A summary condenses information from a source; a paraphrase conveys the information using roughly the same number of words as the original source. When you summarize or paraphrase, it is not enough to name the source; you must restate the source’s meaning using your own language. (See also R3-c.) You commit plagiarism if you half-copy the author’s sentences —either by mixing the author’s phrases with your own without using quotation marks or by plugging your synonyms into the author’s sentence structure.
The first paraphrase of the following source is plagiarized —even though the source is cited —because too much of its language is borrowed from the original. The underlined strings of words have been copied exactly (without quotation marks). In addition, the writer has closely echoed the sentence structure of the source, merely substituting some synonyms (restricted for limited, modern era for computer age, monitoring for surveillance, and inexpensive for cheap).
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original source
In earlier times, surveillance was limited to the information that a supervisor could observe and record firsthand and to primitive counting devices. In the computer age surveillance can be instantaneous, unblinking, cheap, and, maybe most importantly, easy.
—Carl Botan and Mihaela Vorvoreanu, “What Do Employees
Think about Electronic Surveillance at Work?” p. 126
plagiarism: unacceptable borrowing
Scholars Carl Botan and Mihaela Vorvoreanu argue that in earlier times monitoring of employees was restricted to the information that a supervisor could observe and record firsthand. In the modern era, monitoring can be instantaneous, inexpensive, and, most importantly, easy (126).
To avoid plagiarizing an author’s language, resist the temptation to look at the source while you are summarizing or paraphrasing. After you have read the original passage, set the source aside. Ask yourself, “What is the author’s meaning?” In your own words, state the author’s basic point. Return to the source and check that you haven’t used the author’s language or sentence structure or misrepresented the author’s ideas. When you fully understand another writer’s meaning, you can more easily and accurately present those ideas in your own words.
acceptable paraphrase
Scholars Carl Botan and Mihaela Vorvoreanu claim that the nature of workplace surveillance has changed over time. Before the arrival of computers, managers could collect only small amounts of information about their employees based on what they saw or heard. Now, because computers are standard workplace technology, employers can monitor employees efficiently (126).