The distinction in one example

Imagine a source argues that a small study found a short-term improvement in recall after practice testing. A legitimate paraphrase might say: “In that study, students remembered more immediately after practice tests, but the result does not establish a long-term benefit.” You would cite the study and check that its methods support the sentence.

A risky version merely swaps synonyms in the original sentence while keeping its structure. An uncited version presents the study's idea as your own. Neither becomes safe because a paraphrasing tool produced it.

What must be attributed

Credit is needed not only for direct quotations but also for borrowed ideas, data, interpretations, and distinctive explanations. Common knowledge is a separate category, but when in doubt, trace a specific claim to the source you used. Purdue OWL explicitly distinguishes paraphrasing from copying and shows why missing citation can make an otherwise reworded passage plagiarized.

A five-step paraphrasing method

  1. Read the passage and surrounding context until you understand the claim and its limits.
  2. Close the source and write a note about the idea in your own words and order.
  3. Reopen the source. Compare meaning, certainty, numbers, and scope.
  4. Add the required in-text citation and record full source details.
  5. Ask whether the sentence supports your argument or is only filling space.

When a term is technical or uniquely phrased, quote it accurately instead of forcing an awkward substitute. Follow your instructor's required style for quotation marks and page references.

What AI paraphrasers cannot decide

A rewriting tool does not know whether you have permission to use AI, whether a source is credible, or whether the new wording changes a result from “may” to “does.” It also cannot make an uncited borrowed idea original. Use it, if permitted, to compare clarity options after you have identified the source and written your own draft.

Before submission

For every paragraph, underline the claim, identify the supporting source, and open the exact passage again. If you cannot point to a source or explain the connection, revise or remove the sentence. Our academic integrity checklist covers the final review.

Sources and editorial note

This page replaces a 2023 archive article. We rewrote it for the current site and checked the general guidance against the sources below. Your institution's own rules take precedence.