Paraphrasing and Summarizing

You find a neat idea in an article, so you use it in your paper.
You don’t bother to cite the source of the idea, because you’ve expressed it in your own words.

= PLAGIARISM

When writing a paper, you should not have too many quotations. It is much more common that you would paraphrase information from your sources. Paraphrasing means expressing an author’s ideas in your own words, through changing both the language and the sentence structure. (A related technique is summarizing. Summarizing also involves putting the author’s ideas into your own words, but summaries omit much of the detail.)

Paraphrasing is not easy. In particular, it is impossible to paraphrase something you do not really understand. If you don't understand it, you will be overly dependent on the original words of your source. This can be a challenge for anyone studying a new subject or working in a second language.

Helpful Tip

Using reference sources such as subject encyclopedias may help you to develop a better understanding of your topic. Reference sources may include these features:

glossaries that define important terms in your subject area.
subject overviews which may clarify information for you.
biographies of key people in the field.
bibliographies that you can use to locate relevant articles for your research.

The SFU Library website has specialized research guides that will provide you with a list of recommended reference sources for your subject area.

Note: Do not forget to list in the bibliography any reference sources you use.

Remember, when you paraphrase or summarize, you must cite the source. Even if you have not used the same words, you have borrowed ideas.