Paraphrasing

and
Synthesizing
Professional Psychology
Paraphrasing
 Restating the meaning of a passage using
different words and phrases than those
found in the original.
 Put into your own words.
Paraphrasing
 Requires you to read through the original
work closely.
 Purpose: to avoid plagiarism.
 Summarize what an author or set of
authors found.
Plagiarism
 Always cite! Give credit where credit is
due!
 You cannot present the work of another
author as if it were your own.
 Plagiarism allows the writer to get away
with not doing the work and looking like
an expert.
Unintentional Plagiarism
 Plagiarism is not always deliberate.
 You might plan to cite a source and then
get sidetracked.
 Use quotation marks and citations in your
notes to avoid confusion.
 Intentional
and unintentional plagiarists
are treated the same way.
Self-Plagiarism
 Presentingone’s own previously published
work as though it were new.
Avoiding Plagiarism

 Read the text you intend to summarize

 Put the text away
 Draft a summary in your own words
 Six Guidelines for
Appropriately Paraphrasing:
 1. Use synonyms for the words that appear in the
original text
 2. Avoid overly technical words
 3. Change the structure of the sentences you are
restating
 4, Reorder the information you are drawing from a
source
 5. Reduce complex ideas into smaller thoughts that
can be summarized in simpler sentences
 6. Always include a citation for the work you are
paraphrasing
When Paraphrasing Should Be
Used:
 To summarize a statement, idea, or theory
in a general way.
 When the focus is on content rather than
a specific comment or lengthy quotation
from a source.
 To present ideas in a more straightforward
manner.
 When a portion, not all, of the points
presented in the original source are being
examined.
Paraphrasing
 Avoid
direct quotations or keep them to a
minimum.
 Too many direct quotes communicates that
you don’t understand the material well
 Whiledirect quotes require quotations,
paraphrasing does not.
 Do not add your opinion in the middle of
a paraphrase.
When to Use Quotations:
 To represent an author who is an expert
on a topic
 When the content of the quotation is used
to give direction for the paper
 When direct quotes are vivid or
memorable to the reader
 When there is a dispute regarding specific
terms or arguments found within a quote
When to Use Quotations:
 Ifparticular phrases are proved to be
important for a previous researcher who
has cited and reacted to them.
 To draw attention to how a researcher
creates and presents a particular
argument.
 Infrequently! If you use a direct quotation,
choose it carefully!
 Paraphrase:
 OriginalPassage: “Students often had difficulty
using APA style, especially when it was their first
time" (Jones, 1998, p. 199).

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560
/02/
Identify the issue:
 Paraphrased: When it was their first time,
students had difficulty using APA style
(Jones, 1998, p. 199).
Correct Paraphrase:
 Original passage: "Students often had difficulty
using APA style, especially when it was their
first time" (Jones, 1998, p. 199).

 Paraphrased: APA style is a difficult citation

format for first-time learners.

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/56
0/02/
 Original Passage - Paraphrase
 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, 1976, pp. 46-47).

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/619/1/
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.

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/61
9/1/
An Acceptable Version
 Studentsshould take just a few notes in
direct quotation from sources to help
minimize the amount of quoted material in
a research paper (Lester, 1976, pp. 46-47).

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/
619/1/
A Legitimate Paraphrase
 Inresearch 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, 1976, pp. 46-47).

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/
619/1/
Video
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1q
o10dG5Gw
 The Art of Paraphrasing: Avoiding Plagiarism
What is Synthesis?
 Incorporating support from several
sources of similar or differing views. This
type of assignment requires that you
examine a variety of sources and identify
their relationship to your thesis.
 Literature reviews rely heavily on synthesis.
Synthesizing Material
 Do not describe study after study
 Establish your purpose
 Present a comprehensive discussion on
your topic.
 Search for the links between various
materials in order to make your point.
Synthesizing Material
 Make it brief.
 You only need to summarize the points
that are relevant to links and patterns
within your text.
A literature review is not…
 An annotated bibliography!

A summary of background information or

definitions of important concepts.
Synthesizing Material
 Presentcritical findings from multiple
resources to support your ideas.
 Develop an organizational plan.
 Arrange more than just one source per point;
multiple sources will increase your credibility.
 Showthe relationship between the sources
and your topic.
Synthesizing Material
 Present ideas in an orderly manner to
clearly communicate your topic area
 Take notes on what you read
 Write from an outline to identify main
ideas
 Free writing: writing whatever comes to mind
on the topic
 Fill in your outline with relevant research
Outlining your Paper
 ThesisStatement
 Main idea one
 Secondary detail
 Facts, data, citations
 Secondary detail
 Facts, data, citations
 Main idea two
 Etc.
Synthesizing Material
 Absence of research
 Contradicting findings
 Further confirm a finding with other similar
findings
Synthesizing Material
 Organize your paper by the themes you
find within your sources.
 Your goal is to look for, find, and address
gaps in the research and how your own
thesis and research will address these
gaps.
What to Avoid
 Beginningyour paragraphs by presenting
quotations or facts from your sources
 Start by telling the reader the point you
want to make
 Presentingthe reader with an
undifferentiated mass of facts
 Organize and interpret the data to help the
reader understand how the sources relate
to each other.
Ask yourself…
 Canyour readers tell which source is
being discussed at any given moment?
 If not, are there places that are unclear
due to missing transitions or omitted
materials?
 Does the structure work?
 Can your readers follow how you move
from one idea to another?
Useful Tip

 Colorcode information that came from a

particular source within your paragraph
 Parental fitness evaluations encompass a number of
different methods. Common methods include parental
interviews, observation of the parent-child interaction,
review of collateral material, and psychological
assessment (Waller & Daniel, 2005). Psychologists are
required to provide expert testimony on the cases they
evaluate. Therefore, psychological testing is crucial
because it provides psychologists with empirically
supported information in which to base their opinions and
guide their recommendations (Lally, 2003). However, the
question of which psychometric measures should be
included in an assessment battery to make the most
informed decision regarding the best interest of the child
remains (Kauffman, Stolberg, & Madero, 2015). Not all
psychological measures are appropriate for use in forensic
settings (Lally, 2003). Popular instruments have included
personality measures such as the Minnesota Multiphasic
Personality Inventory – Second Edition (MMPI-2) and the
Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory – Third Edition (MCMI-III)
(Kauffman, Stolberg, & Madero, 2015).
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dE
GoJdb6O0
Remember…
 Do not use phrases that contain “I”
 Such as “I think” or “I conclude”
 Instead, use phrases such as:
 “Given the evidence presented in the
current literature, it seems likely that…”
 “Evidence supports the idea that…”
Synthesis Matrix
References
 American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the
American Psychological Association. Washington, DC: Author.

 Dunn, D. S. (2011). A short guide to writing about psychology (3rd ed.).

Boston, MA: Longman.

 https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/

 https://www.owens.edu/writing/synthesis.html

 https://www.temple.edu/writingctr/support-for-
writers/documents/SynthesizingSources.pdf

 https://www.bgsu.edu/content/dam/BGSU/learning-
commons/documents/writing/synthesis/asked-to-
synthesize.pdf