also making it shorter than the original input. This mode is best for creating a paraphrased + summarized output for your existing text.

Why Our Paraphrase Tool?

Our paraphrase tool is the best rewording tool that helps you to write content in your own words. This paraphrase generator changes words and phrases quickly and accurately.

Supported Languages

ES , ID , BR

Users of Paraphrase Online

This paraphraser is widely used by:

Students can use this paraphrasing tool to paraphrase their assignments and research papers. Our tool can help students:

Avoid plagiarism : It helps students to make their work plagiarism-free.

Make assignments more readable : Our tool also makes content more readable and free of grammar errors. And if English is not their first language then this tool is no less than a best friend.

• Save time : Generate assignments and essays by quickly paraphrasing the existing content.

Creating class notes and study material on the same topic is a very tough task for teachers. Hey teachers! You can thank us for this awesome rewording tool. You can:

• Paraphrase any notes within seconds while keeping its original meaning;
• Make study notes easy to understand for your class students; 
• Generate new assignment ideas by rephrasing the same topics.

Webmasters/Bloggers

Bloggers have to post on a regular basis, and mostly on similar topics. They can create unique content for their blogs without spending a lot of time by just rewording existing blogs.

SEO Specialists

SEO specialists can use our AI-based paraphrasing tool to create unique content for their websites. SEO experts must use our tool because:

• The final result of our tool is also optimized for search engines; 
• It adjusts multiple keywords by rephrasing text

Content Writers

Content writers play the most creative part in a website. Our rephrase tool helps them to come up with new ideas using existing content. Content writers can also use our paraphrase tool to rephrase their write-ups to avoid plagiarism.

Copywriters

Make your next advertising campaign line catchy and engaging using our paraphrasing tool. Create messages that will sell products, services, or ideas. Paraphrase Online makes your writing visually appealing and effective.

Media Marketers

Best marketing lines matter in digital marketing. Our paraphrase tool provides different versions of the same lines that can be used for A/B testing. Even a simple choice of different words can generate more leads.

Researchers

Researchers can use our shorten mode to summarize and paraphrase their research papers. It makes it easy for them to change their literature reviews.

Business Professionals

Rewording emails, reports, or other business documents is very common for business professionals. Our reword tool could be very helpful in rewording texts for better clarity.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is using an online paraphrasing tool illegal.

No, using an online paraphrasing tool is not illegal. If you want to paraphrase someone else’s content, be sure to cite the source to avoid plagiarism.

Why is paraphrasing important?

Paraphrasing is important as it lets you avoid plagiarism and make your content more easily understandable. Paraphrasing is often done to improve clarity in a piece of text.

Which paraphrasing tool is best for university students?

The paraphrasing tool by Paraphrase Online is an excellent choice for university students. It is free and provides accurate results.

How can I use paraphrase tool for research paper?

You can easily use our paraphrase tool for improving the quality of your research papers and for getting new/better ideas for them. Using Paraphrase Online is easy and simple. You just have to enter your text, choose a mode, and then click on the button.

What are the benefits of paraphrasing in communication?

Paraphrasing can help make communication easier and more clear. You can paraphrase your mails and messages to make them more readable, natural, and better-flowing.

Paraphrasing in communication examples:

• You can paraphrase your work emails to make sure that the recipient easily understands them.
• You can paraphrase your letters and memos to make them clear and understandable for the office people.
• You can also paraphrase simple text messages to avoid having to repeat or explain yourself afterward.

Generate accurate APA citations for free

• Knowledge Base
• How to cite a website in APA Style

How to Cite a Website in APA Style | Format & Examples

Published on November 5, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on January 17, 2024.

APA website citations usually include the author, the publication date, the title of the page or article, the website name, and the URL. If there is no author, start the citation with the title of the article. If the page is likely to change over time, add a retrieval date.

If you are citing an online version of a print publication (e.g. a newspaper , magazine , or dictionary ), use the same format as you would for print, with a URL added at the end. Formats differ for online videos (e.g. TED Talks ), images , and dissertations .

Use the buttons below to explore the format, or use our free APA Citation Generator to automatically create citations.

Cite a website in APA Style now:

Table of contents, citing an entire website, how to cite online articles, websites with no author, websites with no date, how to cite from social media, frequently asked questions about apa style citations.

When you refer to a website in your text without quoting or paraphrasing from a specific part of it, you don’t need a formal citation. Instead, you can just include the URL in parentheses after the name of the site:

One of the most popular social media sites, Instagram (http://instagram.com), allows users to share images and videos.

For this kind of citation, you don’t need to include the website on the reference page . However, if you’re citing a specific page or article from a website, you will need a formal in-text citation and reference list entry.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

Various kinds of articles appear online, and how you cite them depends on where the article appears.

Online articles from newspapers, magazines, and blogs

Articles appearing in online versions of print publications (e.g. newspapers and magazines) are cited like their print versions, but with an added URL.

The same format is used for blog posts. Just include the blog name where you would usually put the name of the magazine or newspaper.

Articles from online-only news sites

For articles from news sites without print equivalents (e.g. BBC News, Reuters), italicize the name of the article and  not  the name of the site.

When a web page does not list an individual author, it can usually be attributed to an organization or government . If this results in the author name being identical to the site name, omit the site name, as in the example below.

If you can’t identify any author at all, replace the author name with the title of the page or article.

In the in-text citation , put the title in quotation marks if it is in plain text in the reference list, or in italics if it is in italics in the reference list. Note that title case is used for the title here, unlike in the reference list. Shorten the title to the first few words if necessary.

When a web page or article does not list a publication or revision date, replace the date with “n.d.” (“no date”) in all citations.

If an online source is likely to change over time, it is recommended to include the date on which you accessed it.

As social media posts are usually untitled, use the first 20 words of the post, in italics, as a title. Also include any relevant information about the type of post and any multimedia aspects (e.g. videos, images, sound, links) in square brackets.

On some social media sites (such as Twitter ), users go by usernames instead of or in addition to their real names. Where the author’s real name is known, include it, along with their username in square brackets:

In some cases, you’ll want to cite a whole social media profile instead of a specific post. In these cases, include an access date, because a profile will obviously change over time:

When citing a webpage or online article , the APA in-text citation consists of the author’s last name and year of publication. For example: (Worland & Williams, 2015). Note that the author can also be an organization. For example: (American Psychological Association, 2019).

If you’re quoting you should also include a locator. Since web pages don’t have page numbers, you can use one of the following options:

• Paragraph number: (Smith, 2018, para. 15).
• Heading or section name: ( CDC, 2020, Flu Season section)
• Abbreviated heading:  ( CDC, 2020, “Key Facts” section)

When you quote or paraphrase a specific passage from a source, you need to indicate the location of the passage in your APA in-text citation . If there are no page numbers (e.g. when citing a website ) but the text is long, you can instead use section headings, paragraph numbers, or a combination of the two:

(Caulfield, 2019, Linking section, para. 1).

Section headings can be shortened if necessary. Kindle location numbers should not be used in ebook citations , as they are unreliable.

If you are referring to the source as a whole, it’s not necessary to include a page number or other marker.

When no individual author name is listed, but the source can clearly be attributed to a specific organization—e.g., a press release by a charity, a report by an agency, or a page from a company’s website—use the organization’s name as the author in the reference entry and APA in-text citations .

When no author at all can be determined—e.g. a collaboratively edited wiki or an online article published anonymously—use the title in place of the author. In the in-text citation, put the title in quotation marks if it appears in plain text in the reference list, and in italics if it appears in italics in the reference list. Shorten it if necessary.

APA Style usually does not require an access date. You never need to include one when citing journal articles , e-books , or other stable online sources.

However, if you are citing a website or online article that’s designed to change over time, it’s a good idea to include an access date. In this case, write it in the following format at the end of the reference: Retrieved October 19, 2020, from https://www.uva.nl/en/about-the-uva/about-the-university/about-the-university.html

Instead of the author’s name, include the first few words of the work’s title in the in-text citation. Enclose the title in double quotation marks when citing an article, web page or book chapter. Italicize the title of periodicals, books, and reports.

No publication date

If the publication date is unknown , use “n.d.” (no date) instead. For example: (Johnson, n.d.).

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2024, January 17). How to Cite a Website in APA Style | Format & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved September 3, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-examples/website/

Is this article helpful?

Jack Caulfield

Other students also liked, beginner's guide to apa in-text citation, no author, date, or title in apa style | formats & examples, how to cite a tweet in apa style, scribbr apa citation checker.

An innovative new tool that checks your APA citations with AI software. Say goodbye to inaccurate citations!

We Trust in Human Precision

20,000+ Professional Language Experts Ready to Help. Expertise in a variety of Niches.

API Solutions

• API Pricing
• Cost estimate
• Customer loyalty program
• Educational Discount
• Non-Profit Discount
• Green Initiative Discount1

Value-Driven Pricing

Unmatched expertise at affordable rates tailored for your needs. Our services empower you to boost your productivity.

• Special Discounts
• Enterprise transcription solutions
• Enterprise translation solutions
• Transcription/Caption API
• AI Transcription Proofreading API

Trusted by Global Leaders

GoTranscript is the chosen service for top media organizations, universities, and Fortune 50 companies.

GoTranscript

One of the Largest Online Transcription and Translation Agencies in the World. Founded in 2005.

Speaker 1: Summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting. A guide to doing it right. Let's start off by talking about summarizing. Summarizing takes something and boils it down to its essence. So, from something larger to something smaller. Let's take a look at an example. Here's some text that you may be familiar with. If I was going to summarize this, I would take a look at that text and see what stands out for me. It opens with a really great quote. I can't replace that, I can't do better, so I'm going to include that quote in my summary. After that, let's look at the first paragraph. What's important in that first paragraph? Well, there are a couple of things that stand out. First off, I see that I have two sides, the rebels and the evil galactic empire. I see that they're having a civil war and that the rebels have just won their first victory. Those are the important key points there. In the second paragraph, I see again, the rebels stole some secret plans to the Death Star. That's important and good to know. Lastly, I see that Princess Leia is being pursued and she has the stolen plans. There's a lot more there, but these are unnecessary details if I'm trying to just come up with a summary. So, an acceptable summary might look like this. What makes this acceptable? Well, it starts with some citation information. This is not MLA, APA, or Chicago style, but at the very least, it's saying where is this coming from? The movie Star Wars. After that, my exact quote, my great quote. I used it and I put it in quotation marks to say, this isn't me, I'm borrowing this from the movie. After that, I see a lot of the key points that we saw in that original text. We know there was a civil war between the rebels and the Galactic Empire. We knew the rebels had stolen the plans to the Death Star and that the Empire was trying to get them back. So, you can see I took that larger block of text and tried to really boil it down into its essence. Let's take a look at a not so good example. What makes this unacceptable? It still starts with that citation information, which is good. But then, what happens after that? Well, there's that great quote, but you'll notice there are no quotation marks here. So, I'm saying, I wrote that. That's my language, those are my words, and I didn't take that from anywhere. That's what you're doing when you don't have quotation marks around other people's words. And what about the rest of my wording? Well, I borrowed things, and I just changed them a little bit. So, the original text from the movie was evil Galactic Empire, and what have I got? Oh, I didn't even bother changing that, right? The evil Galactic Empire, again, it's not in quotes, and I just used it exactly the way it was. Rebel spies managed to steal secret plans. Well, what did I use? I used, rebel spies were able to steal the secret plans. Those are pretty similar. Princess Leia races home aboard her starship. And I put, Princess Leia is speeding home on her starship. They sound the same. They look the same. If your text has the feel of the original, then I'm not summarizing. I'm just taking chunks of it and putting it together. Copying and pasting and changing a few words is not a summary. Let's talk about paraphrasing. Paraphrasing is almost like a translation. It's taking something written in a particular style, using a particular language, and translating it into what sounds like you, what would come out of your mouth. So for instance, let's say I start with a sentence like this. Well, that sounds scientific. It sounds pretty fancy. I'm going to read this and really get a feel for it, and now I can translate it into what I would say. Are all of the important points still there? Let's take a look. I said the authors studied the effects, and I said this study looked at. A little simpler. What did they look at? They looked at sub-zero temperatures, and I say very cold. It doesn't have to be so specific. The mortality. Well, mortality is another way of saying surviving or not surviving. Your ability to live or not live. And they went scientific. They went with ratus norvegicus. Well, I'm just going to make it simple. Rats. They got the same basic components. I made them a little more understandable for people who wouldn't be comfortable with the original text. Let's do it again. So here is our original block of text. A little more scientific. Not bad. But still, it's not me. It's not how I would write or speak. So I'm going to take that and translate it into myself. Here's what I would say. Let's take a look again and see if we can find the various bits and pieces. Researchers found. I'm going to go with the study looked at. Researchers found is not nearly as intimidating, perhaps, as the authors studied the effects, but it's not how I would speak. Equally strong association. Well, I'm going to call that a similarity, right? Things are equally strong. Well, then they're similar. And I'm going to say that there was a similarity between these things. They say the pleasurable effects of eating Oreos. And I just say the highs produced by sugary junk food. Cocaine or morphine. I don't need to be that specific. I can just say specific drugs. There's my rats. So I'm still looking at the drugs and the sugary junk food on rats. And specifically about a particular environment where the rats wanted to be. They found that the drugs and the Oreos made them both want to be there. So they wanted to be where those things were. Didn't matter if it was drugs. Didn't matter if it was junk food. The rats liked them both. You've got to take the original in its actual intent, and you've got to translate it into something that sounds more like you. Let's see something that's a little easier than those two blocks of text. You might be familiar with this movie. If you recognize that phrase, you know that it's something that gets repeated quite a bit. What if I wanted to paraphrase that phrase? I might say that he introduces himself. He informs his foe of the reason why he is angry. And he then immediately issues a threat to him. The essential parts, his name, why he's angry, and what he's going to do next. There they are, only said in a different way. Let's go back to our Star Wars. I have that first paragraph. And now I have my paraphrase of it. Why are the important points still there? Let's see. Yep, there's civil war. There is a civil war. Mention that. They said rebel spaceships striking from a hidden base have won their first victory. And I say, rebels are using guerrilla tactics resulting in a recent success. Same basic idea. I did like that phrase though, the evil galactic empire, so I took it and I put it inside quotes. Remember, if you can't do better than them, use their words. Put them in quotes. Second paragraph. Well, the rebel spies managed to steal secret plans. Rebels have just stolen the plans. Though there's a weapon with enough power to destroy an entire planet, and I'm going to just call that a cataclysmic weapon. So I said in a shorter sentence a lot of what they said. I didn't feel that the Death Star, the fact that it was an armored space station, was absolutely essential there. Good enough. That last paragraph, let's take a look at what we've got there. Pursued by the Empire. Well, the Empire is giving chase, sure. To our main character there, Princess Leia, or one of them. And plans that can save her people and restore freedom to the galaxy. She hopes to use the plans to win the fight against the Empire. I was a little less dramatic. You can see the important points, and a phrase was kept in quotes. How about an unacceptable paraphrase? Well, let's start with that first paragraph again. What have I done here? Well, there are some exact phrases without quotation marks again. There's striking from a hidden base. There's striking from a hidden base. There's my against the evil galactic empire, and there it is again. If their words are great, that's fine. But quotation marks. Let's take a look at the rest of this thing. What's wrong with the rest of it, or what else is wrong with it? How many very slightly reworded sentences do I have that still sound and feel like the originals? Oh, a lot. Wait until you see. Have won their first victory. Had a recent victory. That's close. During the battle, rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Empire's ultimate weapon. During the recent fight, rebel spies were able to steal the plans to the Empire's supreme weapon. You know, ultimate, supreme, there's not a lot of difference there. The Death Star we see is an armored space station with enough power to destroy an entire planet, and I said that the Death Star is a space station strong enough to vaporize a whole planet. Yeah, close enough. Sounds the same. Custodian of the stolen plans that can save her people and restore freedom to the galaxy sounds a whole lot like because she has the stolen plans that can save the rebels and bring peace to the universe. Just leaving off the dot, dot, dot on the end, not enough. There is, believe it or not, some actual paraphrasing going on in here. Up at the top I had, it is a period of civil war, and I took that and turned it into, the rebels and the Galactic Empire are engaged in a civil war. Pursued by the Empire's sinister agents, Princess Leia races home aboard her starship. Princess Leia is being chased by the evil members of the Empire as she heads to her home world. It needs to be more than, sounds the same, and you just substituted one or two words here and there. Not good enough. So when should you use quotes? Ask yourself, can you say it better? In this movie there are a couple of really great lines, and I don't think that once upon a time in a far away place in space can do better than a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. May the force be with you is a beautifully put statement. I hope that the spiritual energy of the universe is on your side. It's a little clunky. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. That's classic. There is no worse place filled with such terrible people in existence. That is not classic. Think about it, hear it in your head. Can you do better? Is it a great line? Does it really sum up what you want to say? Could you do it better? If not, use it, put it in quotes. However, use quotes sparingly. Not every sentence is a gem. Find the best, use those. How do you summarize? You always start, no matter what you're doing, by reading the text. Jot down the few key words and ideas. What stands out? Stand back, take a look at it as a whole. Now put it away. Don't have it sitting there while you're working on it. What's important is what will filter up in your memory. What do you remember? That's what stood out. State that main idea in your own words. Remember, this is supposed to sound like you. Don't put your opinion into the summary. A summary is just a statement of the facts. Don't also put your interpretations. That comes later. If you're just summarizing a source, be it a web page, a book, a movie, be plain about what you're summarizing and then talk about it after. Then go back. Check your summary against the original. Make sure you didn't go with any of those exact phrases. And if you did, put them in quotes if they were worth keeping. If you used exact phrases and didn't mean to, get rid of it. Take another stab at it. Maybe you got a little more detailed than you needed to be. Get rid of unnecessary details. What is it that's important to know? Don't be flowery. Just go basic. Paraphrasing starts, as I said, the same way. Read your text. But now put it away. Don't look at it, just like when you're summarizing. You don't want it there because it's a temptation to look over at it and then it will be hard to think your own thoughts their words right in your face. State those ideas in your own words. Your language. What would you say? How would you say it? Don't change the meaning of the text. Don't change the order. Paraphrasing is not taking three paragraphs and moving them around like a shell game and suddenly now paragraph three is paragraph one and you feel as though you've paraphrased. No, no. It's got to be in the basic order it came in originally. Don't change what the person was trying to say. Don't change the order it came in. Check your paraphrase against the original. Again, for phrases, make sure that any exact phrases are in quotation marks. And if it still sounds like the text with only a slightly different word here or there, you need to do more work on it.