{"id":1321,"date":"2023-01-21T03:09:23","date_gmt":"2023-01-21T03:09:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essayguidance.com\/?p=1321"},"modified":"2023-01-30T09:57:56","modified_gmt":"2023-01-30T09:57:56","slug":"how-to-paraphrase","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/how-to-paraphrase\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Paraphrase like a Straight A Student | 5 Simple Steps"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Paraphrasing is the process of writing someone else\u2019s ideas in your own words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being skilled at paraphrasing makes you a very good essay writer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good paraphrasing shows your teacher that you actually understand a concept and are able to explain it without relying on someone else’s explanation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You need to know how to paraphrase<\/strong> to get top marks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consider Using Plagiarism Checker<\/a> Software
<\/strong>
With more and more universities using plagiarism checker software, it\u2019s increasingly important to cover your own back by checking your work yourself first. It\u2019s always good practice to use plagiarism checker software before submitting essays. Give Unicheck a try!<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Paraphrase in 5 Steps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. Never use the Synonyms Function in Microsoft Word<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Nearly every time students use the synonyms function the sentence ends up being very awkward to understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Never, ever, use the Synonyms function in Microsoft Word. Students often think that if they can change five or six words in a sentence to a synonym (a word that has the exact same meaning) then they have paraphrased and will avoid plagiarism detection. This doesn\u2019t work.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using the synonym function in Microsoft Word makes your sentences much, much harder to read. Don\u2019t use it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just because two words mean the same thing, it doesn\u2019t mean that they are interchangeable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the English language there\u2019s usually one word that fits in a sentence. Every other synonym for that word would just sound weird and awkward in that sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your marker is nearly always much more skilled at the English language than you are and they know when a word just doesn\u2019t fit right<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you swap a natural word for an awkward word, you\u2019ll end up with your marker re-reading your sentences to try to understand what you mean. As soon as that happens, you\u2019re annoying your marker and sending them a signal that you don\u2019t quite understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As soon as that happens, you\u2019re annoying your marker and sending them a signal that you don\u2019t quite understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, when you start using synonyms, you start to lose marks.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Never Copy and Paste Text<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The minute you start copying and pasting your text you are heading down the path of plagiarism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Never, ever, copy and paste the text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minute you start copying and pasting your text you are heading down the path of plagiarism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not how to paraphrase! I know it is tempting to copy and paste the text. We often do it with the best of intentions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes a sentence just seems so perfect at explaining something that you copy it and paste it into your essay plan<\/a> with the intention of changing the words later on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, when you copy and paste text one of three things will happen:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

a) You\u2019ll find it harder to paraphrase later on.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes time to paraphrase, you don\u2019t want to actually have the sentence that you\u2019re paraphrasing in front of you. It creates a mental block that makes it harder to phrase the same concept in a new way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Point 5<\/span><\/a>, I explain how paraphrasing is about re-phrasing ideas<\/em>, not sentences. This means you should focus on explaining an idea in your own way, rather than moving words around in a sentence. If you\u2019re not looking at the original sentence while writing, you\u2019re less likely to plagiarize it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

b) You\u2019ll end up accidentally leaving the text word-for-word<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve made this mistake before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You copy and paste a sentence you think explains an idea really well. Then, you come back to it the next day and forget whether it was you <\/em>who wrote that sentence in your essay draft or someone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, sentences that were written by someone else make their way into your writing and you totally forget that you were intending on paraphrasing the sentence. Avoid this by never copying and pasting the sentence in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

c) You\u2019ll end up turning the copied text into a quote.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have spent years <\/em>in faculty lounges talking with colleagues. I\u2019ve spent years double-marking colleagues\u2019 work, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Something I\u2019ve picked up on is that about 80% of all university teachers hate quotes<\/em><\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to avoid using quotes<\/a>, ban yourself from copying and pasting text altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are better ways to take notes than copying and pasting. The first two pieces of advice were about what not to do. The next few tips are about how the students who get the top marks use paraphrasing to ace their essays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Write Notes in Short Bullet Points Only<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Take notes in short bullet points only. Avoid writing full-sentence notes so that you don’t copy the original sentence structure of your source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When reading your assigned readings (usually textbook chapters or journal articles), you should make sure you take notes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take notes in short bullet points only.<\/strong> Avoid writing full sentences. Write notes that are reminder phrases or signposts for you to come back to. The shorter the notes, the better. Aim to use fewer and fewer words while still having enough information to re-construct the idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An example of this strategy is to write down keywords only that pop out of a text. Let\u2019s say you\u2019re wanting to take notes on a paragraph about things that impact how students understand a concept. Here\u2019s the original paragraph:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Original Paragraph (We’ll Take notes on this!)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThere are multiple variables that can impact students\u2019 understandings, but key among them are prior knowledge. Prior knowledge has a major influence on what and how much students learn, and provides learners with an explanatory structure to communicate and organize the world (Fiorella & Mayer, 2016; Shuell, 1992). However, this prior knowledge can contain incorrect conceptual understandings, which persist even after instruction (Smith, diSessa & Roschelle, 1993).\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

If you were to take effective notes on this paragraph that will jog your memory later on but will also help you to avoid plagiarism, the keywords you\u2019ll jot down should be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n