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Paraphrasing in APA

Paraphrasing is the art of putting information into your own words while writing a research paper, in order to maintain the academic integrity of your project. This is important because you need to use solid evidence as a researcher, but you need to put information into the proper format to avoid plagiarism. The American Psychological Association (APA) created a writing style in 1929 that calls for uniformity and consistency in giving credit to sources in your research.

How to properly paraphrase

If you do not properly paraphrase your source material following the APA style, you are at the risk of losing credibility as a writer and possibly plagiarizing. Although paraphrasing is not difficult, it does take time and a little forethought to do it correctly. There are several steps you should follow in order to achieve success.

1. Read the original source

The first step in creating an effective paraphrase is to carefully read the original source. Read it the first time to get the overall understanding, and then do a second closer reading in order to gather details and material that will help you formulate your argument.

2. Take notes in your own words

After reading the original source and determining what details can help you formulate your argument, take a minute to jot down some notes. Be careful to put everything into your own words. Change the structure of the sentence as well as the vocabulary.

Also, take a moment to take notes on the context of the source. Why was it written? Who wrote it? When was it written?

3. Construct a paraphrase

In order to construct a paraphrase, you need to include the same information, but with different sentence structure and different vocabulary. APA rules say that a paraphrase should be approximately the same length as the original.

You also need to add contextual text around the paraphrase so it fits within your paper.

4. Double check the original source to avoid duplication

Although an extra step, it is always a good idea to read through the original source one more time to make sure that you have chosen different words and varied the sentence structure. This is a good time to add the APA requirements of author and year of the source so that you have it handy.

5. Include an APA in-text citation

Even though you are putting a paraphrase into your own words, APA requires an in-text citation for paraphrasing. You can create a parenthetical citation or a narrative citation to accomplish this.

Remember: All in-text citations will also need a corresponding APA reference in the APA reference page . For this article, we’re just focusing on in-text citations in paraphrases.

For both types of in-text citation, you will need the following source information:

  • Author’s last name
  • Year published
  • single page: p. #
  • page range: pp. #-#

Parenthetical citation

For an APA parenthetical citation , write your paraphrase and then add the author and year in parenthesis at the end. Use a comma between the author and the year inside the parenthesis, and put the period for the end of the sentence outside the parenthesis.

Oh, say can you see by the dawn’s early light What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming? (Key, 1814).

My parents traveled from Italy to Germany and then France. As the oldest child, I traveled with them after being born in Naples. They were very close, and shared that love they had for each other with me (Shelley, 1818, p. 78).

Narrative citation

In a narrative citation, you introduce the author’s name as part of the sentence, and put the year in parenthesis.

Francis Scott Key (1814) wrote very special words while overlooking a battle: Oh, say can you see by the dawn’s early light, what so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?

For further details, visit this guide on APA in-text citations.

Paraphrasing example

Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave an inaugural address in January 1933 during the Great Depression. This is an excerpt taken from an online source :

This is preeminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today. This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper….

1. Read original source text

In order to paraphrase, read through the text once to get the gist of it, and then again for deeper understanding. The context of this passage is also significant. It was given by a U.S. president during the Great Depression. What do you think he was trying to achieve?

Next take notes in your own words. Without immediately looking at the text, jot down what you think is the main point or concept of it. Next, take notes on the context of the source (you can look at the source for this).

For this passage, a few example notes could be:

  • Facing truth
  • Harsh current reality
  • Believing that this great nation will endure and eventually prosper again
  • Speech by President Roosevelt in 1933
  • Given during the Great Depression
  • He was addressing his citizens

Now’s the time to construct the paraphrase. Based on the notes above, a paraphrase would look something like this:

With his inaugural speech, Roosevelt was carefully trying to prepare citizens of the Nation to face the harsh reality that the Great Depression had caused, while also reassuring them that the country would endure and eventually prosper again.

4. Double check with the original source

The paraphrase above doesn’t not look too similar to the original, but we could still change a few words that were also in the original phrase (like “Nation,” “endure,” and “prosper). Revised, it looks like this:

With his inaugural speech, Roosevelt was carefully trying to prepare citizens of the United States to face the harsh reality that the Great Depression had caused, while also reassuring them that the country would eventually bounce back .

5. Add an APA in-text citation

An APA in-text citation means including the source’s author, year published, and page numbers (if available). The paraphrase already has the author’s name, but the year published needs to be added in parentheses. This is from an online source so no page number is needed.

With his inaugural speech, Roosevelt (1933) was carefully trying to prepare citizens of the United States to face the harsh reality that the Great Depression had caused, while also reassuring them that the country would eventually bounce back.

Examples of poor paraphrasing

Most people who fail at paraphrasing use the same sentence as the original source, and just change a word or two. If this is the case, the paraphrase would look something like this:

This great country will endure as it has endured, will come back to life and will prosper. So, first of all, let me show my strong belief that the only thing we have to worry about is fear itself…”

Another problem with paraphrasing occurs when you do half the job. Although the first and third sentences change the sentence structure and vocabulary in the sample below, there are some sections that are taken word-for-word from the original.

“From Italy they visited Germany and France. I, their eldest child, was born at Naples, and as an infant accompanied them in their rambles. I remained for several years their only child. Much as they were attached to each other, they seemed to draw inexhaustible stores of affection from a very mine of love to bestow them upon me.

Paraphrase:

My parents visited Italy and then Germany and France. I, their eldest child, was born at Naples. I traveled with them and was their only child for a few years. They loved each other and they seemed to draw inexhaustible stores of affection from a very mine of love.

In addition to the word-for-word similarities, this paraphrase doesn’t mention the original source’s author, year published, or page number (Shelley, 1818, p. 78).

Key takeaways

  • In order to avoid plagiarism, APA delineates the way to give credit to sources when you are paraphrasing.
  • In APA style, parenthetical citations demand the author and year of source.
  • In order to create a stellar paraphrase, you need to change the structure and the words, but keep the main idea intact.

Published October 28, 2020.

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Should You Cite It?

Any information from an outside source should be cited. This includes ideas, facts, charts and graphs, paraphrases, and quotations.

  • Should I Cite This? This flowchart from Purdue OWL helps visualize when a citation is needed.

Citing Properly to Avoid Plagiarism

Once you have brought source material into your writing (via quotation, summary, or paraphrase), your next task is to cite or identify it. This is essential because giving credit to the creator of the source material helps you avoid plagiarism. Identifying your sources also helps your reader understand which written content is from a source and which represents your ideas.

When you cite or identify source materials, you make it absolutely clear that the material was taken from a source. Note that if you don’t do that, your reader is left to assume the words are yours—and since that isn’t true, you will have committed plagiarism.

For college-level work, citing sources generally means two things: in-text or parenthetical citation and a “Works Cited” or “References” page. What these two things look like will be a little different for different citation styles like APA or MLA. The specific details required and the order in which they appear changes a little between different formats, but the general purpose is the same.

  • Citation Guide This guide created by the Academic Support Center includes guidance about common citation questions and templates for APA and MLA styles.
  • How to Cite Sources This guide explains how to properly cite sources step-by-step for any citation style.

Learn the basics of citing in APA style in this recorded workshop from the Academic Support Center.

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Much of the text on this page is adapted from  The Word on College Reading and Writing  by Carol Burnell, Jaime Wood, Monique Babin, Susan Pesznecker, and Nicole Rosevear. It is licensed under a  Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License . 

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Improperly paraphrased text can be plagiarism, even if it is cited. it's important to use your own words unless you are quoting a source.

Paraphrasing Properly to Avoid Plagiarism

A paraphrase

  • Is in your own words.
  • Avoids personal opinion.
  • Is completely rephrased from the original.
  • Provides an accurate representation of the information in the original text.

It can be easy to rely on some of the original author’s phrasing or direct synonyms for the author’s original words. Remember that a paraphrase must be entirely your own writing, not just phrases or words substituted in the same sentence structure, length, etc. used by the original text. Write paraphrases in sentence structures that are natural to you and true to your own writing voice. The only job of a paraphrase is to accurately and completely represent the relevant idea presented in the text you are paraphrasing.

Paraphrasing Examples

Here is a brief passage from Sarah Boxer’s article in The Atlantic, “ An Artist for the Instagram Age ”: “The fact that some folks have managed to make the scene while others get left out in the cold is integral to the excitement of participatory art. The thrill is akin to exotic travel, or getting to see Hamilton. Because not everyone who wants the experience actually gets the experience, these works, even if their intentions and messages are democratic, tend to become exclusive affairs.”

Which of the following is an appropriate paraphrase of this passage? Why is that one “good” and the other one less functional as a paraphrase?

  • The truth that many people have been able to attend these events as others have been shut out of them is key to what makes this kind of art appealing. The excitement is similar to visiting foreign countries or attending a showing of a sold-out musical. Since some people who wish to attend can’t do so, these art forms, despite not necessarily wanting to, often end up denying access to many would-be attendees.
  • Boxer notes that this kind of art only maintains its appeal as long as there are more people clamoring to view it than can possibly actually view it. This reliance on scarcity means these artists are ultimately relying on elitist principles to find their success and remain in demand.

It was probably obvious to you pretty quickly that the second example is a stronger paraphrase. There is a clearer sense for my writing voice in it, with sentence structures that come more naturally to me and language that is my own.

The first example, by comparison, is a rather awkward attempt to preserve the original quote’s exact structures without directly copying the author’s words or phrases, and I’m not even sure it makes sense in a couple of spots (I had to reach for some similar-but-not-identical language). This type of poor paraphrasing with replaced words would likely be deemed plagiarism. 

  • APA Paraphrases This document from the Academic Support Center provides guidance about how to paraphrase and cite a source in APA style.
  • Paraphrase: Write It in Your Own Words This page from Purdue OWL provides guidance for paraphrasing, with an example.
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Paraphrasing: To restate an idea in your own words.

APA Style prefers that authors paraphrase ideas from sources rather than directly quoting from them. Paraphrasing allows you to connect the ideas in a source to the ideas in your paper more clearly and succinctly. It cuts down on wordiness and demonstrates your understanding of the source itself.

Although we regularly paraphrase our experiences in conversation, paraphrasing content from scholarly articles into your research paper can be a challenging exercise! This is because you are learning new content and a new academic communication style as your read.

Below are some tips from to help you successfully paraphrase the ideas of others:

  • Closely read the section of the source you want to paraphrase. Read it more than once until you truly understand it.
  • Note how this source connects to your thesis/paper topic. Ask yourself: Why do I want to use this source?
  • Hide the source from view, so you can't see that section anymore.
  • Imagine explaining the section to a friend or classmate. Write down what you would say.
  • Compare your paraphrase to the source itself to make sure you have captured the idea, but not copied the author's words or phrasing.
  • Revise your paraphrase, so that it's written in your own voice and it doesn't mimic the phrasing or sentence structure of the original source. If you do need to use a specific term from the original in your paraphrase, put it inside quotation marks.
  • Cite the source!

Sources: Purdue OWL , University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center , Walden University Writing Center

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What's paraphrasing?

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Frequently asked questions

The act of putting someone else’s ideas or words into your own words is called paraphrasing, rephrasing, or rewording. Even though they are often used interchangeably, the terms can mean slightly different things:

Paraphrasing is restating someone else’s ideas or words in your own words while retaining their meaning. Paraphrasing changes sentence structure, word choice, and sentence length to convey the same meaning.

Rephrasing may involve more substantial changes to the original text, including changing the order of sentences or the overall structure of the text.

Rewording is changing individual words in a text without changing its meaning or structure, often using synonyms.

It can. One of the two methods of paraphrasing is called “Fluency.” This will improve the language and fix grammatical errors in the text you’re paraphrasing.

Paraphrasing and using a paraphrasing tool aren’t cheating. It’s a great tool for saving time and coming up with new ways to express yourself in writing.  However, always be sure to credit your sources. Avoid plagiarism.  

If you don’t properly cite text paraphrased from another source, you’re plagiarizing. If you use someone else’s text and paraphrase it, you need to credit the original source. You can do that by using citations. There are different styles, like APA, MLA, Harvard, and Chicago. Find more information about citing sources here.

Paraphrasing without crediting the original author is a form of plagiarism , because you’re presenting someone else’s ideas as if they were your own.

However, paraphrasing is not plagiarism if you correctly cite the source . This means including an in-text citation and a full reference, formatted according to your required citation style .

As well as citing, make sure that any paraphrased text is completely rewritten in your own words.

Plagiarism means using someone else’s words or ideas and passing them off as your own. Paraphrasing means putting someone else’s ideas in your own words.

So when does paraphrasing count as plagiarism?

  • Paraphrasing is plagiarism if you don’t properly credit the original author.
  • Paraphrasing is plagiarism if your text is too close to the original wording (even if you cite the source). If you directly copy a sentence or phrase, you should quote it instead.
  • Paraphrasing  is not plagiarism if you put the author’s ideas completely in your own words and properly cite the source .

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  1. Paraphrasing

    Using Research Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing Paraphrase: Write It in Your Own Words Paraphrase: Write It in Your Own Words Paraphrasing is one way to use a text in your own writing without directly quoting source material.

  2. APA Formatting and Style Guide (7th Edition)

    Basic Rules Basic guidelines for formatting the reference list at the end of a standard APA research paper Author/Authors Rules for handling works by a single author or multiple authors that apply to all APA-style references in your reference list, regardless of the type of work (book, article, electronic resource, etc.) Articles in Periodicals

  3. Paraphrasing

    Cite this A paraphrase restates another's idea (or your own previously published idea) in your own words. Paraphrasing allows you to summarize and synthesize information from one or more sources, focus on significant information, and compare and contrast relevant details.

  4. Paraphrasing in APA

    1. Read the original source The first step in creating an effective paraphrase is to carefully read the original source. Read it the first time to get the overall understanding, and then do a second closer reading in order to gather details and material that will help you formulate your argument. 2. Take notes in your own words

  5. Excelsior OWL

    Online Writing & Presentations Write for the web and digital presentations. Grammar Essentials Practice grammar skills to help you write clearly. Avoiding Plagiarism Avoid plagiarism when you write with sources. Academic Writing 101 Learn about writing starting with the basics. Writing at the Graduate Level Prepare for your academic writing at ...

  6. PDF Paraphrasing and Citation Activities, APA Style 7th Edition

    Activity 1: Paraphrasing One Sentence This activity consists of three steps: Read the following published sentence and then paraphrase it—that is, rewrite it in your own words. You do not need to repeat every element. Instead, try changing the focus of the sentence while preserving the meaning of the original.

  7. APA Formatting and Style Guide

    This resource was written by David Neyhart and Erin Karper. Last full revision by Jodi Wagner. Last edited by Dana Lynn Driscoll on May 17th 2007 at 3:24PM. Summary: APA (American Psychological Association) is most commonly used to cite sources within the social sciences. This resource, revised according to the 5th edition of the APA manual, offers examples for the general format of APA ...

  8. Library Guides: Plagiarism and Turnitin: Citing and Paraphrasing

    Paraphrasing Properly to Avoid Plagiarism. A paraphrase. Is in your own words. Avoids personal opinion. Is completely rephrased from the original. Provides an accurate representation of the information in the original text. It can be easy to rely on some of the original author's phrasing or direct synonyms for the author's original words.

  9. Paraphrasing

    APA Style Paraphrasing Guidance from APA Style on paraphrasing. Paraphrasing is covered in Sections 8.23 and 8.24 of the APA Publication Manual, Seventh Edition.

  10. Quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing

    APA 7 Purdue Owl This link opens in a new window; APA 6 Style. APA FAQs ; Formatting your paper in APA style ; Quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing ; ... Paraphrasing - translating a passage of text into your own words. Paraphrases are the same length or shorter than the original text. If you paraphrase material well, it shows your ...

  11. Paraphrasing

    The paraphrase accomplishes three goals: Like the summary, it contextualizes the information (who said it, when, and where). It restates all the supporting points used by Thoreau to develop the idea that man is hurt by focusing too much on labor.

  12. Psychology: APA 7th Ed. Citations, Paraphrasing, and More

    APA Style Official Guide, 7th ed. TEXTUAL Resources. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association by American Psychological Association. Call Number: REFERENCE BF76.7 .P83 2020. ISBN: 9781433832161. Publication Date: 2019-10-01. Print Edition For Use in Library Only. APA citation style refers to the rules and conventions ...

  13. Paraphrasing

    Paraphrasing is easier if you follow these tips: 1:38. Identify the exact passage you want to paraphrase. 1:43. Look away from the text when paraphrasing so that you don't repeat the author's words. 1:48. Restate the author's ideas in different words that are equally specific. 1:53.

  14. APA Style Quick Guide (7th Edition)

    In the Library Introduction to APA Style Introduction to Citation Styles: APA 7th ed. This video was created by California State University Dominguez Hills and provides a quick and helpful overview of the APA Citation Style. Paraphrasing Paraphrasing: To restate an idea in your own words.

  15. Quotations

    It is best to paraphrase sources rather than directly quoting them because paraphrasing allows you to fit material to the context of your paper and writing style. Use direct quotations rather than paraphrasing: when reproducing an exact definition (see Section 6.22 of the Publication Manual ),

  16. Research and Citation Resources

    This area includes material on quoting and paraphrasing your research sources, as well as material on how to avoid plagiarism. Cite your source automatically in MLA or APA format Cite Using citation machines responsibly Powered by APA Style (7th Edition)

  17. PDF APA Formatting and Style Guide

    3/18/2015 2 General Format • be typed and double-spaced be printed on standard-sized paper (8.5"x11") • use 1" margins on all sides • use 10-12 pt. Times New Roman or a similar font • include a page header (title) in the upper left-hand of every page and a page number in the upper right-hand side of every page Note: If you are writing a manuscript draft, APA

  18. APA Style|APA Format In-Text Citations

    7th Edition6th Edition APA citations follow specific conventions that distinguish them from other styles. In most cases, APA citations in your text will follow the guidelines illustrated on the following pages. This video will show you what in-text citations should look like and explain why you must use them. Video Transcript

  19. #1 Free Paraphrasing Tool

    Multi-lingual Use our paraphraser for texts in different languages. What's a paraphrasing tool? This AI-powered paraphraser lets you rewrite text in your own words. Use it to paraphrase articles, essays, and other pieces of text. You can also use it to rephrase sentences and find synonyms for individual words. And the best part? It's all 100% free!