[ Paraphrasing Sources ]
Avoid unacceptable paraphrasing:
Reusing sentence structure
When you paraphrase a source, to avoid plagiarism you must take care not to follow the sentence
structure of the original too closely.
For an overview of related key topics on paraphrasing sources, visit the videos and quizzes in this tutorial.
Explore It
When you write a paraphrase, you restate the key points of the original in approximately the same
number of words or even more. You must also use your own original sentence structure and take care not to
follow the structure of the source. Here, the first, unacceptable paraphrase changes only a few words in the
original. This ­example would be considered plagiarism. (Note that the following paraphrases are written
following MLA style.)
Original Source
The preliminary data on steroids suggest that long-term use damages the muscle of the heart,
­significantly increasing the risk of an attack. The first wave of people who started abusing steroids in
the 1980s is only now reaching the age where these risks start to hit home.
—Trevor Butterworth, “Don’t Juice,” Newsweek, 9 July 2012, p. 12
Plagiarism: Unacceptable Paraphrase
The available information on performance-enhancing drugs indicates that deterioration of the heart
muscle occurs, which can lead to heart attacks. The earlier generation who took these drugs in the ’80s
is today in danger of suffering these side effects (Butterworth 12).
Acceptable Paraphrase
Butterworth believes that the generation of steroid users from the 1980s has reached the age where
serious heath outcomes will develop. Specifically, studies of prolonged use of steroids point to heart
damage and a related risk of heart attack (12).
The first paraphrase borrows the sentence structures in the original, replacing words in the passage with
synonyms, such as changing first wave of people to earlier generation. This paraphrase is plagiarism even
though the language is original and the source is cited in parentheses. In the second paraphrase, the sentence
structure and word choice are original. This paraphrase also includes a clearer signal phrase (Butterworth
believes).
CREDIT: Butterworth, Trevor. “Don’t Juice.” Newsweek, vol. 160, no. 2, 9 July 2012, p. 12. Questia, www.questia.com/article/1G1-294501346/don-t-juice.
© 2016 Cengage Learning
Avoid unacceptable paraphrasing: Reusing sentence structure |
1
[ Paraphrasing Sources ]
Learn It
Paraphrasing carefully involves more than avoiding the reuse of the words or phrasing of the original.
Following are some useful guidelines for avoiding plagiarism.
GUIDELINES FOR AVOIDING PLAGIARISM WHEN YOU PARAPHRASE
• Changing just a few words in a sentence is not a paraphrase!
• A true paraphrase is an entirely original restating of the source. Use your own sentence structures as well
as your own words.
• Read the source and make sure you understand it. Look away from the source as you write. Your
­paraphrase should not comment on or interpret the original.
• Be careful that the wording or sentence structure of your paraphrase doesn’t follow the original source
too closely. Check against the original for unintended plagiarism.
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 a brief paragraph paraphrasing the following passage about less noticed victims of the 2010 BP oil
spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Be careful that the wording and sentence structure of your paraphrase don’t
follow the original source too closely.
Among the human victims of the spill, perhaps no group will be more harmed than the gulf’s
­oystermen. Oyster farmers are unlike fishermen who make their living from the sea in that their product
has no way of moving out of the way of the oil spill. Oysters, after all, aren’t caught; they’re raised. The
bivalves demand very specific conditions to grow, places where the water temperature is just right and
the mix of salt water and fresh water just so. It can take an oyster farmer years to form a perfect bed
for cultivating the animals. Now, many of those beds are being destroyed.
—Jason Mark, “Disaster on the Half Shell,” The Progressive, August 2010, p. 20
CREDIT: Mark, Jason. “Disaster on the Half Shell.” The Progressive, vol. 74, no. 8, Aug. 2010, p. 20. Questia, www.questia.com/read/1G1-233608806/disaster-on-the-half-shell.
© 2016 Cengage Learning
Avoid unacceptable paraphrasing: Reusing sentence structure |
2