How to Paraphrase Without Plagiarizing
Updated June 2026
Paraphrasing is restating someone else's idea in your own words and sentence structure — and, crucially, it still needs a citation. Most academic writing is paraphrase rather than quotation, because it shows you understood the source rather than just copied it.
The trap is that changing a few words is not paraphrasing — it's patchwriting, a form of plagiarism. This guide shows the technique that produces a real paraphrase, with a worked before-and-after.
Paraphrase vs. quote vs. summary
All three require a citation. The only difference is whether quotation marks and a locator are required.
- Quote — the author's exact words, in quotation marks, with a locator. Use when the precise wording matters.
- Paraphrase — one idea from the source, fully in your words and structure, cited. Use most of the time.
- Summary — the gist of a longer passage compressed into a sentence or two, cited once.
The technique that actually works
- Read the passage until you understand it — paraphrase comprehension, not vocabulary.
- Close the source. This is the step people skip; you can't copy structure you can't see.
- Write the idea in your own words as if explaining it to a classmate.
- Reopen and check — accuracy (you didn't distort it) and distance (you didn't reproduce its phrasing or sentence shape).
- Add the citation — the idea is borrowed even though the words are yours.
Before and after
Original: "Sleep does not merely protect memories from interference; it actively consolidates them, with slow-wave sleep favoring declarative memory."
Patchwriting (plagiarism): "Sleep doesn't just protect memories from interference; it actively consolidates them, with slow-wave sleep favoring declarative memory (Rasch & Born, 2013)." — Same structure, a few words swapped. Still plagiarism, citation notwithstanding.
Real paraphrase: "Rasch and Born (2013) argue that sleep plays an active role in memory: rather than just shielding new memories, it strengthens them, and the deep stages of sleep seem especially important for fact-based recall." — Different structure, different wording, same meaning, properly credited.
Paraphrases still need a citation — and sometimes a locator
Every paraphrase carries an in-text citation. In APA a page number is encouraged for a paraphrase (optional but helpful); for a direct quote it's required. Generate the source's full citation here, and see the in-text patterns in APA In-Text Citations and MLA In-Text Citations.
Rasch, B., & Born, J. (2013). About sleep's role in memory. Physiological Reviews, 93(2), 681-766. https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.00032.2012
Common paraphrasing mistakes
For more on what crosses the line, see What Is Plagiarism?. Purdue OWL's guide to paraphrasing is an excellent free reference with additional exercises.
- Synonym-swapping — replacing words while keeping the sentence shape. That's patchwriting.
- Dropping the citation — "it's in my own words" doesn't remove the need to credit the idea.
- Paraphrasing with the source open — almost guarantees structural copying.
- Distorting the meaning — a paraphrase must stay faithful to what the author actually said.
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Go Premium — $5/monthFrequently asked questions
- Do paraphrases need a citation?
- Yes — always. Paraphrasing borrows the idea, so it's cited just like a quote. The difference is that a paraphrase has no quotation marks, and in APA the page number is encouraged but optional.
- How is paraphrasing different from patchwriting?
- A real paraphrase changes both wording and sentence structure and is written with the source closed. Patchwriting keeps the original structure and swaps a few words — that's plagiarism, even with a citation.
- How much do I need to change for it to count as paraphrasing?
- It's not a word count — it's structure and phrasing. If someone could lay your sentence over the original and see the same skeleton, it's too close. Write it from memory, then check.
- Should I quote or paraphrase?
- Paraphrase most of the time — it shows understanding. Quote only when the exact wording is the point (a definition, a memorable phrase, contested language).