Quick answer
To paraphrase properly, read the source until you understand it, close it, write the idea in your own words and sentence structure, then compare with the original and add a citation. A paraphrase still needs a reference. Changing a few words in the original sentence is not paraphrasing and can count as plagiarism.
Learning how to paraphrase properly is one of the most useful skills at university. Almost every essay, report and dissertation asks you to use other people's ideas as evidence, and paraphrasing lets you do that in your own voice. Done badly, though, it is also one of the most common reasons students are accused of plagiarism, often without meaning to cheat.
This guide explains how to avoid plagiarism in practice: what counts as plagiarism, a step-by-step paraphrasing method, paraphrasing examples showing weak and strong versions, how to cite a paraphrase in Harvard and APA, note-taking habits that prevent accidental copying, and what a similarity report such as Turnitin's actually tells your marker.
What counts as plagiarism?
Plagiarism means presenting someone else's words, ideas, data or work as your own without proper acknowledgement. Intent matters less than many students think: most UK universities treat careless or accidental plagiarism as an academic misconduct issue, even if the penalty is lighter. Check your university's academic integrity policy for the exact definitions it uses.
Common types of plagiarism
- Direct copying: using exact words from a source without quotation marks and a citation.
- Patchwriting (mosaic plagiarism): copying a sentence and swapping a few words for synonyms or rearranging phrases, so the original structure is still visible. A citation does not fully fix this, because the wording is still not yours.
- Paraphrasing without citation: putting an idea fully into your own words but not saying where it came from.
- Self-plagiarism: reusing your own previously submitted work, such as a past essay, in a new assignment without permission. Many universities treat this as misconduct.
- Collusion: working with another student on an individual assignment so that your submissions share wording or structure.
- Incorrect citation: giving a reference that does not match the source you used, or citing a secondary source as if you had read the original.
- Contract cheating: submitting work produced by someone else as your own.
Quoting vs paraphrasing vs summarising
All three are legitimate ways to use sources, and all three need a citation. The difference is how much of the original wording and detail you keep.
- Quoting: copying the exact words inside quotation marks, with a citation (and a page number in most styles). Use it when the precise wording matters, such as a definition, a striking phrase or a statement you will analyse closely. Keep quotations short and occasional.
- Paraphrasing: restating a specific idea or passage in your own words and sentence structure, at roughly similar length. Use it for most evidence in academic writing, because it shows you understand the source.
- Summarising: condensing the main point of a longer passage, chapter or whole study into a sentence or two. Use it when you need the overall finding rather than the detail.
Tip: A useful balance for most essays is mainly paraphrase and summary, with only a few short quotations. Many markers see heavy quotation as a sign that the writer has not fully understood the material.
How to paraphrase: a step-by-step method
- 1Read the passage until you understand it fully. Look up any terms you are unsure about.
- 2Write down the key idea in a few words: what is the author actually claiming, and why?
- 3Close or cover the source. This is the most important step, because it stops you echoing the original sentence structure.
- 4Write the idea from memory, as if explaining it to a classmate, in your own words and sentence pattern.
- 5Compare your version with the original. Check that the meaning is accurate and that no distinctive phrases or sentence structures have been carried over.
- 6Keep technical terms that have no real alternative (for example 'supply chain' or 'employee engagement'), but change everything else that is the author's own wording.
- 7Add the citation immediately, so it never gets separated from the idea.
- 8Where possible, connect the paraphrase to your argument: explain why the point matters or how it relates to other sources.
Paraphrasing examples: before and after
The passage below was written for this guide. Imagine it comes from a book by a fictional author, Patel (2022), page 41.
Original: "Many small businesses adopted remote working quickly during periods of disruption, but few had formal policies in place. As a result, managers often relied on informal check-ins, which helped maintain communication but left expectations about availability unclear for many employees."
Weak paraphrase (patchwriting)
"Lots of small firms adopted remote working rapidly during times of disruption, but not many had formal policies. Consequently, managers frequently depended on informal check-ins, which helped keep communication going but left expectations about availability vague for a lot of staff (Patel, 2022)."
Why it is weak: the sentence structure, order of ideas and most of the phrasing are identical. Only individual words have been swapped. Even with a citation, many markers would treat this as poor academic practice or plagiarism.
Strong paraphrase
"Patel (2022) argues that, without written remote working policies, small business managers tended to keep in touch with staff through informal conversations. While this approach supported communication, it created uncertainty for employees about when they were expected to be available."
Why it works: the idea is the same, but the structure, vocabulary and emphasis are new. The source is named in the sentence, and the paraphrase is accurate without adding claims the author did not make.
Summary
"Informal management of remote working in small businesses supported communication but blurred expectations about availability (Patel, 2022)."
Paraphrase used critically
"Patel (2022) suggests that informal check-ins helped small firms maintain communication during remote working, although the lack of formal policies left employees unsure about availability. This implies that communication alone is not enough; clear written expectations may be needed to protect wellbeing." The final sentence is your own analysis, which is what lifts the paragraph from description to argument.
How to cite a paraphrase in Harvard and APA
Every paraphrase needs an in-text citation and a full entry in your reference list. Page numbers are required for direct quotations; for paraphrases they are often optional but encouraged, especially when you paraphrase a specific passage from a long book. Your department's guide has the final say, as Harvard in particular varies between universities.
Harvard style
- Author in the sentence: Patel (2022) argues that...
- Author in brackets: ...uncertainty about availability (Patel, 2022).
- With page number: (Patel, 2022, p. 41) or (Patel, 2022: 41), depending on your university's version.
APA 7th edition
- Author in the sentence: Patel (2022) argued that...
- Author in brackets: ...uncertainty about availability (Patel, 2022).
- With page number (optional for paraphrase): (Patel, 2022, p. 41).
Tip: If you paraphrase several sentences from the same source, make it clear where the borrowed material begins and ends. Name the author at the start and use phrases such as 'Patel also notes...' so the reader does not mistake the author's ideas for yours.
Note-taking habits that prevent accidental plagiarism
Most accidental plagiarism happens weeks before submission, when copied text slips into notes and later looks like your own writing. Good habits stop this at the source.
- Use a clear system: put exact copied text in quotation marks, or highlight it in a different colour, every time.
- Write your notes in your own words from the start, with the source and page number next to each point.
- Record full reference details as you read, ideally in a reference manager such as Zotero, Mendeley or EndNote.
- Keep your own ideas separate, for example by starting them with 'ME:' or using a separate column.
- Avoid pasting large chunks of articles into your draft 'to rewrite later'. Those passages are the ones most likely to survive into the final version.
- Be careful with AI tools and online paraphrasing tools. Rewording software can produce text that still follows the source closely, may change the meaning and does not add citations. Many universities also have specific rules on AI use, so check your policy.
What similarity reports (such as Turnitin) do and do not mean
Many UK universities run submissions through text-matching software such as Turnitin, which produces a similarity report. Understanding it removes a lot of unnecessary worry.
- It shows matching text, not plagiarism. The software highlights wording that matches its databases of web pages, publications and previously submitted work. A person then decides whether there is a problem.
- Properly quoted and referenced text can still be highlighted, as can your reference list, common phrases and technical terms, unless your tutor has set filters to exclude them.
- There is no universal 'safe' percentage. A low score can still hide a serious copied paragraph, and a higher score can be perfectly acceptable if it comes from correctly cited quotations and references.
- Patchwriting is often still detected, because strings of the original wording usually survive light rewording.
- Self-plagiarism can show up if you previously submitted similar work to the same system.
- Markers look at where the matches are and why, not just the number at the top of the report.
Tip: If your university lets you submit a draft and view the report, use it to find passages where your wording sits too close to a source, then rewrite them properly rather than just changing a few words.
Common paraphrasing and plagiarism mistakes
If you are unsure whether a section of your work relies too closely on its sources, a careful proofread and referencing check by the FIZBS team can highlight problem passages and inconsistent citations for you to fix.
- Swapping words for synonyms while keeping the original sentence structure.
- Paraphrasing accurately but forgetting the citation because the idea now 'feels' like yours.
- Changing the meaning of the source while trying to make the wording different.
- Citing only once at the end of a long paragraph built entirely from one source, leaving the reader unsure what is yours.
- Copying a citation from another author's reference list as if you had read the original.
- Reusing a paragraph from an earlier assignment without checking your university's rules.
- Leaving referencing until the end, when it is easy to lose track of sources.
- Relying on paraphrasing tools instead of understanding the source.
Need help with paraphrasing and referencing?
Good paraphrasing takes practice, and referencing rules vary between departments. FIZBS has supported students since 2015 across more than 115 subjects, and our experts hold Master's and PhD qualifications. We can help you check referencing in Harvard, APA, MLA, IEEE or OSCOLA, improve academic writing and spot passages that need clearer citation, so you understand how to fix them yourself.
Proofreading starts from £12 per 1,000 words, and essay and assignment support starts from £20 per 1,000 words. You can message us on WhatsApp 24/7 or book a call with an expert before ordering. All work is 100% confidential.
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