RWG6 Name: _____________________________________________

Paraphrasing
When we are quoting a source word-for-word in order to write a
paper, we must use quotation marks at the beginning and the end of
the quotation.

Example: I have learned, the time on the clock only begins to tell
the story. (Levine, 2005, p.31)

You cannot quote long pieces of an article! At most, in a

2-3 page paper, quote 1-2 sentences--no more! All the rest of the
information you use from the articles should be paraphrasedput into
your own words.

The best way to learn to paraphrase is to read the

sentence/information you want to cite, put the text face down, then
write it in your own words from memory. Once you are satisfied with
what you wrote, look again at the original and make sure that the
meaning has stayed the same. If not, correct it but dont copy the
original.

Using the quote from above: I have learned, the time on the clock
only begins to tell the story. Here is an example paraphrase of the
quote:

A good lesson for Levine (2005) was that many things affect a
situation, not just the time the clock says.

Example of a plagiarized attempt at paraphrasing that

quote:

I learned, time on the clock just begins to tell the

story.

This is too close to the original. Just changing some words or

slightly reordering clauses is not paraphrasing. Also,
substituting a synonym here and there, while the grammar
remains, is plagiarizing.

Try paraphrasing the following sentences:

1. More and more we chose to answer in English even when the

question was posed in Spanish.
RWG6 Name: _____________________________________________

2. When we emigrated to the United States in the early sixties, the

climate was not favorable for retaining our Spanish.

3. She knew the value of speaking perfect English.

RWG6 Name: _____________________________________________

Paraphrasing can be for a sentence (or sentences grouped together) or

be for the main ideas on two pages or more.

When you paraphrase (or quote) a sentence(s) on a particular

page, be sure to include the page number in your in-text
citation.
If you are paraphrasing ideas that cross pages, you dont need to
cite the page numbers, just cite the author and date at the end
of your paraphrase.
Sometimes the use of a synonym is good but be careful that it
doesnt change the meaning.

Ideas that are universal or appear across multiple articles

need not be paraphrased and can just be included in your
paper without citation.
Never-the-less, dont copy word-for-word from an article,
even if it is universal knowledge.

If you are in doubt about whether an idea is common

knowledge, cite it rather than risk plagiarizing (or ask your
teacher).