Lesson 3: Summarizing and Paraphrasing Plagiarism

Paraphrasing

• Paraphrasing involves rewriting a text in your own words without changing the original meaning or message.
• It helps to avoid or minimize direct quotation, and gives credit to the original source.
• Tips for paraphrasing include:
  • Changing the words or phrasing of a passage
  • Simplifying sentence structure and vocabulary
  • Retaining the original meaning
  • Attributing credit to the original source

Reading and Writing Steps in Paraphrasing

• Read the text carefully and underline or take note of important subject-specific words
• Look up difficult words and find synonyms for them
• Find different ways of expressing the information in groups of words
• Rewrite sentences in your own words
• Put the original text out of sight and write your paraphrase from memory
• Revise your paraphrase and compare it to the original

Direct Quoting

• Direct quoting involves quoting a text that conveys a powerful message or would show less impact if paraphrased or summarized
• Examples of texts that require direct quoting include government documents, philosophies, monographs, or other scholarly materials
• Direct quote when you want to begin your discussion with the author's stand or highlight the author's expertise in your claim, argument, or discussion

Summarizing

• Summarizing involves putting the main ideas into your own words, including only the main points
• Summarize when you want to avoid or minimize direct quotation, and use the main idea of the text and write it in your own words
• Tips for summarizing include:
  • Presenting a broad view (shorter than the original text)
  • Attributing credit to the owner
• Steps in summarizing include:
  • Skim reading the information
  • Reading the text carefully and using the dictionary if necessary
  • Rereading difficult texts
  • Writing notes in point form using keywords and ideas

Plagiarism

• Plagiarism is presenting someone else's work as your own
• It can involve borrowing an idea from a book without properly attributing it to the author or copying and pasting information from a website
• Plagiarism is punishable by law based on the Copyright Infringement under Section 217 of R.A. No. 8293 or the Intellectual Property Code Code (Sto.Tomas, 2022)