paraphrasing academic english

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Paraphrasing Tool – Academic Rephrase Tool for Researchers

Ref-n-write’s paraphrasing tool has a powerful AI (Artificial Intelligence) module that is specifically designed for academic writing. It is very important to avoid plagiarism when it comes to academic writing. You can no longer use your own text after it is published, it should be paraphrased manually or with a good rephrase tool, otherwise it will be considered self-plagiarism . Ref-n-write has been ranked as one of the best paraphrasing tools available out there. Ref-n-write’s legacy phrase templates feature offers the ability to rephrase sentences individually, while the newly added paraphrasing tool allows the users to rephrase paragraphs with one click. These tools work hand-in-hand with the academic phrasebank and rewording tools to provide a full suite of tools for researchers. This makes Ref-n-write one of the best research tools available for students and academics. In a recent survey of rewriter tools available to students and academics to reduce plagiarism, Ref-n-write was rated as the best scholarly paraphrasing tool . Click here to see the video of paraphrasing tool in action rephrasing a paragraph.

What is a Paraphrasing Tool?

A paraphrasing tool is used to rewrite or rephrase a sentence without altering its meaning. This is accomplished by substituting any number of alternate versions for specific words, phrases, sentences, or even whole paragraphs to create a slightly different variant.

How do you use the Ref-n-Write’s Paraphrasing Tool in Word?

You have to select a passage and click the ‘Paraphrase’ button in the Ref-n-write’s button panel. Ref-n-Write will rewrite the text and display the results in the panels below. Following figure demonstrates Ref-n-Write’s paraphrasing tool in action.

Can Ref-n-write’s Paraphrasing Tool correct grammatical errors in the text?

The Ref-n-Write’s paraphrasing tool functions as a grammar checker. In addition to rephrasing and rewording the text the tool can detect and correct grammatical errors. You don't have to spend extra money on a separate grammar check as these tools can be quite expensive and you have to sign up for an annual subscription.

How do you Rephrase a Sentence?

Rephrasing a sentence follows the same process as paraphrasing, but the most important consideration is to make the sentence clearer. Rephrasing may or may not be coupled with rewording or synonym adjustments. It may only entail rearranging the original sentence as long as clarity is obtained.

Can Ref-n-write Rephrase a Sentence?

Perfectly! It is an all-in-one tool that will assist you with every aspect of academic writing. Ref-n-write makes it very easy to rephrase, reword, rewrite, paraphrase, cite and avoid plagiarism.

Is it Okay to use a Paraphrasing tool?

Yes, it is okay to use a paraphrasing tool. However, there has been much debate about whether or not using a paraphrasing tool is a good practice. Some may argue that it prevents authors and students from improving their ability to express themselves in their own words. As with any invention, these paraphrasing tools can be misused. But that doesn’t mean using them is bad. These tools provide suggestions and ideas to help the user paraphrase, but the final product is still up to the user. Only when authors, students, or users see these paraphrasing tools as a direct substitute for citation does it become a bad practice.

How do you Paraphrase Correctly?

• • Read the text to get an understanding of its message and flow.
• • Identify and highlight keywords that must not be changed to retain the text’s meaning.
• • Identify words that can be rearranged or moved without changing the meaning or flow of the text.
• • Identify words and phrases that can be changed and replace them with appropriate synonyms.
• • Double-check that you included all of the vital information in the original text.

How do you Professionally Paraphrase?

You Paraphrase professionally by following our guidelines on paraphrasing correctly and appropriately citing and referencing the source materials. A paraphrasing tool (ideally Ref-n-write) will make the process quicker and faster, increase the overall quality of your work, and provide you with a greater variety of ideas to work with.

How do you Rephrase a Paragraph?

• • Paraphrasing each sentence that makes up the paragraph.
• • Ensuring there is an adequate flow from sentence to sentence
• • Ensuring every sentence is clear
• • Ensuring the meaning of each sentence and the overall message of the whole paragraph is not altered

How can I make a Sentence Better?

It is essential that a good sentence be clear, concise, appropriately punctuated, free of grammar errors, and have a proper flow. All of the elements stated above must be improved for a sentence to be better. Effective paraphrasing may help you improve a sentence, and employing the right paraphrasing tools can help you improve a sentence even more.

Can you use the Ref-n-Write’s Paraphrasing Tool Offline?

Most of the existing rephrase tools requires access to the internet. On the contrary, the Ref-n-write’s paraphrasing tool can be operated in both online and offline modes. Following images show the rephrased output of the paraphrasing tool when operating in online and offline modes. If you look at the rephrased paragraph, you will notice that the rephrased sentences are colour coded in offline mode indicating the confidence of each word replacement - green means very confident; blue means moderately confident and red means not very confident. There is no colour coding in the online mode, however the quality of rephrasing is much better in the online paraphrasing mode compared to the offline mode. It is highly recommended to use the paraphrasing tool in online mode since this is much more powerful than the offline mode.

How do you Paraphrase a file with Ref-n-Write?

Ref-n-Write allows users to paraphrase their file one passage at a time. This enables the author to learn and understand the paraphrasing process and do it without outside help in the future. Since Ref-n-write is a Microsoft Word add-in, paraphrasing can be applied directly to the document without losing the formatting.

What is the best free online paraphrasing tool?

There is no such thing as the best online paraphrasing tool. An excellent online paraphrasing tool should provide final paraphrased results that adhere to the steps recommended in our guideline to correctly paraphrasing. Ref-n-write provides a 15-day free trial period in which you can test the paraphrasing feature before charging a one-time fee.

Can I get the paraphrasing tool for free?

As the saying goes, “the great ones don’t come cheap.” Ref-n-write is the best academic paraphrasing tool available. It is a Microsoft Word add-in that is compatible with both Windows and Mac computers. If you are a scholar, student, researcher, author, or you have a job that requires a lot of writing, Ref-n-write is the best for you. Ref-n-write provides a 15-day free trial period before charging a one-time fee of around £29.99 for the full version. That is significantly less expensive than any other paraphrasing tool that charges a monthly fee. It aids in citation and allows you to import your source materials and conduct a full-text search to avoid plagiarism. Ref-n-write is the most affordable all-in-one paraphrasing tool available.

What is the difference between free and paid Paraphrasing tool?

Paraphrasing with a free or paid tool follows the same steps as mentioned above for correctly paraphrasing. However, when compared to the paid version of Ref-n-write, using a free tool has some limitations on the word count of the text being paraphrased.

Is Ref-n-write Paraphrasing Tool Safe?

Ref-n-write’s paraphrasing tools are secure and dependable. They take the security and privacy of their members seriously, and they operate in line with all relevant privacy and data protection legislation.

Is using Paraphrasing Tool Cheating?

Some may argue that employing paraphrasing tools is unethical because the information is not original and the tools do not acknowledge the original writer. Paraphrasing, on the other hand, is not plagiarism if adequately cited and referenced. Hence, utilising paraphrasing tools with correct citation and reference is not considered cheating.

Is Paraphrasing Tool Legit?

The utilisation of paraphrase tools determines their legitimacy. When used correctly, they are legal; nevertheless, when misused, they constitute plagiarism, which is illegal. True, these paraphrase tools make work easier and faster, especially when one is on a tight deadline, but they must be utilised correctly.

Can Turnitin Detect Paraphrasing Tool?

An excellent way to avoid plagiarism scanners is by paraphrasing. Turnitin’s algorithms do not detect paraphrasing. They are primarily concerned with recognising similar language structures, grammatical patterns, and phrases. This paraphrasing tool will not be flagged as plagiarised as long as it generates unique content that exhibits little or no similarity to anything in the Turnitin database.

Is Paraphrasing Tool Plagiarism?

As previously stated, combining paraphrasing tools with proper citation and referencing is a good practice. Yes, some of these paraphrasing tools can produce 100% unique content, but the source material should be acknowledged. As a result, if proper citation is not used, a paraphrasing tool can constitute plagiarism.

Is there a Website that can Paraphrase Sentences for you?

You can try the Ref-n-write paraphrasing tool on the website, however it is recommended to install the plugin on your Microsoft Word as it offers more options and is easy to use. If you conduct a Google search, you will be presented with an unending list of websites to consider. Many of these websites reword sentences; they do not adequately rewrite them.

What is the Best Paid Paraphrasing tool?

We are possibly the best paid paraphrasing tool available. Ref-n-write does more than just paraphrase; it also assists with citation and referencing and allows you to import all of your source materials and perform a full-text search to check for similarity and text overlap. Our academic phrase bank provides you with a variety of phrases related to your topic of interest from which to choose. Ref-n-write helps you enhance your writing to suit today’s standards. Oh, and did I forget to mention that it is very affordable compared to other paid tools? We give you good value for your money.

How do you Use the Paraphrasing Tool in Word?

Microsoft Word’s Web version now includes rewrite suggestions, but it is very basic. However, this is a new function and has not yet been implemented on the PC or mobile versions. There are various paraphrasing tools available as Microsoft Word add-ins on PC, including Ref-n-write and many others. These add-ins will assist you in rewording your texts in a variety of ways.

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Scholarly Paraphrasing Tool

Make your academic writing more clear and original with SciSpace’s Paraphraser. Write in more tones and languages than Quillbot, and humanize your text with our AI detector.

See why we are better than Quillbot

See how we are better than Quillbot

We took an abstract from a research paper and pit ourselves against Quillbot. While Quillbot simply restructures sentences with a few different words here and there, SciSpace’s paraphraser gives fresh, unique content while retaining the meaning of the source text. See for yourself.

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If you're using a paraphrasing tool, be smart about it

Improve your writing with ease using SciSpace's paraphrasing tool. Enjoy powerful features designed to save your time and give a better quality output.

Style your text in any tone

Connect with your audience better by conveying the words you want in the way you want. Choose from 22 preset tones or customize your tone to sound like any personality you have in mind.

Paraphrase into 75 languages

Overcome language barriers and express yourself freely in 75 languages. Choose your preferred language and style your text without worrying about your language proficiency.

Customize the length and variation of paraphrased text

Not everyone has the same needs while paraphrasing. Some want to tweak a few phrases, while others want to completely restructure their text. That’s why SciSpace’s paraphrasing tool allows you to choose the extent to which you want to paraphrase.

Stay in charge of your content

A paraphrasing tool is a mere AI assistant. You get to call the shots. So, feel free to edit the output content, whether you want to change a particular word or a sentence.

Perform AI detection

Ensure originality even if your source text was written by an AI. Analyze the text for AI-written content and rephrase accordingly. And if you want a more detailed AI report, head over to our AI detector.

SciSpace’s paraphrasing tool brings out the best in your writing

Our paraphraser is simple and intuitive, giving you the best paraphrased output every single time.

Some commonly asked questions about paraphrasing tools

• What is a paraphrasing tool? A paraphraser or paraphrasing tool is a software that assists users in changing the words and structure of text without taking away the meaning. Paraphrasing tools are handy for writers who refer to other sources often in their writing.
• Is paraphrasing illegal? Laws around paraphrasing vary by country. It may be considered plagiarism in some countries, while in others, it might not. However, in all cases, paraphrasing text is frowned upon if you don't credit the source.
• Is using a paraphrasing tool cheating? Paraphrasing tools are meant to assist and improve your writing skills. If you use it for that and credit the original author appropriately, it’s not considered cheating.
• Can a paraphrasing tool help me avoid plagiarism? While a paraphraser can help you avoid verbatim plagiarism, which is copy-pasting the source word for word, it still might be considered partial plagiarism. Thus, to truly avoid plagiarism, you need to cite the source.
• How can I paraphrase into another language? Most tools let you paraphrase in different dialects of English. However, SciSpace's paraphraser allows you rephrase text into 75 languages.
• How do I cite a paraphrase? A paraphrased text can be cited in the same way as a quote. You simply need to consider the citation style and include appropriate details.
• How does paraphrasing different from plagiarism? Simply put, paraphrasing is an action, while plagiarism is an idea. Paraphrasing is putting someone else’s ideas in your own words. Paraphrasing is considered plagiarism when you fail to cite the source.
• What are the things I should keep in mind when paraphrasing? Two of the most important things to be mindful of when paraphrasing text are that you should be aware of what the original author is trying to say. Context should be retained regardless of paraphrasing. Secondly, you should always cite your source.

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• How to Paraphrase | Step-by-Step Guide & Examples

How to Paraphrase | Step-by-Step Guide & Examples

Published on April 8, 2022 by Courtney Gahan and Jack Caulfield. Revised on June 1, 2023.

Paraphrasing means putting someone else’s ideas into your own words. Paraphrasing a source involves changing the wording while preserving the original meaning.

Paraphrasing is an alternative to  quoting (copying someone’s exact words and putting them in quotation marks ). In academic writing, it’s usually better to integrate sources by paraphrasing instead of quoting. It shows that you have understood the source, reads more smoothly, and keeps your own voice front and center.

Every time you paraphrase, it’s important to cite the source . Also take care not to use wording that is too similar to the original. Otherwise, you could be at risk of committing plagiarism .

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Table of contents

How to paraphrase in five easy steps, how to paraphrase correctly, examples of paraphrasing, how to cite a paraphrase, paraphrasing vs. quoting, paraphrasing vs. summarizing, avoiding plagiarism when you paraphrase, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about paraphrasing.

If you’re struggling to get to grips with the process of paraphrasing, check out our easy step-by-step guide in the video below.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

Putting an idea into your own words can be easier said than done. Let’s say you want to paraphrase the text below, about population decline in a particular species of sea snails.

Incorrect paraphrasing

You might make a first attempt to paraphrase it by swapping out a few words for  synonyms .

Like other sea creatures inhabiting the vicinity of highly populated coasts, horse conchs have lost substantial territory to advancement and contamination , including preferred breeding grounds along mud flats and seagrass beds. Their Gulf home is also heating up due to global warming , which scientists think further puts pressure on the creatures , predicated upon the harmful effects extra warmth has on other large mollusks (Barnett, 2022).

This attempt at paraphrasing doesn’t change the sentence structure or order of information, only some of the word choices. And the synonyms chosen are poor:

• “Advancement and contamination” doesn’t really convey the same meaning as “development and pollution.”
• Sometimes the changes make the tone less academic: “home” for “habitat” and “sea creatures” for “marine animals.”
• Adding phrases like “inhabiting the vicinity of” and “puts pressure on” makes the text needlessly long-winded.
• Global warming is related to climate change, but they don’t mean exactly the same thing.

Because of this, the text reads awkwardly, is longer than it needs to be, and remains too close to the original phrasing. This means you risk being accused of plagiarism .

Correct paraphrasing

Let’s look at a more effective way of paraphrasing the same text.

Here, we’ve:

• Only included the information that’s relevant to our argument (note that the paraphrase is shorter than the original)
• Introduced the information with the signal phrase “Scientists believe that …”
• Retained key terms like “development and pollution,” since changing them could alter the meaning
• Structured sentences in our own way instead of copying the structure of the original
• Started from a different point, presenting information in a different order

Because of this, we’re able to clearly convey the relevant information from the source without sticking too close to the original phrasing.

Explore the tabs below to see examples of paraphrasing in action.

• Journal article
• Newspaper article
• Magazine article

Once you have your perfectly paraphrased text, you need to ensure you credit the original author. You’ll always paraphrase sources in the same way, but you’ll have to use a different type of in-text citation depending on what citation style you follow.

Generate accurate citations with Scribbr

Scribbr citation checker new.

The AI-powered Citation Checker helps you avoid common mistakes such as:

• Missing commas and periods
• Incorrect usage of “et al.”
• Ampersands (&) in narrative citations
• Missing reference entries

It’s a good idea to paraphrase instead of quoting in most cases because:

• Paraphrasing shows that you fully understand the meaning of a text
• Your own voice remains dominant throughout your paper
• Quotes reduce the readability of your text

But that doesn’t mean you should never quote. Quotes are appropriate when:

• Giving a precise definition
• Saying something about the author’s language or style (e.g., in a literary analysis paper)
• Providing evidence in support of an argument
• Critiquing or analyzing a specific claim

A paraphrase puts a specific passage into your own words. It’s typically a similar length to the original text, or slightly shorter.

When you boil a longer piece of writing down to the key points, so that the result is a lot shorter than the original, this is called summarizing .

Paraphrasing and quoting are important tools for presenting specific information from sources. But if the information you want to include is more general (e.g., the overarching argument of a whole article), summarizing is more appropriate.

When paraphrasing, you have to be careful to avoid accidental plagiarism .

This can happen if the paraphrase is too similar to the original quote, with phrases or whole sentences that are identical (and should therefore be in quotation marks). It can also happen if you fail to properly cite the source.

Paraphrasing tools are widely used by students, and can be especially useful for non-native speakers who may find academic writing particularly challenging. While these can be helpful for a bit of extra inspiration, use these tools sparingly, keeping academic integrity in mind.

To make sure you’ve properly paraphrased and cited all your sources, you could elect to run a plagiarism check before submitting your paper. And of course, always be sure to read your source material yourself and take the first stab at paraphrasing on your own.

If you want to know more about ChatGPT, AI tools , citation , and plagiarism , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

• ChatGPT vs human editor
• ChatGPT citations
• Is ChatGPT trustworthy?
• Using ChatGPT for your studies
• What is ChatGPT?
• Chicago style
• Critical thinking

 Plagiarism

• Types of plagiarism
• Self-plagiarism
• Avoiding plagiarism
• Academic integrity
• Consequences of plagiarism
• Common knowledge

To paraphrase effectively, don’t just take the original sentence and swap out some of the words for synonyms. Instead, try:

• Reformulating the sentence (e.g., change active to passive , or start from a different point)
• Combining information from multiple sentences into one
• Leaving out information from the original that isn’t relevant to your point
• Using synonyms where they don’t distort the meaning

The main point is to ensure you don’t just copy the structure of the original text, but instead reformulate the idea in your own words.

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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To present information from other sources in academic writing , it’s best to paraphrase in most cases. This shows that you’ve understood the ideas you’re discussing and incorporates them into your text smoothly.

It’s appropriate to quote when:

• Changing the phrasing would distort the meaning of the original text
• You want to discuss the author’s language choices (e.g., in literary analysis )
• You’re presenting a precise definition
• You’re looking in depth at a specific claim

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Gahan, C. & Caulfield, J. (2023, June 01). How to Paraphrase | Step-by-Step Guide & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved April 9, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/working-with-sources/how-to-paraphrase/

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Paraphrasing and Synthesising

Introduction

One of the essential skills in academic writing is the ability to paraphrase the work of other authors. This means to express their opinions or findings in your own words. Many lecturers prefer paraphrase to direct quotations as too many direct quotations can break up the ‘flow’ of your writing. Also, through paraphrasing, you can often express the information from your sources more concisely by picking out the essential elements of the extract you are rewording. In this Learning Object you will be given the opportunity to practise paraphrasing and synthesising, which means using more than one source to support your arguments.

Before starting the activities, you can obtain an overview of how best to use this Learning Object, using a Screencast (with audio), by following this link Overview

• To provide practice in using synonyms to write effective paraphrases
• To raise awareness of the essential elements of a good paraphrase
• To suggest useful techniques when paraphrasing from a published source
• To suggest ways that sources can be synthesised to support your arguments

Activity 1: Using academic synonyms for paraphrasing

For paraphrasing it helps to have a good awareness of common academic synonyms. To begin with, you can try the following exercises to check your knowledge of these and practise using them at sentence level.

Instruction

Follow this link to the activities : Academic Synonyms for Paraphrasing

Activity 2: The essential elements of a good paraphrase

In this activity, you will explore the essentials of a good paraphrase. You will be using extracts from textbooks and encyclopedia definitions of management. However, before going any further, we suggest you write a definition of “management”, which should include the most important roles of “managers”, in the box below.

Now imagine that a student at Queen Mary has been given the following essay title:

Compare and contrast what managers are supposed to do, according to textbook models, with what they actually do, according to empirical studies of management.

She decides that it would be a good idea to define the term “management” in her introduction and copies out the following definition from a business encyclopedia she consults in the library.

Management is a process that is used to accomplish organizational goals; that is, a process that is used to achieve what an organization wants to achieve. An organization could be a business, a school, a city, a group of volunteers, or any governmental entity. Managers are the people to whom this management task is assigned, and it is generally thought that they achieve the desired goals through the key functions of (1) planning, (2) organizing, (3) directing, and (4) controlling.

LUFT, R.L., 2000. entry on “Management” . In MALONIS, J., ed., “Encyclopedia of Business” , 2nd. ed., Detroit: Gale Group

Now that you have read the original extract, read the three paraphrases that follow it. Choose which of the sentences that follow the extracts accurately describe the different paraphrases.

Paraphrase 1

In Luft’s entry on “Management”, in the “Encyclopedia of Business” (Malonis J. (Ed.) 2000), he states that the way a group of people working together achieves its aims is through its managers. He then divides their responsibilities into four key roles: ‘planning’, ‘organising’, ‘directing’ and ‘controlling’.

Paraphrase 2

Luft in his entry on “Management” in the “Encyclopedia of Business” (Malonis J. (Ed.) 2000), states that management is the method that is used to achieve organisational aims; that is, the method that is used to achieve what an organisation wants to achieve. He makes clear that an organisation could be a business, a school, a town, a group of people working voluntarily, or any governing body. Managers are the people who this task is given to, and it is agreed that they achieve what they want through the key activities of planning, organising, directing and controlling.

Paraphrase 3

Management can best be defined as the system that is used for any organisation to succeed in meeting its objectives. This organisation can take many forms and be large or small. The key people in the accomplishment of these objectives are the managers. Their most important roles in the process are planning, organising, directing and controlling.

Now decide which of the following five sentences about the above paraphrases are true and which are false.

Show feedback Hide feedback

Sentences 3 and 5 are true , but sentences 1 , 2 and 4 are false .

Although key vocabulary has been changed in all of the paraphrases, the second paraphrase is too similar to the original. This is the case in terms of vocabulary, sentence structure and the order of information.

It is not necessary to change the four last “key functions” in the paraphrases, as to do so would risk changing the original content of the source.

Although the first paraphrase is shorter, the essential information has been included, so this is not problematic.

Even though the third paraphrase is otherwise a good example of paraphrase, it is still very important to reference your original source so as to avoid accusations of plagiarism.

Activity 3: Synthesising from multiple sources

Synthesising refers to the process by which you refer to not one but multiple sources to support your argument when writing an essay or research paper. The best examples of synthesis lead into the author’s own original work, which has been informed by the paraphrasing of multiple sources.

Now read these other definitions of management.

management (noun) 1 [uncountable] the activity of controlling and organizing the work that a company or organization does

“management”. In Longman English Dictionary Online . Retrieved June 8 2009 from http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/management management (noun) 1 : the art or act of managing: the conducting or supervising of something (as a business) 2 : judicious use of means to accomplish an end “management”. In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary . Retrieved June 8 2009 from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/management

We define management as the process of designing and maintaining an environment in which individuals, working together in groups, accomplish efficiently selected aims.

Koontz, H., and Weirich, H. 1988 Management 9th international edition, Singapore: McGraw-Hill. p.4

Management is tasks. Management is a discipline. But management is also people. Every achievement of management is the achievement of a manager. Every failure is a failure of a manager. People manage rather than “forces” or “facts”. The vision, dedication and integrity of managers determine whether there is management or mismanagement.

Drucker, P.F. 2007 Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices London: Transaction Publishers.p.xiii Management is a process that is used to accomplish organizational goals; that is, a process that is used to achieve what an organization wants to achieve. An organization could be a business, a school, a city, a group of volunteers, or any governmental entity. Managers are the people to whom this management task is assigned, and it is generally thought that they achieve the desired goals through the key functions of (1) planning, (2) organizing, (3) directing, and (4) controlling.

Luft, R.L., 2000. entry on “Management” . In Malonis, J.,ed., “Encyclopedia of Business” , 2nd. ed. Detroit: Gale Group

Now, in the text box below, write a synthesis of the definitions given above. You may use direct quotation for isolated words or phrases, but these should be sparing and appropriate. Be careful to cite the sources in the paragraph.

If you need further guidance or help with this task, please use the Help option below.

Show help Hide help

The following synthesis is quite a demanding activity, especially if English is not your first language.

Remember linking words help you to show transitions between sentences: ‘ whereas ‘ for contrast, ‘ therefore ‘ and ‘ consequently ‘ state the result of the first clause, and ‘ finally ‘ can be used for the last in a list of different definitions.

Useful language for citing sources includes: ‘ make(s) reference to ‘, ‘ maintain(s) ‘, and ‘ to define sth. (something) as ‘.

Useful synonyms can be found at sites like Synonym.com (opens in new tab)

Finally, you might like to begin with: ‘ Both the Longman and Merriam-Webster online dictionaries define management as… ‘

Two suggested syntheses of these various sources are given below:

William’s Synthesis: Both the Longman and Merriam-Webster online dictionaries define management as the act (or art) of ‘controlling’, ‘supervising’ and ‘organising’ the work undertaken by a company or organisation. However, Koontz and Weirich (1988: 4) make reference to the environment in which those working together achieve their ‘efficiently selected’ aims and emphasise the maintenance and design of this environment. Luft (2000), having noted that the way a group achieves their aims is through management, divides managers’ responsibilities into four key roles: ‘planning’, ‘organising’, ‘directing’ and ‘controlling’. Finally, Drucker (2007: xiii) maintains that the human element of management is paramount. Therefore, the human qualities of ‘vision’, ‘dedication’ and ‘integrity’ are more crucial for success or failure of allotted tasks than other factors.

Jessica’s Synthesis: The concept of “management” is complex, and is defined as “controlling and organizing” (Longman English Dictionary Online) or, “conducting or supervising” (The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary). Koontz and Weirich (1988:4) define management as the act of creating and controlling the place where individuals, who effectively combine their efforts and skills, achieve objectively chosen goals. However, in contrast, Drucker (2007:xiii) writes that management can be defined as activities, a school of learning and furthermore, as human beings themselves. He asserts that each accomplishment of ‘management’ is, in actual fact, the accomplishment of the person who has done the managing. Each inability to reach a goal is, in reality, the inability of the person in charge to reach that goal. Drucker concludes by stating that the clarity of sight, commitment and honesty that people in positions of responsibility possess, determines whether or not there is good or bad management. The final proposed definition of management is proffered by Luft (2000). He claims that management is the act of achieving institutional targets; more specifically, the act of attaining company defined goals. Managers attain their clearly defined targets through the primary factors of preparation, organisation, direction and control (Luft, 2000).

Activity 4: Your own definition

Now conclude with your own preferred definition. How has it changed after synthesising your sources? Write your new, improved, definition of management in the box below. You might like to begin, “The definition of management that I will use is…”

One possible definition…

The definition of management that I will use is the planning, organisation and control of allotted tasks to further an organisation’s goals, to be achieved through the design of an environment best suited to this aim. The manager’s vision, sincerity and industry are consequently critical to the successful accomplishment of the company’s targets.

Activity 5: References

Finally, list your references as you would do at the end of your essay in the text entry box.

Check your references against those in the “Review” section at the bottom of this page, which have been compiled according to the Harvard system of referencing.

Would you like to review the main points?

Show review Hide review

When paraphrasing, a wide vocabulary (and especially a good knowledge of academic synonyms) is extremely helpful. A good thesaurus can prove invaluable in this context. However, it is not sufficient to just change a few words. Alteration of sentence structure and order of information also assist in the rewording of the original. Care must be taken, though, to ensure that you do not misrepresent your source and remember that after paraphrasing, it is still essential to cite the authors of your sources within your paragraph and to reference them correctly at the end of your assignment.

For further online advice about paraphrasing, using quotations and synthesising from different sources, you might like to try the following websites: Paraphrasing: advice and activities from RMIT university --> Paraphrasing source material: advice from Colorado State University Quoting and paraphrasing sources: advice from University of Wisconsin-Madison Quoting, paraphrasing and summarising: advice from Purdue University

There follows one possible version of the references you would need to include after synthesising the definitions of management in Activity 5 above.

Drucker, P.F. (2007) Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices. London: Transaction Publishers. Koontz, H., and Weirich, H. (1988) Management 9th international edition, Singapore: McGraw-Hill. Longman English Dictionary Online . Entry on “Management”. Retrieved June 8 2009 from [http://ldoceonline.com/dictionary/management] Luft, R.L., (2000). Entry on “Management”. In Malonis, J., ed., Encyclopedia of Business , 2nd. ed. Detroit: Gale Group, Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary , entry on “Management”. Retrieved June 8 2009 from [http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/management]

© William Tweddle, Queen Mary, University of London, 2010, photo used under the terms of an attributive CC license: courtesy of Nenyaki

The best AI tools for academic paraphrasing: tested and ranked

Proper paraphrasing is an essential skill for individuals in academia, including researchers, scholars, professors, and students. In this guide, we comprehensively tested, reviewed and ranked seven popular AI tools for academic paraphrasing , along with our top 3 choices, so that you can pick the best one.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase using the links below at  no additional cost to you.

What are the best AI tools for academic paraphrasing?

2. quillbot, 3. scispace, 4. paraphraser, 5. writefull, 7. grammarly.

When writing academic papers, it is necessary to reference sources and avoid relying solely on direct quotations.

AI-powered paraphrasing tools assist researchers, scholars, and students in effectively rewording and incorporating direct quotes from academic articles while maintaining the original meaning.

Throughout this process, it is crucial to avoid plagiarism, ensuring that one’s work does not contain stolen text passages, even unintentionally.

We tested seven popular AI paraphrasing tools by instructing them to paraphrase the same quote from an open-access academic article:

The evaluation of the results was based on the following criteria:

• Quality of rephrasing

Originality

Customization.

Preserving the original meaning is crucial when it comes to proper paraphrasing. The quality of rephrasing depends on it.

Plagiarism detection was employed to determine if the paraphrasing was performed well enough to avoid detection by three online plagiarism detectors. The aim was to achieve a 100% originality score.

Customization refers to the range of options offered by the tool, such as selecting different paraphrasing approaches or indicating the desired degree of change and the use of synonyms.

Here are our top picks for the best AI tools for academic paraphrasing :

($6.67/month if billed annually)

A strong contender in the rankings, Trinka secures its place as one of the top AI academic writing tools.

Distinguished by its adaptability to various disciplinary standards and scientific conventions, Trinka stands out as an all-encompassing solution.

Renowned for its efficacy in academic contexts, Trinka excels in paraphrasing, offering a multitude of customization options that ensure plagiarism-free content.

Beyond its paraphrasing capabilities, this AI tool boasts an extensive range of features, spanning from consistency checking to ensuring publication readiness. In essence, Trinka emerges as a comprehensive and high-scoring solution for academic writing needs.

Quality of Rephrasing

When we first tried Trinka for the paraphrasing the quote for our test, we were surprised: Trinka faced challenges in paraphrasing an entire text selection at once, leaving a portion untouched and necessitating manual intervention (see image below).

Yet, we swiftly identified a solution utilizing one of Trinka ‘s key strengths: the Assistant tool, accessible in a separate window. Employing this Assistant produced a more convincing paraphrased outcome compared to our initial attempt with the standalone paraphraser. The process involved initial paraphrasing, followed by text condensation, and refinement for a more formal tone.

With just three simple clicks, we obtained a compelling paraphrased quote.

After the brief detour, accomplished in just three clicks, the achieved result yielded the following plagiarism scores:

• Duplichecker.com: 100% unique
• Plagiarismdetector.net: 100%
• Check-plagiarism.com: 100% unique

A very convincing result while maintaining control over the style and changes of the quote, hence keeping its original meaning.

In addition to adjusting the degree of changes while paraphrasing, Trinka offers the flexibility to choose from various document styles (we opted for academic) and features an Inclusive Language option—a crucial aspect gaining prominence in academic writing.

Furthermore, as stated above, a notable feature is the personal assistant tool, accessible in a separate window, aiding in paraphrasing and offering customization options for your voice. From adjusting tones and lengths to sounding formal, confident, or casual, this feature significantly enhances the quality of paraphrasing.

The basic version of Trinka is available at no cost, with a monthly word restriction of 5000 words. Trinka’s premium plan, starting at $6.67 per month with an annual billing cycle, is highly economical.

($8.33/month premium if billed annually)

QuillBot is an AI-powered paraphrase tool that helps you to rewrite, edit, and adjust the tone of your text for increased clarity, while also meticulously detecting and correcting any grammar errors.

QuillBot ‘s AI will collaborate with you to generate effective rephrasing: You have a lot of control as you can compare outputs from all seven available modes to choose the most suitable paraphrase.

Furthermore, with QuillBot Flow, you can access paraphrasing, summarizing, citation creation, and essay writing tools in a single location.

QuillBot excels in delivering high-quality academic paraphrasing, and a pivotal factor contributing to its outstanding performance lies in the extensive customization options it offers.

While it’s crucial to approach AI paraphrasing tools with discernment, QuillBot distinguishes itself by providing a user-friendly experience. Through a color-coded overview of modifications (see the image below), it enhances transparency in the process. For instance, changed words are highlighted in orange, and the longest unchanged words are marked in blue.

Furthermore, QuillBot allows you to hover your cursor over specific words or sections, empowering you to choose alternative synonyms or request additional rephrasing adjustments.

Therefore, if you insert a paraphrased quote into a plagiarism checker and it doesn’t immediately register as 100% original, this systematic method ensures the retention of the initial meaning while offering a diverse range of rephrasing alternatives.

The initial rephrased output yielded an originality score of 66% and less. Nevertheless, with QuillBot ‘s clear indication of unchanged passages, a minimal number of clicks sufficed to modify a few additional words, swiftly achieving a 100% originality score.

• Duplichecker.com: 66% unique and 100% unique after manual customization
• Plagiarismdetector.net: 33% unique and 100% unique after manual customization
• Check-plagiarism.com: 66% unique and 100% unique after manual customization

In fact, we prefer an approach that minimizes initial modifications to retain the original meaning as closely as possible. This stands in contrast to rephrasing tools that tend to make extensive changes immediately, potentially leading to the loss of the original intent.

QuillBot stands out with its exceptional customization options, surpassing other available tools. It provides a spectrum of modes, such as formal, academic, and simple, offering invaluable flexibility in academic writing. This is particularly beneficial when aiming to articulate intricate academic concepts in a clear and comprehensible manner.

Moreover, QuillBot presents a unique feature allowing users to expand or shorten text, proving exceptionally useful for students and researchers constrained by stringent word limits.

In the custom mode, you have the ability to define your own voice, drawing from a diverse array of adjectives. This not only allows for a personalized touch but also offers an outstanding range of choices in terms of different tones.

The free plan of QuillBot allows paraphrasing of up to 125 words and summarizing of up to 1200 words at a time, but excludes advanced features like advanced grammar rewrites, comparing paraphrasing options, and the plagiarism checker. Especially the comparing paraphrasing option is of course important for paraphrasing.

With the premium plan, you gain access to full functionality, including unlimited word paraphrasing, faster processing, advanced grammar features, tone detection, and more. The premium plan is priced at $19.95 per month or $8.33 per month when paid annually.

QuillBot also offers a 100% money back guarantee for the QuillBot Premium Plan.

($12.00/month if billed annually)

Scispace stands as an all-in-one platform designed for the comprehensive tasks of finding, formatting, publishing, and expanding the reach of research. Additionally, it features an AI paraphrasing tool tailored specifically for academics, positioning itself as a direct competitor to QuillBot .

Scispace ‘s paraphrasing option consistently delivers results that are unique and accurate.

Although Scispace serves as a commendable alternative to QuillBot, our testing revealed that it might not unequivocally outperform QuillBot, as is prominently asserted on its website. At the end of the day, when directly comparing the paraphrasing options of both tools, they are remarkably similar to each other.

The quality of paraphrasing proved to be high, and when compared to QuillBot, it’s a closely contested match. Initially, the resulting text from Scispace exhibits a smoother flow than that of QuillBot, but it also tends to be somewhat repetitive.

Although the plagiarism detection did not flag it as plagiarized, for experienced university professors, it might seem a bit too close to the original, especially if the original quote is known, as numerous adjectives were essentially transformed into nouns.

All in all, we believe it’s a draw between the two.

During the evaluation of paraphrased texts for plagiarism, all three webites successfully identified 100% unique content, which is a great result for Scispace :

• Plagiarismdetector.net: 100% unique

While we selected an ‘academic’ tone, Scispace offers a plethora of tones, ranging from ‘professional’ to ‘sympathetic’ or even ‘passive-aggressive.’

Furthermore, Scispace provides an option to specify both the desired length of the paraphrased text and the level of variation. This feature proves invaluable, especially when attempting to condense an original quote into a single sentence while preserving its core meaning.

In this regard, Scispace closely mirrors QuillBot. However, it’s worth noting that QuillBot may have a slight advantage in terms of user-friendly synonym selection and manual word replacements when it comes to paraphrasing.

The Scispace premium subscription, offering unlimited paraphraser outputs, is priced at $12 per month when billed annually. This comes at a slightly higher cost than its competitor QuillBot. However, you can get 20% OFF the monthly subscription plan with the code masteracademia20 , or 40% off the annual plan with the subscription code masteracademia40 !

($12.5/month if billed annually)

No comprehensive paraphrasing ranking is without the inclusion of Paraphraser —a dedicated AI tool explicitly designed for the art of paraphrasing. It targets students, teachers, researchers, copywriters, bloggers and marketeers.

The tool boasts user-friendly simplicity, offering an easy and straightforward experience with ample room for testing before committing to a subscription.

While Paraphraser provides decent paraphrasing capabilities, it’s worth noting that when dealing with more intricate quotes, users should exercise caution to ensure the preservation of the original meaning of the quoted text.

However, since you should never blindly trust an AI-paraphrased quote to begin with, we believe that this tool still hold value for academics.

Paraphraser introduces a user-friendly feature by effectively highlighting modified words, offering a clear visual indication of the tool’s alterations. This simplifies the process for users to recognize and comprehend the changes made during paraphrasing.

However, the real challenge lies in preserving accurate meaning. The initial attempt to paraphrase our test quote resulted in a somewhat tangled paraphrased version. Nevertheless, it presented numerous synonyms that facilitated additional manual edits.

On a positive note, the referencing format is generally accurate, except for the last one, which incorrectly includes a page number. Fortunately, this is a straightforward issue that can be easily rectified. Overall, however, the result was not entirely convincing.

Paraphraser gained a perfect score immediately on all three plagiarism website checkers.

Another noteworthy advantage is the inclusion of a built-in plagiarism checker, streamlining and enhancing this crucial step in the process.

The customization in Paraphraser is decent. Users can select from three distinct modes: fluency, standard, and word changer. Given that this tool is not specifically designed for scientific writing, it lacks a dedicated academic mode, a feature present in other tools within this ranking.

However, each existing mode offers a curated set of synonyms, indicated by words highlighted in green, providing a diverse range of options for paraphrasing. This feature not only facilitates the creation of uniquely paraphrased quotes but also ensures that the essence and meaning of the original quote are preserved.

Additionally, Paraphraser offers extra pro functions, including an inbuilt summarizer, grammar checker, and plagiarism checker, enhancing the overall user experience and ensuring the quality of the paraphrased content.

Paraphraser offers various payment options, starting from $7 per week, $20 per month, and the most economical choice of $12.5 per month when paid annually.

The Fluency & Standard mode, which has a 600-word limit per paraphrasing session, is available for free. This enables users to conduct thorough testing before opting for a more extended subscription. The longer-term subscription also provides a higher word limit for paraphrasing at once, set at 1500 words.

($5.46/month if billed annually)

Writefull harnesses the power of language models extensively trained on academic journal articles, making it a specialized tool designed specifically for the academic context.

Writefull delivers satisfactory results in paraphrasing and excels in generating unique content. However, it has limited options for customization.

In summary, Writefull emerges as a respectable mid-range paraphrasing tool, excelling in its ability to cater specifically to academic writing needs while providing a satisfactory level of customization for users seeking nuanced and unique content.

Each of the three paraphrased quotes underwent rigorous scrutiny on the selected plagiarism detection sites. The outcome across all evaluations revealed a noteworthy result – 100% uniqueness for each paraphrased version.

• Duplichecker.com: option 1 = 100% unique, option 2 = 100% unique, option 3= 100% unique
• Plagiarismdetector.net: option 1 = 100% unique, option 2= 100% unique, option 3 = 100% unique
• Check-plagiarism.com: option 1 = 100% unique, option 2=100% unique, option 3= 100% unique

Writefull distinguishes itself by offering users the flexibility to specify the degree of modification they desire, ranging from low to high. In our test, we selected ‘high’.

Upon receiving this input, Writefull generates three distinct versions of the text, effectively showcasing alterations by highlighting them in a user-friendly yellow color.

However, while the tool allows for effortless comparison and selection among the provided versions, it lacks a feature for direct, on-the-spot manual customization. Unlike some other platforms, Writefull does not currently support the ability to click on individual words and make immediate synonym selections and the like.

Writefull can be used with limited functionality for free. Its Premium Plan offers unlimited use of all features at a cost of $15.37 per month. However, there are significant savings if you choose to pay annually, as it amounts to only $5.46 per month.

($36/month if billed annually)

Copy.ai stands as a popular AI tool across various industries, with a notable presence in marketing and communication.

While Copy.ai demonstrated decent paraphrasing quality in our testing, the free paraphrasing option lacks sufficient customization options, rendering it unsuitable for academic settings.

Nevertheless, delving into the free version could prove beneficial for refining email communication or crafting social media posts that share academic publications.

Quality of Paraphrasing

While Copy.ai has not been developed specifically for academic purposes, the paraphrased text by copy.ai is decent:

However, difficult to follow the changes as there was no side by side comparison or highlighted words or sentences parts, helping to follow what changed.

The originality of the paraphrased text was very good. Putting the generated text by copy.ai into three different plagiarism checkers, resulted in all 100% unique results!

Copy.ai provides customization options within its system; however, it lacks specific features relevant to paraphrasing and academic applications. This limitation becomes apparent in the prompts available upon account creation, which are centered around sales, social media, or email marketing.

It’s essential to acknowledge that while these prompts offer utility in various contexts, they may not align well with academic needs.

Furthermore, as previously mentioned, the free paraphraser fails to present a comparison with the original quote and lacks a manual option for incorporating additional synonyms or other modifications.

Copy.ai provides a free plan enabling the creation or editing of up to 2,000 words per month at no expense. Should you decide on the monthly subscription and opt for an annual payment, the cost totals $36 per month.

While it may prove beneficial for various professions, it is not advisable for academic paraphrasing due to being comparatively expensive. However, experimenting with the free version could be a viable option to gauge its suitability for your needs.

Grammarly has become widely popular in academic circles, with its status as an AI tool sometimes overlooked. We use the free version for grammar checks ourselves. However, the results of the free paraphrasing tool were surprisingly disappointing:

Grammarly ‘s free paraphrasing failed the test by producing limited alterations that left the paraphrased quotes vulnerable to plagiarism, all while lacking customization options.

Hence, paraphrasing in Grammarly is not merely a copy-paste exercise. Grammarly can augment paraphrasing efforts, albeit in a more nuanced and intricate manner.

Quality of paraphrasing

Grammarly offers a free paraphrasing tool on its website. However, during our testing with our quote, we encountered a limitation: it permits paraphrasing of only up to 500 words at a time, whereas our quote comprises 566 words. As a result, we had to split the quote into two parts and utilized only the first sentence for paraphrasing.

Upon engaging with the tool, you’ll quickly observe that Grammarly provides three options to choose from. However, in all honesty, the modifications offered are not particularly substantial.

Furthermore, a minor inconvenience arises in the form of a formatting issue with the reference and the brackets around it, which, while relatively minor, remains somewhat bothersome.

Let’s assess the performance of these slightly modified paraphrased sentences in plagiarism checkers. Frankly, the results are highly alarming and confirm that relying solely on the Grammarly paraphrasing tool can lead to significant issues with plagiarism:

• Duplichecker.com: option 1 = 100% plagiarized, option 2 = 100% unique, option 3= 100% unique
• Plagiarismdetector.net: option 1 = 100% plagiarized, option 2= 100% unique, option 3 = 100% plagiarized
• Check-plagiarism.com: option 1 = plagiarized, option 2=100% plagiarized , option 3= 100% unique

This highlights the importance of exercising caution and using additional resources to ensure originality in your writing.

The availability of three paraphrased text options in Grammarly is appreciated. However, the performance of the free paraphrasing tool itself is mediocre.

On the other hand, when using Grammarly on a computer, especially with the Premium version, there are abundant options for word replacements, synonym suggestions, and tone editing, providing a significantly enhanced experience.

The free paraphrasing tool alone, however, failed the test.

Grammarly’s free plan offers valuable basic writing suggestions to improve your writing, and the paraphrasing tool is free as well. The premium plan may seem expensive at $30 per month, but with the annual savings of 60%, it becomes much more affordable at $12 per month.

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Free AI Paraphrasing Tool For Academic Writing

Effortlessly rewrite text with the best online paraphraser for academics tailored to paraphrase content, trim text, and ensure academic tone in minutes.

What makes Paperpal the best online paraphraser for academics

Tailored to enhance academic writing, our precise online paraphrasing tool helps you deliver clear, concise, and impactful writing with one click.

Quickly paraphrase academic text

Rewrite complex academic text to add variety, remove repetition, and enhance readability without changing the context or essence of your work.

Trim text without sacrificing meaning

Reduce word count by up to 25%, eliminating redundancies and wordiness to deliver clear, concise writing that meets journal word count limits.

Achieve an academic tone with ease

Ensure your writing meets the professional, formal tone required in academic writing, which focuses on the precise, objective phrasing of ideas.

Improve phrasing with contextual synonyms

Enhance clarity, precision, and readability with contextually relevant synonym suggestions that are validated based on published literature.

Available on Word & Web

Why Academics Love Paperpal’s Online Paraphraser

Rated Excellent on Trustpilot

Paperpal is a reliable tool for editing academic manuscripts. It renders the manuscript an academic tone that is suitable for journal submission. The extensive edit mode helps rephrase the sentences, thereby ensuring conciseness. Paperpal truly understands the context, provides appropriate alternate terminologies, and checks for consistency.

I like how Paperpal offer suggestions about paraphrasing and generally helps re-organize my paragraphs, giving them better language structure. I feel confident about my manuscripts after running them through Paperpal.

Unlike Grammarly, Paperpal aligns and tailors my sentence structures to the convention of academic writing. Unlike Grammarly, Paperpal aligns and tailors my sentence structures to the convention of academic writing.

Paperpal has made a huge difference. My manuscript is now free of errors, more concise and more readable!

Reword academic text with the best paraphraser online

Use our online paraphrasing tool you deliver clear, engaging academic prose with minimal effort!

Paperpal is More Than a Free Online Paraphraser

Simplify your writing journey with Paperpal’s academic writing toolkit. Check your language and grammar, get accurate English translations, and gain from generative AI assistance, all in one place.

Online Grammar Checker

Paperpal’s free grammar checker saves time and effort by quickly identifying and correcting complex grammar errors, spelling mistakes, and punctuation issues.

AI Academic Translation

With Paperpal’s online translation tool, non-native English speakers can achieve high-quality academic text by translating from 25+ languages to English.

Generative AI Assistant

Paperpal’s secure generative AI technology helps authors write confidently, save time, and deliver high-quality, reliable, and original content, every time.

Who Can Benefit From Paperpal’s Free Paraphrasing Tool ?

Paperpal’s online paraphrasing tool is the perfect assistant to polish all kinds of academic writing.

Researchers

Efficiently rephrase sentences for a global audience or reduce article length to meet journal limits without compromising the essence of your research.

Instantly paraphrase academic text to develop unique study materials, well-structured presentations, and powerful scholarly publications with ease.

Research Journalists

Create impactful academic articles by rephrasing sentences to avoid repetition, improve readability, and ensure accuracy while retaining your own voice.

Paperpal’s Paraphrasing Tool Frequently Asked Questions

What is paraphrasing, what is a paraphrasing tool, does this paraphrasing tool impact academic writing skills, can paperpal’s online paraphrasing tool help in developing the quality of essays, how is paraphrasing different from plagiarising, can i use a paraphrasing tool for academic writing, can you get in trouble for using a paraphrasing tool, do paraphrasing tools improve the readability and tone of content, why are citations an important element in paraphrasing content, why is paperpal better than other tools for academic writing, master the art of paraphrasing.

Looking to sharpen your paraphrasing skills or understand how to rewrite text without sacrificing the meaning? Explore these handpicked articles and pick up tips to enhance your academic writing!

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Using Evidence: Paraphrase

Paraphrasing sources video playlist.

Basics of Paraphrasing

A successful paraphrase is your own explanation or interpretation of another person's ideas. Paraphrasing in academic writing is an effective way to restate, condense, or clarify another author's ideas while also providing credibility to your own argument or analysis. Successful paraphrasing is essential for strong academic writing, and unsuccessful paraphrasing can result in unintentional plagiarism. Look through the paraphrasing strategies below to better understand what counts as an effective paraphrase.

In order for a reader to understand the impact of a direct quotation or paraphrased source material, you should work to integrate your evidence into your paragraph's overall discussion. A strong way to integrate source material is to use  transitions . As you integrate sources, you will also often begin  analyzing the evidence

Citing Paraphrases

• Paraphrased material must be cited. Even though paraphrasing means that you are restating information in your own words, you must give credit to the original source of the information.
• Citations for paraphrased material should always include both the author and the year. In-text citation can be placed within the sentence or at the end:

Example: According to Johnson (2012), mirror neurons may be connected with empathy and imitation.

Example: Mirror neurons may be connected with empathy and imitation in human beings (Johnson, 2012).

Note: Be sure to consider the frequency of your source citation when you are paraphrasing.

Integrating Paraphrases Into Your Paragraphs

Paragraph with paraphrased material not integrated.

The causes of childhood obesity are various. Greg (2005) found that children need physical activity to stay healthy. One study found that the amount of time spent in front of the television or computer had a direct correlation to an individual's BMI (Stephens, 2003). Parsons (2003) debated whether nature or nurture affects childhood obesity more. Scientists have linked genetics to obesity (Parsons, 2003). Parents often reinforce bad lifestyle habits (Parsons, 2003).

Here there is a list of paraphrased sentences, but again they seem to be missing any links or connections to show how the different ideas are related. Rather than simply using a list of paraphrased sentences from these sources, the author of the next example integrates each piece of information from the sources by using extra explanation or transitions.

Paragraph With Paraphrased Material, Revised (Revisions in Bold)

The causes of childhood obesity are various. Greg (2005) found that children need physical activity to stay healthy. However, children's inactive lifestyles and the time they spend in front of a screen seem to consume the time they could otherwise spend playing outdoors or involved in physical activities. In fact, this lack of physical activity has a direct effect on body mass index (BMI). One study found that the amount of time spent in front of the television or computer had a direct correlation to an individual's BMI (Stephens, 2003). Although screen time is correlated with high BMI, Parsons (2003) still debated whether nature or nurture affects childhood obesity more. Though Parsons admitted that scientists have linked genetics to obesity, he also explained that parents often reinforce bad lifestyle habits.

Adding transitions allows the author to make connections while still presenting the paraphrased source material.

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Learn how to express the source you’re reading in your own words to highlight your learning.

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Paraphrasing literature in your own words is a great way to digest what you’re reading as well as demonstrate to your reader what you've learned from it. It demonstrates your understanding of the text and can help your writing be more concise and flow better, as well as foregrounding your own voice.

Paraphrase entails expressing someone else’s ideas in your own words. This means that you’ll still need a reference but won’t need quotation marks. You may be concerned that your version isn’t as stylish, fluent or accurate as the original. You may also be unsure how much you need to change the original wording so that it counts as your own words rather than plagiarism. Read on for some suggestions about effective paraphrasing.

What not to paraphrase

• Technical terminology: this means specialist terms which have an accepted and very specific meaning in your subject and are used to refer very precisely and unambiguously to a concept or thing. These words are part of the shared language of your subject and another word would not mean the same thing. If there is a technical term which is invented by or closely associated with a particular author, you might want to put it in quotation marks, but commonly agreed technical terms don’t need
• Small common words and phrases such as ‘the’, ‘to’ ‘because’ and commonly occurring patterns of words such as ‘although this does not’. These aren’t distinctive to a particular author. You might want to find your own expression if you can, but isolated words and short strings of commonly associated words don’t constitute plagiarism in small amounts

How not to paraphrase

Some students try to work closely with the original text, first finding a synonym for as many of the original words as possible, and then starting to change the order of the words so the sentence structure is different. This is quite a mechanical approach to paraphrase, focussing on superficial questions such as how many words to change so that it’s not plagiarism, rather than the real issue which is demonstrating your understanding of the original. This approach may be too close to the original, border on plagiarism, and more importantly, doesn’t tell your marker how you’ve understood the original text.

Techniques to try

• Read the text carefully to understand the meaning and content. Don’t try to memorise it. You might re-read it several times, check the definition of individual words you’re not sure of, explain it to yourself, ask yourself ‘what is it about?’ or pick out the main aspects from ones which aren’t as important or relevant to the argument you’re making.
• Note only technical terminology which cannot be paraphrased
• Hide the original. Don’t look at it. Trust yourself that you’ve accurately grasped its meaning and not forgotten anything
• Jot down rough notes about your understanding of the text’s main message. Don’t try to replicate what it said, only what the meaning was. You might scribble key words or phrases, bullet points, a mini-mindmap or other visual or a freely written brain dump.
• Now polish those notes into academic English. Remember, as long as it is grammatical, clear and appropriate academic English, your version doesn’t have to be better written than or even as good as the original – style is less important than conveying your grasp of the original. Not all published academic work is brilliantly written – your version might even be better! Your version doesn’t necessarily have to be a neutral representation either – you can subtly reflect your opinion of the original idea in your choice of words, with positive or negative connotations, as long as you’re not misrepresenting its meaning.
• Now check to see it captures the meaning of the original accurately. If you find you’ve left small aspects out, ask yourself whether they are important for your argument or not. This is the critical sifting we undertake to help refine our position or argument. Another check is whether you’re misrepresenting the meaning of the original text if you leave aspects out.

Paraphrase and plagiarism

The plagiarism detection software Turnitin matches text and the result tells the marker what percentage of a student assignment matches another source. A paraphrase which is too close to the original over a longer portion will be flagged as problematic, but very small matches are to be expected to some degree. Paraphrase can feel more challenging and risky than directly quoting but if you approach it as we suggest, it can be a far better way to demonstrate your learning and develop your understanding of the content and confidence in writing academic English.

To find out more about which to use, read our related guide, Quote or Paraphrase? .

Download this guide as a PDF

How to paraphrase.

Learn how to express the source you’re reading in your own words to highlight your learning. **PDF Download**

More in this section

Quote or paraphrase?

Quote the original words of your source, or paraphrase them in your own words? Read our advice on deciding which will work best for your purpose.

How to quote

Find out how to integrate quotations purposefully and smoothly into your writing.

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Paraphrasing Techniques for Academic Writing (EAP)

A few notes on teaching paraphrasing.

When I teach paraphrasing, I generally go over some techniques such as the list below. These techniques can provide students some tools to paraphrase successfully and avoid the overuse of quotations, or worse yet, plagiarism. Although these methods are especially useful to intermediate-level students, keep in mind that the best overall advice is to tell them to try to rewrite the idea into their own words . Some students can get too caught up in the game of changing from active to passive or finding obscure synonyms in the dictionary, and they forget that the best thing to do is ask themselves:  What does this sentence mean?  Can I rewrite it in my own words?

The chances are, if they are upper-intermediate or advanced students, then they may already be able to do this. Nevertheless, the below handout can be useful for students who don't have the flexibility yet to paraphrase on their own.

Five Paraphrasing Techniques

(Handout download:  paraphrasing-techniques-eap.docx )

Approximately 80% of low-income families will be assisted by the proposed `free lunch' program. (Health Canada, 2015)

Techniques:

1. Use Synonyms

According to Health Canada, roughly 80% of poor families will be helped by the suggested `free lunch' campaign .

2. Change from Active to Passive Voice

According to Health Canada, the suggested `free lunch' campaign will help roughly 80% of poor families.

3. Change from Positive to Negative

According to Health Canada, only roughly twenty percent of poor families will not benefit from the program.

4. Change Word Forms

According to Health Canada, the suggested `free lunch' campaign will provide assistance to roughly 80% of poor families.

5. Change the Order of Information

The suggested `free lunch' campaign will provide assistance to roughly 80% of poor families according to Health Canada .

Finally, after using the aforementioned techniques we have gone from this quotation:

to this paraphrased sentence:

The suggested `free lunch' campaign will provide assistance to roughly 80% of poor families according to Health Canada.

• Does the paraphrased sentence contain the same meaning as the original? Yes
• Have we referenced the source of the information? Yes
• Overall, have we avoided plagiarism by paraphrasing sufficiently? Yes

All the answers are 'Yes', which means we have paraphrased well.

- Copyright Matthew Barton of Englishcurrent.com

• The Difference between Patchwriting and Paraphrasing

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• How to Paraphrase | Step-by-Step Guide & Examples

How to Paraphrase | Step-by-Step Guide & Examples

Published on 8 April 2022 by Courtney Gahan and Jack Caulfield. Revised on 15 May 2023.

Paraphrasing means putting someone else’s ideas into your own words. Paraphrasing a source involves changing the wording while preserving the original meaning.

Paraphrasing is an alternative to  quoting (copying someone’s exact words and putting them in quotation marks ). In academic writing, it’s usually better to paraphrase instead of quoting. It shows that you have understood the source, reads more smoothly, and keeps your own voice front and center.

Every time you paraphrase, it’s important to cite the source . Also take care not to use wording that is too similar to the original. Otherwise, you could be at risk of committing plagiarism .

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Table of contents

How to paraphrase in five easy steps, how to paraphrase correctly, examples of paraphrasing, how to cite a paraphrase, paraphrasing vs quoting, paraphrasing vs summarising, avoiding plagiarism when you paraphrase, frequently asked questions about paraphrasing.

If you’re struggling to get to grips with the process of paraphrasing, check out our easy step-by-step guide in the video below.

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Putting an idea into your own words can be easier said than done. Let’s say you want to paraphrase the text below, about population decline in a particular species of sea snails.

Incorrect paraphrasing

You might make a first attempt to paraphrase it by swapping out a few words for  synonyms .

Like other sea creatures inhabiting the vicinity of highly populated coasts, horse conchs have lost substantial territory to advancement and contamination , including preferred breeding grounds along mud flats and seagrass beds. Their Gulf home is also heating up due to global warming , which scientists think further puts pressure on the creatures , predicated upon the harmful effects extra warmth has on other large mollusks (Barnett, 2022).

This attempt at paraphrasing doesn’t change the sentence structure or order of information, only some of the word choices. And the synonyms chosen are poor:

• ‘Advancement and contamination’ doesn’t really convey the same meaning as ‘development and pollution’.
• Sometimes the changes make the tone less academic: ‘home’ for ‘habitat’ and ‘sea creatures’ for ‘marine animals’.
• Adding phrases like ‘inhabiting the vicinity of’ and ‘puts pressure on’ makes the text needlessly long-winded.
• Global warming is related to climate change, but they don’t mean exactly the same thing.

Because of this, the text reads awkwardly, is longer than it needs to be, and remains too close to the original phrasing. This means you risk being accused of plagiarism .

Correct paraphrasing

Let’s look at a more effective way of paraphrasing the same text.

Here, we’ve:

• Only included the information that’s relevant to our argument (note that the paraphrase is shorter than the original)
• Retained key terms like ‘development and pollution’, since changing them could alter the meaning
• Structured sentences in our own way instead of copying the structure of the original
• Started from a different point, presenting information in a different order

Because of this, we’re able to clearly convey the relevant information from the source without sticking too close to the original phrasing.

Explore the tabs below to see examples of paraphrasing in action.

• Journal article
• Newspaper article
• Magazine article

Once you have your perfectly paraphrased text, you need to ensure you credit the original author. You’ll always paraphrase sources in the same way, but you’ll have to use a different type of in-text citation depending on what citation style you follow.

Generate accurate citations with Scribbr

It’s a good idea to paraphrase instead of quoting in most cases because:

• Paraphrasing shows that you fully understand the meaning of a text
• Your own voice remains dominant throughout your paper
• Quotes reduce the readability of your text

But that doesn’t mean you should never quote. Quotes are appropriate when:

• Giving a precise definition
• Saying something about the author’s language or style (e.g., in a literary analysis paper)
• Providing evidence in support of an argument
• Critiquing or analysing a specific claim

A paraphrase puts a specific passage into your own words. It’s typically a similar length to the original text, or slightly shorter.

When you boil a longer piece of writing down to the key points, so that the result is a lot shorter than the original, this is called summarising .

Paraphrasing and quoting are important tools for presenting specific information from sources. But if the information you want to include is more general (e.g., the overarching argument of a whole article), summarising is more appropriate.

When paraphrasing, you have to be careful to avoid accidental plagiarism .

Students frequently use paraphrasing tools , which can be especially helpful for non-native speakers who might have trouble with academic writing. While these can be useful for a little extra inspiration, use them sparingly while maintaining academic integrity.

This can happen if the paraphrase is too similar to the original quote, with phrases or whole sentences that are identical (and should therefore be in quotation marks). It can also happen if you fail to properly cite the source.

To make sure you’ve properly paraphrased and cited all your sources, you could elect to run a plagiarism check before submitting your paper.

To paraphrase effectively, don’t just take the original sentence and swap out some of the words for synonyms. Instead, try:

• Reformulating the sentence (e.g., change active to passive , or start from a different point)
• Combining information from multiple sentences into one
• Leaving out information from the original that isn’t relevant to your point
• Using synonyms where they don’t distort the meaning

The main point is to ensure you don’t just copy the structure of the original text, but instead reformulate the idea in your own words.

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 reference the source . This means including an in-text referencing and a full reference , formatted according to your required citation style (e.g., Harvard , Vancouver ).

As well as referencing your source, 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 into 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 into your own words and properly reference the source .

To present information from other sources in academic writing , it’s best to paraphrase in most cases. This shows that you’ve understood the ideas you’re discussing and incorporates them into your text smoothly.

It’s appropriate to quote when:

• Changing the phrasing would distort the meaning of the original text
• You want to discuss the author’s language choices (e.g., in literary analysis )
• You’re presenting a precise definition
• You’re looking in depth at a specific claim

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.

Gahan, C. & Caulfield, J. (2023, May 15). How to Paraphrase | Step-by-Step Guide & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved 9 April 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/working-sources/paraphrasing/

Is this article helpful?

Courtney Gahan

Other students also liked, harvard in-text citation | a complete guide & examples, how to avoid plagiarism | tips on citing sources, apa referencing (7th ed.) quick guide | in-text citations & references.

University Centre for Academic English

Paraphrasing and summarising

You are advised to work through the activities in the order in which they are presented.

Paraphrasing

You will consider some basic guidelines for paraphrasing another writer's ideas and learn to recognise good paraphrasing style.

• View paraphrasing activity

Paraphrasing main points

You will practise selecting the main points from some short text extracts and paraphrase them in an appropriate way.

• View paraphrasing main points activity

Paraphrasing paragraphs

Practice in paraphrasing more demanding text.

• View paraphrasing paragraphs activity

Paraphrasing a long text 

You will practise extending your paraphrasing skills with a longer text.

• View paraphrasing a long text activity

IOE Writing Centre

Paraphrasing for Beginners

'Paraphrasing' means rewriting the same information in a different way. It helps you better to integrate the ideas into the particular piece you are writing.

1. Step-by-step paraphrasing 2. Text Comparison: Example original text and paraphrased text 3. Sentence Analysis

Step-by-step paraphrasing

• Decide what the key information is, for the purposes of your discussion.
• Change the order of the ideas and the words. This can help you to emphasise your interpretation of the original text.
• Change the word form/grammatical form if necessary.
• Use synonyms if appropriate, but do not change any specific terminology. In the example below, terms such as 'plagiarism management', 'universities', 'students' and 'distance' were not changed. The best place to find suitable synonyms will be elsewhere in the same article.
• If some words stay the same in the same order (three or more consecutive words), you need to use quotation marks around these words.
• Repeat the author's name or a pronoun through the paraphrase, so it is clear that we are still reading a paraphrase.
• Add a detail about where the information came from, if necessary. In the example below, the information 'through her study of eighteen policies on plagiarism from different universities' was added, to give some context to the claims.
• Keep the author name and page number. (You may have been told that you do not need the page number for a paraphrase, but if the idea came from one specific page, it is still useful to include it. That way, you can check the information again if you need to.)

Text Comparison

Example original text.

"Universities also place the burden of understanding plagiarism and attribution conventions on students. There are myriad information-laden web-based self-help tutorials and workshops on related sites for the universities in this study. Many are excellent resources and can be helpful. Nevertheless, the lack of additional, detailed individual assistance about the techniques of engaging in academic writing conventions, particularly for students studying in off-campus or distance modes, raises issues of equity for plagiarism management policy makers." (Sutherland-Smith, 2010:9).

References Sutherland-Smith, W. (2010) 'Retribution, deterrence and reform: the dilemmas of plagiarism management in universities', Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management , 32 (1) 5-16. Available at http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/13600800903440519 Accessed on 19 January 2020.

Example Paraphrased Text

The responsibility for learning how to reference correctly and avoid plagiarism tends to be passed from the university to the students, as Sutherland-Smith (2010:9) found, through her study of eighteen policies on plagiarism from different universities. She also points out that although many universities provide online self-access resources for students to try to learn more about this area, the support provided is, on the whole, inadequate. Sutherland-Smith expands further to explain that this inadequacy is partly because the advice provided is not specific enough for each student, and partly because distance students will often receive even less support. She concludes that these issues carry implications for the decisions around plagiarism management, as some students may receive more assistance than others, leading to questions of inequity.

References Sutherland-Smith, W. (2010) 'Retribution, deterrence and reform: the dilemmas of plagiarism management in universities', Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management , 32 (1) 5-16. Available at http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/13600800903440519 Accessed on 19 January 2020

Sentence Analysis

^Back to top

Original: Universities also place the burden of understanding plagiarism and attribution conventions on students. Paraphrase: The responsibility for learning how to reference correctly and avoid plagiarism tends to be passed from the university to the students, as Sutherland-Smith (2010:9) found.

Here, the following changes have been made:

• Order of ideas or words (look for where 'university' appears)
• Word form (active 'place the burden on' changed to passive 'to be passed to')
• Synonyms ('understanding' changed to 'learning how to', 'plagiarism and attribution conventions' changed to 'reference correctly and avoid plagiarism'). Note some key terms have not been changed.

Original: There are myriad information-laden web-based self-help tutorials and workshops on related sites for the universities in this study. Paraphrase: She also points out that [...] many universities provide online self-access resources for students to try to learn more about this area,

• Order of ideas or words (look for where 'university' appears)
• Word form (descriptive 'There are' changed to active 'many universities provide')
• Synonyms (' information-laden web-based self-help tutorials and workshops on related sites' changed to 'online self-access resources', 'myriad' changed to 'many'). Note some key terms have not been changed.
• Some information has been added, to help explain the meaning ('for students to try to learn more about this area')

Many are excellent resources and can be helpful.

Comment: This sentence was not included in the new paraphrase, as the writer felt it was not important for their discussion.

Original:  Nevertheless, the lack of additional, detailed individual assistance about the techniques of engaging in academic writing conventions, particularly for students studying in off-campus or distance modes, raises issues of equity for plagiarism management policy makers.

Paraphrase:   ...the support provided is, on the whole, inadequate. Sutherland-Smith expands further to explain that this inadequacy is partly because the advice provided is not specific enough for each student, and partly because distance students will often receive even less support. She concludes that these issues carry implications for the decisions around plagiarism management, as some students may receive more assistance than others, leading to questions of inequity.

• The information has been divided into sub-points, to try to express the point more clearly. Some explanatory words and linking words have been added, to help explain the meaning and to show that it is the original author who has made these claims ('Sutherland-Smith expands further to explain that...')
• Synonyms ('issues of equity' changed to 'questions of inequity', 'raises issues' changed to 'carry implications'). Note some key terms have not been changed.

 ^Back to top

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 Writing a paragraph – Paraphrasing (quotes)

Writing a paragraph

Question: write a paragraph (150-185 words) on the benefits of globalisation., use these quotes and write a paragraph (approx 120-180 words) on the benefits of globalisation. use correct in-text citation and appropriate paraphrasing..

  ‘Globalisation of business has improved investment in less developed countries thereby making a contribution to local technology, employment and reduction of poverty’ (Smith, 2015, p.21)

‘International Politics has helped to establish International organizations such as the NATO, G8 and the United Nations to spread universal values such as freedom and world peace (Peterson et al., 2013, p.111).

‘The global phenomenon of the Internet has enabled people worldwide to appreciate and learn more about each-others’ cultures and as such a wider understanding, sharing of knowledge and communication has evolved’ (Jackson, 2017, p.34).

Topic sentence

Use this topic sentence to begin the paragraph…, globalisation has been beneficial to the global community through three important aspects of investment, politics and culture., example paragraph.

Look at the paragraph and see how the quotes have been paraphrased.

Gl obalisation has been beneficial to the global community through three important aspects of investment, politics and culture. The first most important point is that globalization has increased investment and business throughout the world. Smith (2015) highlights that global companies setting up businesses in developed countries is improving technology and creating employment opportunities, and as a result reducing poverty. The second key point is that global political standards are spreading through many countries and creating universal values of freedom and peace (Peterson et al., 2013). Peterson et al (2013) emphasies that key organizations such as NATO, the UN and the G8 are all significant in the reduction of war and stabilising fragile political infrastructures. The final area of importance is the cultural perceptions are changing and improving. Jackson (2017) points out that the Internet has played a significant part in helping the global community to understand and appreciate other culture. It has also improved international communication and the sharing of knowledge. Overall, it could be argued that Globalisation has had a serious impact on the world and brought considerable benefits to the people of most countrie s.

[185 words]

      Writing a paragraph – using quotes about smoking

Students are given a worksheet with nine quotes taken from The New Scientist, BBC News, The Economist, etc… and choose only three. They use these three quotes to write a paragraph trying to paraphrase the quotes and produce a cohesion piece of writing.  Level ** ** * [B1/B2/C1]    Example / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP  / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

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It is clearly designed for researchers by researchers! I have used other more generic proofreading software as well, but it is really clearly calibrated for academic writing!

Language feedback like never before

For research writing

Using language models trained on millions of journal articles, Writefull’s edits are tailored to academic writing.

Widgets to help you write

In addition to a language check, Writefull offers clever AI widgets that help you craft your sentences.

Fast and secure

Writefull revises your text in seconds using an encrypted connection. None of your texts or searches are stored.

Helps you where you work, writefull for word.

Get language feedback in Word, explore the language used across millions of published articles, and automatically paraphrase and generate text.

Writefull for Overleaf

Get language feedback within your LaTeX code in Overleaf, explore the language of published articles, and use the Paraphraser and text generation widgets.

Writefull Revise

Upload your text for a language check before submission. See the overall language quality, and correct any errors in your revised document with Track Changes.

Discover our AI widgets

Academic writing made easy! The Academizer makes your informal sentences academic.

Paraphraser

Looking for other words? Use Writefull’s Paraphraser to get rewrites at three levels.

Title Generator

Coming up with a title can be hard. Writefull generates a title based on your abstract.

Abstract Generator

Writing a good abstract is key. Give Writefull your paper, and it generates you an abstract.

GPT Detector

Check if a text has been generated by GPT3, 4 or ChatGPT.

Used by students and researchers at more than 1500 institutions

Trusted by top publishers and copyeditors, frequently asked questions.

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