Paraphrasing: Engaging with Source Texts in Your Writing

Download PDF Handout: Paraphrasing and Plagiarism

Watch Video Series Part 1: What Does My Instructor Want?

Watch Video Series Part 2: How Do Good Writers Get Started?

Watch Video Series Part 3: How Do I Cite My Sources Correctly?

You can strengthen your own arguments by incorporating other authors’ ideas; however, mimicking an author’s language too closely might be considered plagiarism. Preventing plagiarism starts with knowing how to effectively paraphrase: that is, taking what another author says and knowing how to connect their point of view to your argument.

These resources explain how to summarize what other authors think, how to analyze what those authors mean, and how to respond to the positions they take.