Paraphrasing and Summarising
Academic writers rarely quote directly — they mostly paraphrase and summarise. Paraphrasing means restating a specific passage in your own words. Summarising means capturing the main idea of a longer text briefly. Both still require a citation.
Paraphrase vs. Summary vs. Direct Quote
| Technique | When to use | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Paraphrase | To use a specific idea from one passage | Similar to original |
| Summary | To convey the main point of a whole section/text | Much shorter than original |
| Direct quote | When exact wording matters (definitions, statistics, memorable phrasing) | Identical to original |
How to Paraphrase Correctly
A common mistake is changing only a few words — this is still plagiarism. True paraphrasing requires:
- Read and understand the original.
- Put it aside — do not look at it while writing.
- Write the idea in your own words.
- Check your version against the original to ensure accuracy.
- Add a citation.
Original:
The widespread adoption of smartphones has fundamentally altered the way individuals communicate, with asynchronous messaging now surpassing face-to-face interaction as the dominant mode of personal communication.
Poor paraphrase (too close to original):
The broad adoption of smartphones has fundamentally changed the way people communicate, with asynchronous messaging now exceeding face-to-face interaction as the main mode of personal communication.(Nguyen, 2021)
Good paraphrase:
Personal communication has shifted dramatically since smartphones became commonplace, with text-based asynchronous messaging now more common than in-person conversation (Nguyen, 2021).
Changing words using a thesaurus without restructuring the sentence is not paraphrasing — it is still plagiarism. The sentence structure and phrasing must be genuinely different.
Integrating Paraphrases
Signal that you are drawing on a source with reporting verbs:
| Neutral | Positive | Critical |
|---|---|---|
| states, notes, reports | demonstrates, establishes, confirms | claims, argues, contends, suggests |
| finds, observes | shows, reveals, highlights | questions, challenges, disputes |
Examples:
- Jones (2020) argues that…
- As Smith (2019) demonstrates,…
- This is supported by Lee’s finding that…
Summarising
A summary captures the essence of a longer text — a chapter, article, or section — in a few sentences. Summaries:
- Focus only on the main ideas, not all details
- Are significantly shorter than the original
- Must still be cited
Both paraphrases and summaries require a citation. The only difference between paraphrasing and plagiarism is whether you cite your source. There is no such thing as “common knowledge plagiarism” — if you took the idea from a source, cite it.