Writing Techniques: Paraphrasing Guide

Writing Techniques

• Paraphrasing is representing another author's ideas and information using your own words, without changing the original meaning.
• A paraphrase should be as long as the original passage and properly cited.
• A five-step procedure for paraphrasing, sourced from McKendree University:
  • Read and reread the original text until you understand it.
  • Set the original text aside, and write your paraphrase on a note card.
  • Jot down a few words below your paraphrase to remind you of how to use the material.
  • At the top of the note card, write a key word or phrase to indicate the subject of the paraphrase.
  • Compare your paraphrase with the original to ensure that your version accurately expresses all the essential information.
  • Use quotation marks to indicate any unique terms or phrasing borrowed directly from the source.
• Four tips from the University of South Australia to make paraphrasing easier:
  • Start your first sentence at a different point from the original source.
  • Use synonyms.
  • Change the form of words.
  • Change the sentence structure.

Different Types of Paraphrasing

• Basic Paraphrasing (Synonymizing): This technique is suitable for situations where you need to explain the content using different words for clarity and accuracy, making small modifications. Changes are limited to vocabulary.

• Moderate Paraphrasing (Synonymizing + Phrase Changing): This paraphrasing involves changing both words (using synonyms) and phrases in the text, altering sentence structure.

• Advanced Paraphrasing: This type of paraphrasing completely modifies the content, altering synonyms, phrases, and sentence structure to make the content appear significantly different from the original. This technique may be used to avoid giving proper attribution, but it's unethical.

Abstract

• An abstract is a brief, self-contained summary of a longer work (essay or article).
• It resides at the start of a text, providing enough information for readers to decide if the full material is worth reading.
• An abstract is typically a single paragraph of 300 words or less.
• According to the University of Texas at San Antonio, an abstract should include:
  • Background/Context
  • Problem/Objective/Aim
  • Methods/Theoretical Framework/Study Design
  • Important Results/Findings
  • Conclusion/Discussion
• The abstract should be understandable to a wider audience.
• It should not include information not contained in the complete work.
• Use passive structures to report findings, focusing on the issues, not the people.

General Advice

• Employ different writing techniques to suit various contexts and assignments.
• Learn to properly paraphrase other authors' words.
• Write abstracts that concisely repackage the key ideas of a text.