Paraphrasing — restating someone else's idea in your own words — is one of the most important academic skills, and one of the most commonly done badly. Poor paraphrasing is a leading cause of accidental plagiarism, because changing a few words is not enough. This complete UK guide explains what proper paraphrasing is, how it differs from quoting and summarising, a reliable step-by-step method, and how to paraphrase without crossing into plagiarism.
What Is Paraphrasing?
Paraphrasing means expressing another author's idea fully in your own words and sentence structure, while keeping the original meaning — and still citing the source. It shows you understand the material, not just that you can copy it.
Paraphrasing vs Quoting vs Summarising
Quoting reproduces the exact words in quotation marks. Paraphrasing restates a specific passage in your own words at similar length. Summarising condenses a longer text into its main points. All three require a citation.
A Step-by-Step Method
✓ Read the passage until you fully understand it.
✓ Set the original aside.
✓ Write the idea from memory in your own words.
✓ Change both vocabulary and sentence structure.
✓ Check it against the original for accuracy — and that it is genuinely different.
✓ Add the citation.
How to Avoid Plagiarism When Paraphrasing
The most common mistake is “patchwriting” — swapping a few words while keeping the original structure. That still counts as plagiarism. Change the sentence shape, not just the synonyms, and always cite. See our guide to avoiding plagiarism.
When to Paraphrase and When to Quote
Paraphrase most of the time — it shows understanding and keeps your voice. Quote only when the exact wording matters: a precise definition, a memorable phrase, or wording you want to analyse closely.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
✓ Changing only a few words (patchwriting).
✓ Keeping the original sentence structure.
✓ Forgetting to cite the source.
✓ Accidentally changing the meaning.
✓ Over-relying on automatic paraphrasing tools.
Tips for Strong Paraphrasing
Understand before you rewrite, work from memory rather than the page, change structure as well as words, keep the meaning intact, and cite every time.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is paraphrasing?
Restating another author's idea fully in your own words and structure while keeping the meaning and citing the source.
How is paraphrasing different from quoting?
Quoting uses the exact words in quotation marks; paraphrasing puts the idea entirely in your own words.
Do I need to cite a paraphrase?
Yes — the idea still belongs to the original author, so a citation is required.
What is patchwriting?
Changing only a few words while keeping the original structure — it counts as plagiarism.
How do I paraphrase without plagiarising?
Understand the idea, write it from memory, change words and structure, then cite.
When should I quote instead of paraphrase?
When the exact wording matters — a key definition, a striking phrase, or text you will analyse.
Are online paraphrasing tools reliable?
They are risky — they often produce awkward or still-too-similar text and can miss the meaning; use your own judgement.
What is the difference between paraphrasing and summarising?
Paraphrasing restates a passage at similar length; summarising condenses a longer text into its main points.
How much should a paraphrase differ from the original?
Substantially — in both vocabulary and sentence structure, while preserving the meaning.
Why is paraphrasing important?
It shows you understand the material and lets you integrate sources in your own academic voice.
Related Study Guides
How to Avoid Plagiarism • Harvard Referencing Guide • How to Write a Literature Review • How to Write an Essay
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