Writing an Effective Paraphrase

When you try to paraphrase – express information in your own words – the first thing to keep in mind is to avoid staring at the source while trying to come up with your own words. It is easy to get stuck in the original phrasing, and writing becomes much more difficult. Instead, try doing the following:

1. Read through the text and try to really understand the information that you want to use in your text. If necessary, write down key concepts and numbers.
2. Consider if the source seems credible and if you would like to use it in order to make a claim in your text.
3. Consider which parts of the material are central to your project, that is, that will add something to your text. Include only those parts in your paraphrase.
4. Try to express the information in your own words, without looking at the original.
5. Compare your text against the source to ensure two things: that the information that you have written is consistent with the source and that your phrasing is not too close to the original. Revise your text if necessary.
6. Make a clear note of the source(s) – either a proper reference right away or as much information as will need to write a proper reference later. If you keep track of your sources from the beginning, you will not only save time, but also spare yourself the frustration that occurs when you have to go through a great number of articles in order to find the right source. Why not use a reference manage program to help you keep track of your references?

A few words of caution: when you paraphrase, try to avoid merely substituting one or two words – changing a word here and there does not count as processing a text properly. Neither does using a thesaurus (a dictionary that lists synonyms) to change several words. Not only is changing several words for synonyms a bad way a processing a text, but it may also lead to strange results. Some parts of a text should never be changed, such as concepts, terms, numbers, and specifics regarding time and space. These have to remain the same in order to preserve the original meaning.