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Paraphrasing in your own words

Writers sometimes plagiarize unintentionally because they have difficulty paraphrasing a source’s ideas in their own words. In the following example, the writer has copied the underlined strings of words (without quotation marks) and followed the sentence structure of the original source too closely, merely plugging in some synonyms (prowess for skill, respect for esteem, and so on).

Original source

Mothers [in the late nineteenth century] were advised to teach their daughters to make small, exact stitches, not only for durability but as a way of instilling habits of patience, neatness, and diligence. But such stitches also became a badge of one’s needlework skill, a source of self-esteem and of status, through the recognition and admiration of other women.

—Elaine Hedges, “Small Things Reconsidered: ’A Jury of Her Peers,’” p. 62

Plagiarism: Unacceptable borrowing

One of the fìnal clues in the story, the irregular stitching in Minnie’s quilt patches, connects immediately with Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters. In the late nineteenth century, explains Elaine Hedges, small, exact stitches were valued not only for their durability. They became a badge of one’s prowess with the needle, a source of self-respect and of prestige, through the recognition and approval of other women (62).

Acceptable paraphrase

One of the final clues in the story, the irregular stitching in Minnie’s quilt patches, connects immediately with Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters. In the late nineteenth century, explains Elaine Hedges, precise needlework was valued for more than its durability. It was a source of pride to women, a way of gaining status in the community of other women (62).

Although the acceptable version uses a few words found in the original source, it does not borrow entire phrases without quotation marks or closely mimic the structure of the original. To write an acceptable paraphrase, resist the temptation to look at the source while you write; instead, write from memory. When you write from memory, the words you choose will almost certainly be your own.