[ Paraphrasing Sources ]
Avoid unacceptable paraphrasing:
Reusing words or phrasing
To avoid plagiarism, when you paraphrase a source, you must use your own words and check to be
sure you have not borrowed the source’s language without using quotation marks.
For an overview of related key topics on paraphrasing sources, visit the videos and quizzes in this tutorial.
Explore It
The following example shows a brief paragraph from an article about security and reliability concerns
related to the work of WikiLeaks, published in a trade magazine for librarians and information
­professionals, Information Today. Note how the first paraphrase of the paragraph borrows words and
phrases from the original (highlighted in yellow).
Original Source
Government documents often are classified with various levels of secrecy. The structure and rules for
classifying documents are determined by the U.S. president through an executive order, most r­ ecently
updated by President Obama. Individual documents are then classified according to those rules. The
release of classified information to an “unauthorized person” is a criminal offense.
—George H. Pike, “WikiLeaks Tests Information and Security Laws,” p. 16
Unacceptable Paraphrase: Too Similar to Original
Pike describes the various levels of secrecy for classified documents, established through an executive
order which was recently updated by President Obama. Transferring individual documents
to anyone not authorized would be considered a criminal offense (16).
Acceptable Paraphrase
Pike explains that the system of rules that govern security for classified documents are set by an order
from the president. Under this system, anyone sharing a classified document with an individual who is
without official authorization is committing a crime (16).
Both paraphrases cite the source including the page reference following MLA style. But the acceptable
paraphrase uses original language to record the main points of the passage without ­borrowing the original’s
words or phrases.
CREDIT: Pike, George H. “WikiLeaks Tests Information and Security Laws.” Information Today, vol. 29, no. 9, Oct. 2010. Questia, www.questia.com/magazine/
1G1-238912680/wikileaks-tests-information-and-security-laws.
© 2016 Cengage Learning
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[ Paraphrasing Sources ]
Learn It
Following are some guidelines to help you paraphrase sources accurately. For many writers, the challenge
is to avoid using the wording or phrasing of the original. When you use the ideas of a source in your
work without acknowledging them—even if you do so unintentionally—it is considered plagiarism.
GUIDELINES FOR PARAPHRASING ACCURATELY
• Set aside the original source when you write a paraphrase. Read and make sure you understand the
original, then put it away to avoid accidentally borrowing the original’s language.
• Do not merely substitute synonyms for some or most of the words in the original passage.
• Tell your readers the main idea the source presents and include any significant details. Do not add comments or interpretations.
• Check your draft against the original, looking at the source’s wording or style to be sure you avoid any
inadvertent plagiarism.
• If you want to preserve any especially effective wording from the original, be sure to include these words
or phrases in quotation marks.
• If you work with sources you have downloaded, be careful that you have not copied electronically any of
the wording of the originals into your notes. Any words or phrases you paste into your notes from the
original should be included in quotation marks.
• Along with the paraphrase, include a citation of the author, page number, or other identifying information
in your notes.
For additional advice about avoiding unacceptable paraphrasing, follow the guidelines spelled out for
creating paraphrases in the other sections of this tutorial.
Use It
Write an acceptable paraphrase of the following passage about the effects of climate change on senior
citizens. Be sure to use your own words, and cite the source.
The stark difference in survival between young and old illustrates what scientists believe to be a
greater vulnerability among seniors to environmental calamities like Katrina, where the elderly—many
physically frail and with limited mobility—could not evacuate coastal areas ahead of the hurricane’s
onslaught. Older adults also figure to have the most trouble coping with the predicted negative
consequences of climate change, such as the accelerated spread of human diseases, declines in air and
water quality, energy shortages, rising temperatures, food supply volatility, and loss of suitable habitats.
—Ted Boscia, “Helping Seniors Cope with Climate Change,”
Human Ecology, vol. 38, no. 2, p. 16
CREDIT: Boscia, Ted. “Helping Seniors Cope with Climate Change.” Human Ecology, vol. 38, no. 2, Fall 2010, p. 16. Questia, www.questia.com/library/journal/
1G1-266957298/helping-seniors-cope-with-climate-change.
© 2016 Cengage Learning
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