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How to Paraphrase
When you paraphrase effectively, you are restating the writer’s ideas in your own words without condensing anything. Paraphrasing works well for discussing one point from an article or book. A good paraphrase is roughly equivalent in length to the original. The following strategies will help you:
1. Read the section carefully. Look up unfamiliar words.
2. Turn the original over and write down your understanding of the writer’s material. Consider beginning your paraphrase with the writer’s name. For example: In Talk, Marguerite Del Guidice argues that ….
3. Reread the original and check your rephrasing for accuracy. Simply rearranging the writer’s words or leaving out words is not paraphrasing. Remember, by definition, a paraphrase is generally as long or as short as the original writer's material.
4. Record the page number(s) for your in-text citation. All paraphrases must be cited.