Paraphrasing refers to the art of borrowing ideas from other works in a bid to avoid plagiarism. Paraphrasing is only effective if the sources used are properly cited. Failure to cite the sources still leads to plagiarism. The following tips can help in effective paraphrasing:
- Reading the original text multiple times to understand the meaning clearly.
- Noting down important points of the text.
- Rewriting the material using own words, but with retention of meaning.
- Comparison between the original text and the new text to ensure the meaning is not lost. The paraphrased text should also have as few words as possible.
- Proper use of quotation also marks effective paraphrasing. Writers should use quotation marks when using exact words as the author of the original text.
- Proper citation of a source. Citation implies acknowledging the works of an author in the paraphrased work. There are various methods of citation used in writing. Each method comes with specific criteria. Some of the citation styles include MLA, APA, CHICAGO, and HAVARD.
I hope you will find this information useful. Cheers!