Why paraphrasing is important

Look through the paraphrasing strategies below to better understand what counts as an effective paraphrase. Here is an example of bad paraphrasing of the source. Even though the student is citing correctly, underlined words are simply synonyms of words used in the original source. You can also see how the sentence structure is the same for both the original source and this paraphrase. Here is an example of a better way to paraphrase the source.

In this example, the author has taken the essential ideas and information from the original source, but has worded it in her own way, using unique word choice and sentence structure. According to him, the most common characteristic in political writing is staleness. Mistakes help me see what not to do, therefore, on my next attempt I can get it right. The areas I feel like I need the most assistance in are analyzing literature and being able to give a detailed description of the works.

I struggle with being too vague and not giving an in depth analysis of the pieces. Another aspect I find difficult is getting to the word count on my writing. You can meticulously check for proper grammar, formatting, topographical errors, and the specified requirements for the essay.

If your work is peppered with grammatical mistakes and typos, your readers are going to have a hard time understanding your intention resulting in an unexciting reading experience. Especially when you type your essay on the computer, you might type too fast and cause many unnecessary grammatical errors.

Additionally, having the proper format or layout, which includes indented paragraphs, headings, and bibliographical references, makes your essay look professional rather than looking like a letter or note.

Paraphrase I. Paraphrasing is an important tool to use when writing research papers, essays, and pieces of journalism. The Importance of Using Paraphrase Paraphrasing is a way of referencing a source without directly quoting it or of further explaining a selected quote. Correct paraphrasing is important in that poor paraphrasing can result in accusations of plagiarism, or copying from a source without correctly citing it.

Examples of Paraphrasing Example 1 She made me angry when she was rude at dinner. This paraphrase is an example of a rewording which shortens and simplifies while maintaining the same meaning. Change of Parts of Speech Parts of speech ranging from verbs and nouns to adjectives and adverbs are replaced with new parts of speech in this type of paraphrasing. Show More. What is the purpose of paraphrasing instead of quoting directly? How do you paraphrase effectively? How do you paraphrase a thesis?

Do I need to quote a paraphrase? How do you help students paraphrase? What are the characteristics of a paraphrase? Why paraphrasing is important in communication? Why active listening and paraphrasing is important? Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they overuse quotations in the final [research] paper. Therefore, you should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking notes.

Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers. A legitimate paraphrase:. In research papers students often quote excessively, failing to keep quoted material down to a desirable level. Since the problem usually originates during note taking, it is essential to minimize the material recorded verbatim Lester An acceptable summary:.