About Paraphrasing and Citations

Hello there, Roxy Readers! It’s time to tackle the rest of the semester like a boss! A research paper is probably in your future, so let’s chat about paraphrasing and citations.

I think we can all agree that if something has quotes around it, it needs to be cited. That’s the easy part. However, what do we do if we’ve changed a few words? Does that still need to be cited? What if it’s information you already had in your head? Hopefully, I can answer those questions. 

Let’s talk about paraphrasing. Take a look at the Purdue OWL’s explanation of paraphrasing. Paraphrasing is defined as putting someone else’s important ideas and information into your own words. So you’re changing up the wording a bit, but you’re borrowing ideas or information from a source. 

To really be able to paraphrase something, you need to fully understand it. Read the passage carefully and then read it again. Now try to write a paraphrase of the information without looking at the source. This ensures that you aren’t just copying the information but putting it in your own words, which is what you’re aiming for. The information and ideas belong to the source author, but the words belong to you.

Here are a couple of examples of paraphrasing – one works and one doesn’t.

Original Excerpt: "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense." 

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. New York, Scholastic Press, 1997.

Paraphrase: Mr. and Mrs. Dursley lived at number 4, Privet Drive. They said they were completely normal. They never did anything out of the ordinary, and they were very proud of that (Rowling 1).

Plagiarized: Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were happy to tell people that they were completely normal. They would never get involved in strange things, they couldn’t deal with that nonsense.

See the difference? The paraphrase changes most of the key words, but still retains the information and idea. The plagiarized version uses a lot of the same words and sentence structure. Note: The paraphrased version still needs a citation after it, just like a direct quote would.

Now about citations. If you read something and then use it, it needs to be cited. But what if you pull some information out of your head and use it? Well, if this is information that the general public doesn’t know, it still needs to be cited. Even if it’s something you’ve known for half of your life, it still needs to be cited. For example, if you know random facts about King Henry VIII because you watched a documentary a decade ago, you still need to cite those facts. Chances are, other people don’t know the exact order his wives died in. Please cite that information.

Another common question…how do you cite a bunch of source material in one paragraph? If all that information comes from the same source, then you can include one in-text citation at the end of the paragraph. This eliminates repetitive citations throughout the paragraph. If the information is from different sources, then you’ll need to cite each individual source as you use it.

I’ve just touched on a few common citation issues. As with anything, you can come visit the SWC to get help with these and any other writing questions you may have. We’ve also got some very helpful handouts on our Stone Writing Center website. On campus or online, we can help you navigate the murky waters of citations. Happy researching…and citing!

See you next time the sun is up, the breeze is cool, and the waves roll into view. ‘Til then, hang ten!