Paraphrasing

1.   Read the original passage several times until you feel you fully understand it.

2.   Imagine how you would explain this passage verbally to someone who had not read it.

3.   Put the passage aside and write/type it in your own words.

4.   Check your version with original. Make sure that the structure of your version and that of the original are different. Make sure that you have not used any of the distinct wording from the original. If you have, and cannot think of how else to phrase these words, place quotation marks around them.

5.   Once you feel you have a strong paraphrase—one that is worded and structured differently from the original— place a properly formatted parenthetical citation after it.

Original text:

·        “Romeo and Juliet is not only the tale of two young, doomed lovers; it is the story of how youth can be destroyed when the banality of adulthood is imminent” (Smith 76).

Romeo and Juliet is not only a story of a young pair of tragic lovers; it is a tale of the destruction of youth in the face of the monotony of adulthood (Smith 76).

·        

Although the writer has properly cited

the idea, this

is an incorrect paraphrase

because he/she has

not changed the structure of the author’s

original sentence, instead simply

substituting synonyms for various words.

It is the uninspired lifestyle of being an adult, and the destruction of one’s childhood innocence that results from its onset, that truly characterizes Romeo and Juliet, not simply the story of tragic unrequited love (Smith 76).

·        

The writer has used his/her own wording and has restructured the order of ideas

within the sentence.

Original text

•         “Students need to be more cognizant of the fact that universities are looking for both high grades and extracurricular activities when accepting new students” (Jones, 2005, p. 255).

•         Young people must recognize that colleges are seeking good grades and outsides activities when admitting students (Jones, 2005).

·        

The writer has not properly cited

the idea because

the page number

was left out. He/she also has not changed the structure of the author’s

original sentence, instead simply substituting synonyms for

various words.

•         When considering the admission process at a college, academic achievement and participation in school and community activities are both equally important for students. (Jones, 2005, p. 255).

·        

The writer has provided a correct citation, used his/her own wording, and has

restructured the order

of ideas within

the sentence.