1. PARAPHRASING to Avoid Plagiarism Pay Attention! This can make or break your paper Lisa Shaw Miami Dade College North Campus!

2. Plagiarism = using another’s words OR ideas as your own without giving proper credit within the paper.

3. This means that even if you take an idea and change it into your own words (paraphrase), you MUST still give credit to the original source.

4. Taking another’s ideas is THEFT and is a crime. If you own a car dealership and someone steals a car from the showroom, it’s theft – someone has stolen the means by which you make a living. Taking a writer’s words or ideas without properly crediting him/her is the same thing: you are stealing the means by which that person earns his or her livelihood.

5. When in doubt, GIVE CREDIT two ways

6. 1) Use a signal phrase: “According to……” 2) Use the author’s last name and page number the quote appeared on AFTER you give the information (Smith 48).

7. PARAPHRASE = relaying the same INFORMATION as the original but changing both 1. The words 2. The sentence structure

8. You do NOT use quotation marks with paraphrase But you DO give credit to the author

9. THAT Using the word THAT to introduce the information will help you paraphrase smoothly

10. For example Patrick Henry said, “I regret that I have but one life to give for my country:” (direct quotation) Patrick Henry said that he wished he had more than one life to sacrifice for America’s freedom. Is this an acceptable paraphrase?

11. Patrick Henry said, “I regret that I have but one life to give for my country:” (direct quotation) Patrick Henry said that he wished he had more than one life to sacrifice for America’s freedom. Yes. All the words have been changed but the meaning remains intact.

12. TWO MUSTS when paraphrasing 1. Change all the words, including word FORMS. That means if the original had the word responsible, you can’t use the word responsibility in a paraphrase, Find a synonym 2. You must change the structure of the sentence so that it doesn’t resemble the original at all.

13. Plagiarism Patrick Henry regretted that he had only one life to sacrifice for his country. Is this an acceptable paraphrase?

14. Patrick Henry regretted that he had only one life to sacrifice for his country. This is UNACCEPTABLE for two reasons: 1)“only one life” is the exact phrase that appeared in the original 2)The sentence structure is identical to the original

15. Make sure that you have COMPLETELY changed the words and the format. REMEMBER TO GIVE CREDIT AND REMEMBER NOT TO USE QUOTATION MARKS

16. Like this: Patrick Henry said he was sorry that he had “only one life” to sacrifice for his country.

17. The combination Usually it’s more effective to use of integrate some of the original with your own rewording; hence you combine quotation and paraphrase.

18. DIRECT QUOTATION: Bill Clinton said, “I did not have sexual relations withthat woman.”

19. Bill Clinton said that he did not have an affair with woman. Is this plagiarism?

20. YES! The word “that woman” was used in the original.

21. SOME ACCEPTABLE PARAPHRASES: Bill Clinton denied having an affair with Monica Lewinsky. Bill Clinton insisted he did not have an affair with Monica Lewinskly. Bill Clinton faced reporters, adamantly denying an intimate relationship with Monica Lewinsky.

22. When the original phrasing is so precise or says something significant about the speaker’s personality, you want to preserve it by using a combination paraphrase/quotation. Bill Clinton denied having an affair with “that woman” or’ Bill Clinton proclaimed he never engaged in “sexual relations” with Ms Lewinsky.

23. Most of your research paper will be composed of paraphrase rather than direct quotation, so practice the skill until you’re comfortable with it. Good Luck!