Paraphrase and Summary Practice

Paraphrase and Summary Practice
A paraphrase represents a restated version of something written by the original author without using the same words. It indicates the meaning of the text, but the wording and structure are different from the original. Paraphrased material will be about the same length as the original work. Keep in mind that a paraphrase must contain a citation because the ideas originate from another source.
A summary is similar to a paraphrase in that it consists of an original author’s ideas written without using the same words. A summary differs from a paraphrase in that it represents a condensed version of the main ideas.
This handout can help you become more familiar with correctly paraphrasing information from a source. Use the following guidelines when paraphrasing or summarizing text:

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  Read the information from the source, then go to a new page on the computer or close the book as you begin recording the main ideas. Any time you look back and forth from the source to the page you are writing on, you risk inadvertently copying from the source.
  

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  Use your own words to record what you believe the author said.
  

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  Add a citation.
  

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  Check the source when you have finished writing to be sure you have written the content in your own words.
  

Plagiarism results if any of the following elements are present in your paraphrase:

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  Synonyms are substituted for some of the original words, but most of the other words remain the same.
  
  
  
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  Three or four consecutive words in a phrase from the source are used without quotation marks.
  
  
  
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  The citation is missing from your paraphrase. If no citation is used, the material appears to the reader as your own idea.