ORDER YOUR PAPER

15% off today

from a verified trusted writer

total: $11.23

Paraphrasing: How to Do It Right

There are few things teachers and professors abhor more than grading papers and essays replete with quotations. While not against the rules, too many quotes is a sure sign that a student put in a minimal amount of effort, nothing more. He/she simply relied on the text of the author to write the paper for them, which is not why students are asked to write essays.
What instructors truly want to see is that their students grasped the meaning of the original text, which can seldom be done by quoting alone. A welcomed and effective way to demonstrate that you understand what an author is saying is to put his/her ideas into your own words. Better known as paraphrasing, this indispensable essay writing tool is often misused.

Potential pitfalls

When correctly applied, paraphrasing can help you take greater control of your essay. Instead of cluttering up pages with undistinguished quotes, you can express the author's main ideas in your own language. This can increase the readability and flow of your essay and make it more personal. But when a paraphrased passage is too close to the original, it may result in a charge of plagiarism.
Defined as the practice of taking another's ideas and passing them off as you own, plagiarism may be more nefarious when it is premeditated, but it still applies to paraphrased passages. In other words, intent is not a mitigating factor if you follow a source too closely without quoting it. With that in mind, let us review the most common mistakes inexperienced essay writers make when paraphrasing.
  1. Thinking citations solve everything. When you borrow material and change it up a bit, but do not quote it, that's plagiarism! It doesn't matter if you include an acknowledgement or not. You must always add quotation marks to indicate that similar passages came from borrowed sources.
  2. Borrowing here and there. When you copy complete phrases from a passage and change everything else, the result may still be a section that is too close to the original. To deal with this issue, it is always best to use quotation marks to denote these phrases.
  3. Shared language. When writing about technical or scientific subjects, it is quite common for essayists to borrow too liberally from a text when paraphrasing. Because many of the terms and phrases that are used in these subjects are highly specialized, it is often best to simply quote them rather than trying to restate them.

How to paraphrase a source

They might seem similar, but there's a big difference between paraphrasing and rewriting. A rewrite generally follows the same sentence structure and merely changes the most conspicuous terms and phrases. But a paraphrased passage should alter the sentence structure significantly by breaking up long sentences, combing short ones, and shortening phrases or sayings for clarity and effect. Here are a few simple tips on paraphrasing every essayist can employ.
  1. When you find a passage you want to paraphrase, try to understand it as a whole, instead of taking copious notes. Remember, you don't want to use the author's language, but merely his/her ideas.
  2. Just as with quotes, it is possible to paraphrase too often or too much. In fact, there are many times when a simple summary is preferable to a paraphrased passage. The difference between the two is that the summary focuses on several important points, while the passage is concerned with only one.
  3. Think about what it means to put something into your own words. How, for example, would you describe a particular passage to someone who is unfamiliar with the original source? If you can do this, then you can paraphrase anything without having to worry about plagiarism.
  4. You don't have to paraphrase everything. Inexperienced essayists are far too liable to treat paraphrasing as an all-or-nothing tool. Always remember that you can put quotation marks around phrases and other shared language that you don't want to or can't change.

Paraphrasing methods

  1. Read the text, then write. As we mentioned, rewriting is not paraphrasing. If all you do is change a few words and keep the original sentence structure, nine times out of ten your passage will be too close to the original. By reading the text several times and then putting it aside, you will get a good feeling for it without remembering exactly what the author wrote. You can then restate in your own language and writing style. Nine times out of ten, you will get a passage that is markedly different from the original.
  2. Take abbreviated, general notes. Instead of copying the passage verbatim, summarize it by jotting down the main points in your own words. Then put it aside and come back to it a few days later. Whether you know it or not, odds are the notes will help you fully grasp the passage. You can then add to it a bit as you write your draft.
  3. Change the structure. The simplest way to avoid rewriting is to start at a different place in the passage, i.e., not at the beginning. You can start in the middle, or anywhere you like, and combine, shorten, or adjust the sentence structure.
  4. Change the words. Leaving language unchanged without quoting it is a surefire way to court a charge of plagiarism. Use the best thesaurus you can find (many are available online) and replace original phrases, expressions, and terms with synonyms that have the same meaning.

Final steps

When you have a rendition that reads well and sounds like you wrote it, make sure you compare it with the original source. Your passage should sound completely different, but should still express all of the information found in the author's text. If you have any shared language or technical phrases that you did not change, make sure you use quotation marks to enclose them. Last but not least, remember to always record the source of the paraphrase so that you can include it on your works cited page.

Our TOP writers

TOP 10
Writer 99423
ID 99423

Master's in Project Management, PMP, Six Sigma

Rating 98.5%
(98.5%)
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (8) about writer 99423

7196 written pages

2401 orders

2257 a+ papers

My Master’s degree and comprehensive writing experience allow me to complete any order fast and hit the nail on the head every time.

hire writer
TOP 10
Writer 155864
ID 155864

MBA, PMP, ITIL

Rating 97.2%
(97.2%)
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (7) about writer 155864

934 written pages

314 orders

283 a+ papers

I am experienced writer with an MBA, PMP, ITIL, that consistently delivers unique, quality papers. I take pride in my experience and quickness.

hire writer
TOP 10
Writer 103589
ID 103589

MS in Human Resource Management

Rating 97.2%
(97.2%)
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (9) about writer 103589

1791 written pages

600 orders

552 a+ papers

I hold a MS degree in Human Resource and my goal is to help students with flawless, unique papers, delivered on time.

hire writer
TOP 10
Writer 128170
ID 128170

RN, MSN, PCN, PHN

Rating 99.5%
(99.5%)
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (6) about writer 128170

4536 written pages

757 orders

719 a+ papers

As Registered Nurse (RN, PCN), I can quickly deal with any medical paper. My expertise and writing skills are perfect for this job.

hire writer
TOP 10
Writer 85466
ID 85466

MPA, MHA

Rating 97.6%
(97.6%)
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (8) about writer 85466

22869 written pages

2287 orders

2104 a+ papers

I have MPA, MHA degrees but, most importantly, experience and skills to provide unique, well-written papers on time.

hire writer
TOP 10
Writer 127980
ID 127980

DNP, BA, APN, PMHNP-BC

Rating 99.2%
(99.2%)
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (9) about writer 127980

4142 written pages

415 orders

365 a+ papers

I can write about multiple areas and countless topics, as I have a DNP and BA degrees. High-quality writing is my second name.

hire writer
TOP 10
Writer 99022
ID 99022

PhD in American History

Rating 97.1%
(97.1%)
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (8) about writer 99022

6271 written pages

896 orders

824 a+ papers

A PhD in American history comes handy. Unique papers, any topics, swift delivery — helping with academic writing is my passion.

hire writer
TOP 10
Writer 47072
ID 47072

MA, PsyD, LMFT

Rating 99.2%
(99.2%)
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (7) about writer 47072

15458 written pages

3867 orders

3635 a+ papers

Incredibly fast PsyD writer. Efficient paper writing for college. Hundreds of different tasks finished. Satisfaction guaranteed.

hire writer
TOP 10
Writer 121526
ID 121526

MEd, NCC, LPC, LMFT

Rating 99.3%
(99.3%)
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (9) about writer 121526

2029 written pages

509 orders

484 a+ papers

Top-ranked writer with tons of experience. Ready to take on any task, and make it unique, as well as objectively good. Always ready!

hire writer
TOP 10
Writer 106387
ID 106387

MSW, LICSWA, DSW-C

Rating 99%
(99%)
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (8) about writer 106387

5609 written pages

561 orders

539 a+ papers

Experienced Social Work expert focused on good writing, total uniqueness, and customer satisfaction. My goal — to help YOU.

hire writer

Buy your papers from the best writing service

Have your tasks done by our professionals to get the best possible results.

total: $11.23
Confidentiality

NO Billing information is kept with us. You pay through secure and verified payment systems.

Quality

All papers we provide are of the highest quality with a well-researched material, proper format and citation style.

Communication

Our 24/7 Support team is available to assist you at any time. You also can communicate with your writer during the whole process.

Authorship

You are the single owner of the completed order. We DO NOT resell any papers written by our expert

Originality

All orders are done from scratch following your instructions. Also, papers are reviewed for plagiarism and grammar mistakes.

Samples

You can check the quality of our work by looking at various paper examples in the Samples section on our website.

Special price $11.23/page
Place an order
63,000
more than 63,000 times students trusted us to write their papers
9/10
9 out of 10 customers recommend us*
92%
92% of our customers have placed more than 7 orders
*data is based on 6,568 customers' feedback received from Jan 1, 2017 till Jan 1, 2018.
Special price $11.23/page
Place an order
Customer #5181

Regret not ordering a revision (noticed a few typos). However, I got lucky and received a B+ without any efforts. P.S. You've got some nice supports agents

Customer #4847

I missed the deadline because I was a little greedy, got my thesis at $5 per page. My curator said “it looks like a bog roll”. I was upset till my classmate recommended this company after he'd got an ‘A’. I ordered my thesis paper here and got a ‘B’ just because of the deadline I missed.

Estimated Deadline: Sunday, Mar 31 8:40 AM in Your timezone
Total price: $11.23
Price starts from $11.23
Regular discounts and offers
Excellent results guaranteed
Professional 24/7 support

Free samples of our work

There are different types of essays: narrative, persuasive, compare\contrast, definition and many many others. They are written using a required citation style, where the most common are APA and MLA. We want to share some of the essays samples written on various topics using different citation styles.

services
Hey, you...Yes, you! Don’t you want to get your Discount?
binder1
binder2
Your discount will be
sent to the email!

I have read and agree to the Terms of Use, Money Back Guarantee, Privacy and Cookie Policy of BestCustomWriting.com

  • dmca_logo
  • safecharge
  • trustpilot

Use your opportunity to get a discount!

To get your special discount, write your email below

  • dmca_logo
  • safecharge
  • trustpilot

Best papers and best prices!

Want to get quality paper done on time cheaper?

  • dmca_logo
  • safecharge
  • trustpilot