How to Paraphrase: Steps, Examples, and Common Mistakes

Paraphrasing means restating someone else's idea in your own words while maintaining the original meaning. It is one of the most essential skills in academic writing and one of the most commonly done incorrectly.

The most important thing to understand: paraphrasing is not the same as substituting words. Replacing individual words with synonyms while keeping the sentence structure is a form of plagiarism, not a paraphrase. A genuine paraphrase reflects that you understood the original idea well enough to restate it from your own understanding.

Paraphrasing vs Quoting vs Summarizing

These three techniques are often confused. Each serves a different purpose:

In most academic writing, paraphrasing is preferred over direct quoting for most purposes. Quoting too frequently signals that you are not processing the sources; you are merely collecting them. Paraphrasing demonstrates that you understood what you read.

How to Paraphrase: A Step-by-Step Method

Step 1: Read the original carefully until you understand it fully. Do not begin paraphrasing until you can close the text and explain what it means without looking at it. If you need to read it multiple times, read it multiple times.

Step 2: Set the original aside and write your version from memory. This is the most important step. Writing from memory forces you to use your own language rather than the author's. If you are looking at the original while paraphrasing, you will tend to copy its structure.

Step 3: Compare your version to the original. Check that: (1) the meaning is accurate, (2) you have not used the same sentence structure, (3) you have not used strings of the same words (more than 3 to 4 in a row), and (4) the key ideas are all present.

Step 4: Add a citation. Paraphrasing does not eliminate the need for a citation. You must cite the source even when the words are entirely your own, because the idea came from someone else.

Step 5: Read your version in context. Make sure the paraphrase fits smoothly into your paragraph and connects to the argument you are building.

Before-and-After Examples

Example 1: Psychology

Original: "Burnout is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions: feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one's job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and reduced professional efficacy." (World Health Organization, 2019)

Word-substitution attempt (still plagiarism): "Burnout is a condition thought to result from ongoing workplace stress that has not been dealt with effectively. It is marked by three components: feelings of tiredness or exhaustion; greater mental separation from one's work, or sentiments of pessimism or cynicism about one's position; and diminished professional effectiveness."

Why this fails: The sentence structure is identical. "Characterized by three dimensions" became "marked by three components." The logic and order of ideas are copied directly.

Genuine paraphrase: "According to the WHO (2019), burnout develops when sustained work-related stress goes unaddressed over time. Its defining features are physical and emotional exhaustion, a detached or cynical orientation toward the job, and a decline in a person's sense of their own effectiveness at work."

Why this works: The sentence structure is different. The idea is captured accurately. The specific triple structure is preserved but phrased in a way that shows comprehension rather than copying.

Example 2: Education Research

Original: "The evidence suggests that homework in elementary school has little or no impact on academic achievement, whereas homework in middle and high school may support learning when it does not exceed about one to two hours per night." (Cooper et al., 2006)

Word-substitution attempt (still plagiarism): "Evidence indicates that homework in primary school has minimal or no effect on academic performance, while homework in secondary school may benefit learning provided it does not surpass roughly one to two hours nightly."

Genuine paraphrase: "Cooper et al. (2006) found no reliable connection between homework and learning outcomes for younger children. For older students in middle and high school, the relationship is more positive, but only for modest amounts; more than one to two hours per night does not appear to provide additional benefit."

Example 3: Climate Science

Original: "Global surface temperature has increased faster since 1970 than in any other 50-year period over at least the last 2000 years." (IPCC, 2021)

Genuine paraphrase: "According to the IPCC (2021), the rate of warming since 1970 is unprecedented in at least two millennia of climate history."

Note: This paraphrase is shorter than the original. Paraphrases do not need to match the original in length; they need to match in meaning.

Paraphrasing Academic Sources: Sentence Starters

When integrating paraphrases into academic writing, certain phrases help introduce them clearly and attribute them to the original source:

Choose the verb carefully. "Found" implies empirical results. "Argues" implies interpretation or advocacy. "Suggests" implies tentative evidence. The verb should match what the original source actually does.

Common Mistakes in Paraphrasing

Changing only a few words. The most common error. Replacing individual words with synonyms while keeping the sentence structure intact is a form of patchwriting that most plagiarism detection software and experienced readers recognize easily.

Copying the sentence structure. A paraphrase that begins each clause in the same order as the original is not a paraphrase. The structure of your sentence should reflect your own way of expressing the idea, not the author's.

Omitting the citation. Every paraphrase requires a citation to the original source, even though the words are your own. The idea is not yours; only the phrasing is.

Distorting the meaning. A paraphrase that changes or exaggerates what the original said is worse than a direct quote. Check your paraphrase against the original to confirm accuracy.

Paraphrasing when you should quote. Some ideas should be quoted directly: key definitions that are being analyzed, distinctive terminology introduced by an author, statements that are important precisely because of how they are worded. Do not paraphrase just to avoid quoting.

Missing nuance. If the original said "may suggest a possible relationship" and your paraphrase says "proves a direct relationship," you have misrepresented the source. Preserve hedges, qualifications, and conditional language when they matter.

When to Quote Instead of Paraphrase

Direct quotation is appropriate when:

• The exact wording is the subject of your analysis (in literary criticism, rhetorical analysis, legal writing)
• The author coined a specific term or concept that has become standard in the field
• The phrasing is exceptionally precise, concise, or memorable in a way that paraphrasing would weaken
• Changing the wording would introduce ambiguity about exactly what was claimed

Even when you quote, you should introduce and explain the quotation in your own words rather than dropping it into the text without framing.

Paraphrasing and Plagiarism

A paraphrase with a citation is not plagiarism. A paraphrase without a citation is plagiarism, even if the words are entirely yours. Plagiarism is the presentation of someone else's ideas as your own, not merely copying their words.

Patchwriting (heavy word substitution that preserves the original structure) is also considered a form of plagiarism at most academic institutions, even when a citation is included, because it misrepresents the degree of intellectual engagement with the source.

The safest test: if you could not explain the idea in conversation without referring to the text, you do not understand it well enough to paraphrase it. Go back and reread.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between paraphrasing and summarizing? Paraphrasing restates a specific idea from a source at approximately the same length as the original, in your own words. Summarizing condenses a longer passage, chapter, or article into a shorter version covering only the main points. Both require a citation. Paraphrasing is used when you want to engage with a specific detail or argument; summarizing is used when you want to capture the general thrust of a longer work.

Do you have to cite a paraphrase? Yes. Every paraphrase requires a citation to the source. The fact that the words are your own does not make the idea your own. You are borrowing someone else's intellectual work and must attribute it, regardless of whether you used their exact words.

Is it plagiarism if you paraphrase without citing? Yes. Plagiarism is presenting someone else's ideas as your own. Paraphrasing without citing does exactly that, regardless of whether the words are original. Academic institutions treat uncited paraphrasing the same as uncited direct quotation.

How much of a paraphrase can overlap with the original? There is no precise word-count rule, but as a guideline: phrases of more than 3 to 4 consecutive words from the original should either be quoted (with quotation marks and citation) or rewritten. Sentence-level overlap in structure is usually sufficient to make a paraphrase inadequate, even if individual words are changed.

How do you paraphrase without plagiarizing? Read the original multiple times. Set it aside. Write your version from memory using your own words and sentence structure. Compare it to the original to verify accuracy and confirm you have not copied the structure. Add a citation. This sequence reliably produces genuine paraphrases rather than patchwriting.

For guidance on how to integrate paraphrases effectively into a literature review, see how to write a literature review and the literature review example. For citing sources in specific citation formats, check your institution's style guide for APA, MLA, or Chicago requirements.