Today's topic: Paraphrasing

Proper paraphrasing is crucial if we are to a.) use source material effectively and b.) avoid plagiarism.  However, paraphrasing isn't always easy. 

 

In case you aren't familiar with the term, paraphrasing involves putting another author's idea into your own words.  Remember, you MUST cite your source when you paraphrase.  Even if you aren't using any of the original author's exact words, you are still using his or her ideas.  That means you have to give credit where credit is due.  Many, many students commit unintentional plagiarism because they don't know how to paraphrase properly.  Even when plagiarism is unintentional, it is still a serious matter, so it is critical that every student learn the proper way to paraphrase.

Note that paraphrasing is different from summarizing.  Summary tends to focus only on the "bullet points," the main ideas, and summary tends to be most appropriate for longer sections of text. 

There is an art to paraphrasing; in fact, I have taught a ninety minute workshop on this topic alone.  For now, since I have limited space, suffice it to say that paraphrasing is NOT simply changing around a few words from your original source.  If you use this method, you will almost certainly be guilty of plagiarism.  Instead, think of paraphrasing this way:  In your reading, you've come across an interesting idea, one you'd like to use to help make an important point in your paper.  Think of paraphrasing as expressing that idea in your own words.  See the difference?  You're not thinking of it simply as rewording another author's sentence. Rather, you are expressing another person's idea in your own way.  We do this all the time in conversation, when we tell a friend about a conversation we had with our spouse last week, or when we tell someone about an interesting book or magazine article we read recently. 

Even so, it can be tricky to apply this skill to our writing.  Try this method:

 

1.) MAKE SURE YOU FULLY UNDERSTAND THE PASSAGE YOU PLAN TO PARAPHRASE.  I put that in all caps because, in my experience, this is the #1 reason why writers commit unintentional plagiarism; they try to paraphrase something they don't fully understand.  If you don't have a firm grasp of the idea you're trying to paraphrase, there is simply no way that you will be able to express that idea in your own words.  So. Read the passage carefully.  Read it a few times.  Then put the original source away.  Close the book, close the window on the computer, put the article underneath a notebook where you can't see it.  Now you're ready to move on to step 2.

 

2.) Talk to yourself.  Now that you've put the original source away where you can't see it, tell yourself what the author was trying to say.  I like to do this out loud, but if you really don't want to talk to yourself, just write it down.  The wording doesn't have to be perfect here; you are just telling yourself what the original author was saying, working it out for yourself to make sure that you understand what you've read. 

 

3.) Try paraphrasing.  Now that you are absolutely sure you understand the author's idea, try paraphrasing the passage.  Again, DON'T LOOK AT THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S WORDING.  If you look, you'll be a hundred times more likely to stick too closely to the wording of the original source.  Express the author's idea in your own words. 

 

4.) Check yourself.  Now you can look at the original source.  Compare what you've written to the original passage.  First make sure that you have expressed the original author's idea accurately, without missing any nuances of meaning.  Then make sure that your wording isn't too close to the original author's.  If it is, you'll need to repeat steps 2-4.  If you go through this process twice and you still end up sticking too closely to the original text, then you might just want to quote the author directly. 

Examples:  These are from a handout I used in my undergraduate writing classes--examples are from a terrific handout on the University of Texas at Austin's website:  http://uwc.utexas.edu/handouts/paraphrasing

The wrong way to paraphrase #1: Failure to cite source

Original passage: “They desire, for example, virtue without vice, pleasure without pain."  From an essay called "Utilitarianism" by John Stuart Mill, from his 1869 book On Liberty and Other Essays.  The quote is from page 169.

Paraphrase: People want morality just as much as they want happiness.

Explanation: The paraphrase is a concise and accurate summary of the substance of the original quote, but the student did not cite the source of the idea.  Therefore, s/he is guilty of plagiarism.

 

The wrong way to paraphrase #2: Sticking too closely to the original author's wording

Original passage:  “To the young American architects who made the pilgrimage, the most dazzling figure of all was Walter Gropius, founder of the Bauhaus School. Gropius opened the Bauhaus in Weimar, the German capital, in 1919. It was more than a school; it was a commune, a spiritual movement, a radical approach to art in all its forms, and a philosophical center.”  From Tom Wolfe's 1981 book From Bauhaus to Our House, page 10.

Paraphrase: As Tom Wolfe (1981) notes, to young American architects who went to Germany, the most dazzling figure was Walter Gropius, founder of the Bauhaus School. Gropius opened the Bauhaus in the German capital of Weimar in 1919. It was, however, more than a school; it was a commune, a spiritual movement, a philosophical center.

Explanation: The highlighted portions are those that are either very closer or repeated verbatim to the original author's wording. As you can see, this isn't really a paraphrase of Tom Wolfe's idea; it uses the same sentence structure and wording as Wolfe's original paragraph. The author does cite Wolfe at the beginning of the first sentence, but does not use quotation marks or block-quote formatting to indicate that s/he is using Wolfe's actual words. This student is presenting Tom Wolfe's words as his or her own, and is guilty of plagiarism. 

The right way to paraphrase:  The examples below are from a pdf handout from the Writing Center at Northern State University (except for sample paraphrase 4, which is my own): http://www.northern.edu/uc/Documents/avoidplagiarism.pdf

Original passage: “In the past 25 years, there has been considerable scientific interest in studying differences and similarities between the sexes for a number of reasons” (Masters, Johnson, & Kolodny, 1988, p. 544).

Paraphrase: Scientists have been interested in comparing and contrasting males and females for at least 25 years (Masters, Johnson, & Kolodny, 1988).

Explanation:  The paraphrase is properly cited, and reproduces the substance of the original text without sticking too closely to the original authors' wording.

Now let's look at four sample paraphrases of the same passage.  Here is the original text, taken from the earlier Masters, Johnson, and Kolodny book:

In the past 25 years, there has been considerable scientific interest in studying differences and similarities between the sexes for a number of reasons.  First, various beliefs about sex differences in traits, talents, and temperaments have greatly influenced social, political, and economic systems throughout history.  Second, recent trends have threatened age-old distinctions between the sexes.  In 1987, for instance, more than half of American women worked outside the home.  Unisex fashions in hairstyles, clothing, and jewelry are now popular.  Even anatomic status is not fixed in a day when change-of-sex surgery is possible. Third, the Feminist movement has brought increasing attention to areas of sex discrimination and sexism and has demanded sexual equality.

Sample paraphrase 1:

In the past 25 years, scientists have been interested in studying differences and similarities between the sexes.  There are many reasons for this.  First, many beliefs about sex differences in traits, talents, and temperaments have had an effect on societies, politics, and economies throughout the world.  Second, current trends have challenged age-old distinctions between the sexes.  For example, in 1987 more than half of American women worked outside the home.  Also, unisex fashions are now popular.  People can even have sex-change operations.  Finally, the women's movement has brought more attention to things like sex discrimination and sexism and has argued for sexual equality.

Sample paraphrase 2:

Scientists have been interested in comparing and contrasting the sexes for at least 25 years.  Three primary reasons explain this.  First, many beliefs about sex differences in traits, talents, and temperaments have had an effect on societies, politics, and economies throughout the world.  Second, established differences between the sexes have been challenged by current trends.  For example, in 1987 more than half of American women worked outside the home.  Also, unisex fashions are now popular.  People can even have sex-change operations.  Finally, the women's movement has led to increased awareness of sex discrimination, sexism, and sexual equality (Masters, Johnson, & Kolodny, 1988, p. 544).

Sample paraphrase 3:

Scientists have been interested in comparing and contrasting males and females for at least 25 years, and three primary reasons explain this interest.  First, as Masters, Johnson, and Kolodny (1988) explain, "various beliefs about sex differences in traits, talents, and temperaments have greatly influenced social, political, and economic systems throughout history" (p. 544).  In addition, established differences between men and women have been challenged by current trends such as women working outside the home, unisex fashions, and sex-change operations.  Finally, the public has been made more aware of sex discrimination through the efforts of the women's movement, which has also fought for sexual equality (Masters, Johnson, & Kolodny, 1988).

Sample paraphrase 4:

Scientists have been interested in comparing and contrasting men and women for nearly three decades, and three primary reasons explain this interest.  First, as Masters, Johnson, and Kolodny (1988) explain, "various beliefs about sex differences in traits, talents, and temperaments have greatly influenced social, political, and economic systems throughout history" (p. 544).  In addition, long held beliefs about gender have been challenged by current trends such as unisex fashions, women in the workforce, and sex-reassignment surgeries.  Finally, the women's movement has brought the issues of sex discrimination and gender inequality into the public spotlight (Masters, Johnson, & Kolodny, 1988).

Which passages do you think are appropriately paraphrased, and which are guilty of plagiarism?

The writer of sample 1 is guilty of plagiarism for two reasons.  First, she doesn't cite the source of her information.  Also, she uses many of the original authors' words and phrases without indicating that she is quoting. 

The writer of sample 2 has done a slightly better job, but this passage is also plagiarized.  The author does provide a citation, but he is still presenting some of the original authors' words as his own.  Just because he cited the source doesn't mean he can use the original authors' word-for-word text without indicating that he is quoting.  To fix this paraphrase, he would need to either put quotation marks around the reproduced text (and cite accordingly, with page numbers), or put the original authors' ideas into his own words.

The writer of sample 3 is on the right track.  She's provided citations in the right places, and she's used an effective combination of quoting and paraphrasing.  She's done a pretty good job of putting the original authors' ideas into her own words.  However, there might be an even better way...

The writer of sample 4 has, in my opinion, done the best job of paraphrasing the original text.  Citations are provided appropriately, the author has used an effective combination of quoting and paraphrasing, the wording differs significantly from the original text while still conveying the same ideas.  Nicely done.

 I hope you found this post helpful.  Happy scribbling!