When writing an academic or research paper, the topic is generally created from previous studies. Thus, it is up to you to develop a unique and original idea by looking for another aspect of the topic. It is common in academic writing to combine ideas from several sources and information to create your work. Copying and pasting from online documents have practically become a regular habit among students in this age when the internet is widely available.
To combine your thoughts and the available facts, however, you must read articles from different sources and utilise your own words to ensure their sources are correctly recorded. Paraphrasing and summarising skills are required to practise this integration ability. Failure to do so, whether deliberate or accidental, may result in plagiarism, a serious academic infraction leading to disciplinary measures.
To prevent plagiarism allegations, you must employ in-text citations and learn not to depend too much on source material. Instead of directly copying from multiple sources, you should practise paraphrasing and summarising the points. You should also accurately document your sources using an acceptable style guide, APA 7th edition or MLA, for your reference list or bibliography.
A. Tips for Paraphrasing Solutions
a. What is paraphrasing?
Paraphrasing is restating someone else's work in a different form using your own words without changing the original meaning. The paraphrased version has a similar meaning to the original text, including the essential ideas and arguments. This is essential for taking notes and academic writing. A decent paraphrase will not include any exact quotes from the source. You must rewrite the author's thoughts in your own words while maintaining the original meaning.
b. Why paraphrase?
Learning to paraphrase is a crucial skill for understanding particular information. How you paraphrase reveals how well you comprehended the original material. Simply repeating someone else's words does not demonstrate true knowledge. Paraphrasing is more than just substituting words; it is about recreating material from a text in your own words and rearranging the sentence structure. It might not be easy to rephrase or find fresh terms for a concept that is already clearly defined. There are methods for making paraphrasing easier.
c. How to paraphrase?
Paraphrasing can be done on word(s), phrase (s), sentence(s), and paragraph(s). Below are the nine popular paraphrasing approaches.
1. Synonym
A synonym is a word or phrase that means the same as or nearly the same as another word or phrase in the same language. A simple method for paraphrasing is to use suitable synonyms to transform complex words into easy terms. This approach is very beneficial when paraphrasing a sentence or a brief text. To discover a matching synonym, use a thesaurus or dictionary.
Read the original statement several times until you understand its genuine meaning. Highlight the keywords, phrases, and concepts other words or phrases represent. Using a thesaurus or a dictionary, change all the identified key terms. Make a copy of your paraphrased text to compare the meanings between the original and the one with the synonyms. If the overall meaning does not sound similar or match, create a new substitute for the related ones. Below are the examples:
Original
In the previous 20 years, the percentage of the impoverished population has increased dramatically.
Paraphrase
In the last two decades, the percentage of the underprivileged population has risen considerably.
2. Active and Passive Voices
If you wish to alter a passive-voice statement to an active-voice statement, look for the agent in a 'by the...' phrase or think about who or what is doing the action stated in the verb. Change the verb to make that agent the subject of the sentence. You may need to deduce the agent from the context provided by the surrounding phrases.
If you wish to alter an active-voice statement to a passive-voice statement, evaluate who or what is doing the action stated in the verb, and then make that agent the object of a 'by the...' phrase. Change the verb to a form of 'be + past participle' and make what is acted upon the subject of the words. It is optional to include the "by the..." phrase. Below are the examples:
Original
Interaction between local and foreign students promotes intercultural competency.
Paraphrase
intercultural competency is promoted by the interaction between local and foreign students.
3. Positive and Negative Expressions
Another paraphrasing approach is to transform a positive expression into a negative expression or a negative expression into a positive expression. Below are the examples:
Original
We can say nothing about these rules.
Paraphrase
We cannot say anything about these rules.
4. Word Forms
You may also switch between the parts of speech. If the sentence contains a noun, rephrase it to include the verb or adjective form of the word or vice versa. You can also rephrase an adjective to include the adverb form of the word if the sentence contains an adjective or vice versa. Below are the examples:
Change nouns to verbs or vice versa.
Original
Some routes are closed during peak hours to cause restrictions on the number of visitors.
Paraphrase
Some routes are closed during peak hours to restrict the number of visitors.
Change nouns to adjectives or vice versa.
Original
Her success was due to hard work rather than chance.
Paraphrase
Her successful achievement was due to hard work rather than chance.
Change adjectives to adverbs or vice versa.
Original
This company offers effective solutions to the environmental problems.
Paraphrase
This company solve effectively the environmental problems.
5. Linkers
If a few short sentences can be linked meaningfully together, you can consider using linkers. This is an approach for paraphrasing by using linkers such as although, therefore, because, unless, so that, and so on. Below are the examples:
Original
I was ill. I took my prescription. I went to work. I had to turn in my report the next day.
Paraphrase
Although I was ill, I went to work after taking my prescription since I had to turn in my report the next day.
6. Word Order
Another approach besides the method mentioned above of paraphrasing is to rearrange the words. Below are the examples:
Original
Just now I bought a variety of veggies, including spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and long beans.
Paraphrase
Just now I bought a variety of veggies, including cauliflower, long beans. broccoli, spinach, and cabbage.
7. Sentence Structure
Long sentences can be rearranged in the order of their clauses. The short sentences can also be merged with other short sentences and rearranged differently. Below are the examples:
Original
If we use technology wisely, it can improve our quality of life.
Paraphrase
Technology can improve our quality of life if we use it wisely.
8. Retelling
Another approach for paraphrasing is retelling. Retelling has grown in popularity as a teaching and assessment method. This approach is simple and useful to students of all levels. After hearing or reading a narrative, you will spontaneously recount thrilling events in the story. You learn to tell a tale or narrate an experience in a logical order using your own words. It is called retelling, as you use your words to express your encounter.
Read and comprehend the original content. Make a list of essential ideas in your own words and place the original text in one place. Refer back to your notes and retell the story in your own words. Then, jot it down. Check that you have incorporated all of the text's main aspects. Finally, compare your paraphrase to the actual text to ensure that your content is consistent with the original. Below are the examples:
Original
Obesity is becoming more prevalent. Genetic factors, a lack of physical exercise, bad eating habits, or a combination of these factors are the most typical reasons. Being overweight is only in rare situations caused by a medical ailment, such as a hormonal imbalance. A physical examination and some blood tests can rule out the potential that obesity is caused by a medical problem.
Paraphrase
Obesity is commonly caused by inherited factors, physical inactivity, bad eating habits, or a combination of these factors. Being overweight as a result of a medical issue is unusual. A medical test can rule out the potential of a medical problem being the root cause of obesity.
9. Chunking
The last approach is to break the original text into groupings of words, or 'chunks', and then explain the meaning of each chunk. This is very useful when working with lengthier paragraphs. Chunking is an approach for breaking down challenging language into more digestible chunks. Dividing text into smaller chunks allows you to discover essential phrases and concepts, improves your paraphrasing skills, and makes organising and synthesising knowledge simpler.
Read the original text completely. Underline the important concepts and divide the paragraph into parts. Instead of individual words, concentrate on phrases. Explain each section in your own terms. To paraphrase, combine these explanations into one or more phrases. To connect your thoughts, use sentence connectors and reorganise these chunks of information. Below are the examples:
Original
She began reading the letter with caution. She read the letter several times in order to understand the hidden message. She immediately answered later.
Paraphrase
She reads the letter initially with scepticism. She then read it several times to decipher the hidden message. Finally, she addressed the message given in the letter.
d. Let's practise!
Besides the nine approaches to paraphrasing mentioned above, you can consider these steps to paraphrase a text in general as follows:
First, thoroughly read the text.
Make educated guesses about the meanings of unknown terms as you read.
'What is the main topic of the text?' you should ask yourself.
If the main idea is not expressed immediately, go back through the text to discover the crucial words.
Seek important textual supporting facts to incorporate in your paraphrase.
Keep in mind to put down all main ideas in your own words.
Unless you intend to quote it, do not copy the content word for word.
Rely on your notes rather than the original text when rewriting the points.
Check your paraphrase of the original text to confirm that you utilised your own words while maintaining the original meaning.
Now, let us try to paraphrase the following by applying the relevant paraphrasing techniques.
Original
As the new year begins, Malaysians should consider how they may improve the quality of their own and other Malaysians' lives. This may be accomplished by being more polite and welcoming.
Paraphrase
With the dawn of the year, Malaysians should think about how they may bring improvement to their own lives as well as the lives of their fellow Malaysians. They can do this by practising greater warmth and kindness.
B. Tips for Summarising Solutions
a. What is summarising?
Another skill for using borrowed information from a third party is summarizing it. What is the distinction between a paraphrase and a summary? When you retell information that someone has told you, you do so in your own words. If your retelling is almost the same length as the original, it is a paraphrase.
It is a summary if you condense the tale by recounting only the most important aspects and leaving out the specifics. A summary is a condensed version of a longer work. It summarises the major elements of the text and is written entirely in your own words. It is a combination of shortening a long text and picking pertinent information. A solid summary demonstrates that you have comprehended the text.
b. What to be summarised?
As a summary is a brief overview of an entire topic or argument, you might describe a whole research paper or conversation in a single paragraph or in a series of bullet points, using your own language and style. Consolidate a writer's words and sum up the significant ideas in as little as possible of your very own words. Summaries exclude points or instances that may divert the reader's attention away from the most relevant information, and they simplify difficult arguments, syntax, and terminology.
c. Why summarise?
When the original content is lengthy or when you want to stress significant facts or themes, you frequently summarise it. You may be required to summarise an article or another source as a stand-alone exercise to demonstrate your comprehension of the content. Besides, summarising is needed to make notes to assist you to recall what you have read. In a literature review, a summary can provide an overview of the work of other scholars.
d. How to summarise?
Keep in mind that a summary is much shorter than the original text. Include only the essential points and supporting facts, leaving out the most specific details. Use your language and sentence structure; do not alter the original meaning. Here are the useful steps:
Read and comprehend the text thoroughly.
Consider the text's or author's intended purpose.
Choose the pertinent information depending on your goal or the instruction's requirement.
Find the core concepts that matter.
They are always seen in topic sentences.
Differentiate between the main idea and major and minor supporting details.
Delete the minor supporting details, like examples.
Discard irrelevant material, stories, examples, illustrations, facts, etc.
Determine the semantic relationships between or among the words or ideas, such as cause and effect, comparison and contrast, and problem and solution.
Paraphrase the text.
Use synonyms to replace the words or phrases that must be included in the summary.
Do not replace technical jargon or terminologies.
Change the structure of the text by:
rearranging words and phrases;
changing nouns to verbs;
changing adjectives to adverbs;
breaking up long sentences and
combining short sentences.
Shorten the text.
Compound and complex sentences should be reduced to simple sentences.
Simple sentences should be reduced to phrases.
Phrases should be reduced to single words.
Make a piece of continuous writing out of your notes.
Rewrite the important points in full sentences.
Use conjunctions and adverbs such as hence, although, however, and since to demonstrate the links between the concepts,
Edit your work.
Ensure that your goal is clear.
Ascertain that the meaning is the same.
Make sure that the style is your own.
e. Let's practise!
Let us try to summarise the following by applying all the above steps:
Original
Language is the primary means of intercultural communication. However, because so many distinct languages have evolved, language has frequently served as a barrier rather than a means of communication among people. For many years, people have wished for the establishment of an international universal language that everyone could speak and comprehend. The arguments in support of a universal language are straightforward. If everyone spoke the same language, cultural and economic links would be considerably stronger, and countries' goodwill would grow. (80 words)
Summary
Humans interact through language; nevertheless, having diverse languages creates communication difficulties. A universal language might unite countries together culturally and economically, as well as enhance goodwill among them. (28 words)
C. Should I Paraphrase or Summarise? Solutions
Students should be reminded not to plagiarize because there are easy ways to discover plagiarism by using electronic means, online tools, and critical reading. However, some information is deemed common knowledge and does not need recognition or citation. For example, if you are writing a research report, it does not need to be included in the reference list in the report's last section.
Both paraphrasing and summarising skills are equally useful. When done effectively, they may save time, boost understanding, and provide authority and credibility to your work. When considering whether to paraphrase or summarise, consider the importance of the source's precise words or concepts, the goal, and the length of your writing.
You can consider paraphrasing if you wish to restate someone else's precise words in your language at similar levels of detail. The paraphrased text is not necessarily shorter than the original version since it takes a specific part of the source and restates it meaningfully. Nevertheless, you can consider summarising if you wish to condense the essential concepts of someone else's work into something of a shorter form.
To share your thoughts by commenting on this post, kindly sign up as a member by filling in your details in the Contact below.
コメント