DEFINITION OF PARAPHRASING

Paraphrasing is using your own words to express someone else's ideas whilst still preserving the main ideas of the original
source.Even when you paraphrase you must still give credit to the original author.One way to avoid plagiarising is to paraphrase
an entire paragraph, rather than attempting sentence by sentence.

Read the original information carefully, and make sure that you understand exactly what the author is saying

Put the original aside and try to write the main ideas in your own words

Check that you have kept the meaning of the original source

Change words or phrases that match the original too closely. Anything that matches should be enclosed in
quotation marks

Include a citation for the source of information

(including the page numbers).

Examples of Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing involves taking a set of facts or opinions and rewording them. When paraphrasing, it is important to keep the
original meaning and to present it in a new form. Basically, you are simply writing something in your own words that expresses
the original idea.
Paraphrasing Blocks of Text
Paraphrasing can be done with individual sentences or entire paragraphs. There are several examples of paraphrasing listed below
for both long and short blocks of text.
Paraphrasing Sentences
Here are some sentences that have been paraphrased:

Original: Her life spanned years of incredible change for women.

Paraphrase: Mary lived through an era of liberating reform for women.

Original: Giraffes like Acacia leaves and hay and they can consume 75 pounds of food a day.
Paraphrase: A giraffe can eat up to 75 pounds of Acacia leaves and hay everyday.

Original: Any trip to Italy should include a visit to Tuscany to sample their exquisite wines.
Paraphrase: Be sure to include a Tuscan wine-tasting experience when visiting Italy.

Paraphrasing Paragraphs
Duke's online website provides many examples of paraphrasing in order to help students understand the difference between
paraphrasing and plagiarism.
Here is an example of paraphrasing of a longer passage taken from the Duke website.
Original Passage:
In The Sopranos, the mob is besieged as much by inner infidelity as it is by the federal government. Early in the series, the
greatest threat to Tony's Family is his own biological family. One of his closest associates turns witness for the FBI, his mother
colludes with his uncle to contract a hit on Tony, and his kids click through Web sites that track the federal crackdown in Tony's
gangland.
What's the Difference?
Paraphrasing and summarizing are extremely similar actions and involve many of the same processes. The difference between the
two is what their objectives are. The purpose of a summary is to condense source material into a shorter form. Paraphrasing,
however, is not centrally concerned with length. Rather, paraphrasing is concerned primarily with the restatement of source
material in a form that is different than the original.