Paraphrasing is an essential skill in academic writing. The following strategies will help you to write a successful paraphrase:
Read & Reread
- Read and reread the passage to ensure that you have a clear understanding of its meaning.
- Why is that important? Because a paraphrase must faithfully convey the intended meaning of the author.
- It’s not your reaction; it’s not your interpretation. Instead, it a re-presentation of the author’s ideas.
Recall & Rephrase
- After you have read and reread the passage to be paraphrased, cover the passage and RECALL the main idea(s) of the passage.
- REPHRASE those ideas in your own words. Write them down without looking at the text.
Review & Revise
- Once you have rephrased the passage, REVIEW the following:
- Ensure that your paraphrase faithfully conveys the intended meaning of the author.
- Vary sentence structure from the original passage.
- Vary word choice from the original passage.
- Revise, if necessary
Remember . . .
Once you have an acceptable paraphrase, remember to add a correctly formatted in-text citation, which should include the author’s last name and year of publication in parentheses. Following these six strategies will help you write effective paraphrases.
