Paraphrasing

Plagiarism:
•An unacceptable method of presenting research
•Presenting someone else’s work/ideas as your own

Unintentional Plagiarism:Unintentional plagiarism occurs when writers are careless about paraphrasing and citing. They think they are doing each properly, but are not.

Paraphrasing
•An acceptable method of presenting research
•The use of research that is presented in a new form.

To avoid plagiarizing:
1.Use research to support your points, not to make them for you. Try writing a rough draft before you use any research, so you have your own points clearly stated. Then decide where you need research to build your argument, or to lend it credibility.

2.Once you have found information that can help you, take POINT-FORM notes. If you record more than three words in a row, be sure to use quotation marks.

3. Record any information you will need for your works cited page.

4.Use your point-form notes, not the original source, to add the research to your draft. When you do not have the original to refer to, you are less likely to copy someone else’s writing style or ideas.

Below are examples of unsuccessful and successful paraphrasing:

Original paragraph: It is well known that exercise helps to alleviate stress. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Association (NHLBA) endorse exercise as a way to reduce stress, and recommends cardiovascular exercise that elevates the heart rate for 15 to 30 minutes–three to four times a week. The American Psychology Association has conducted numerous studies indicating the beneficial effects of exercise in dealing with stress. Exercise releases endorphins into the blood stream. Endorphins are “feel good” hormones and are the body’s natural pain-killers. They also generate the sensory perception of physical well-being, which in turn contributes to emotional and mental health.

Paraphrase #1 (too close to original) Everyone knows that exercise can help to alleviate stress. In fact, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Association endorse exercise as a good way to cut down on stress and suggests that we need cardiovascular exercise for 15 to 30 minutes three to four times a week. There have also been many studies by the American Psychology Association that show that exercise is a good way to deal with stress. This is because exercise releases endorphins, the “feel good” hormones, into the blood. These hormones also bring about the perception of well-being, so emotional and mental health improves (Krogue).

Successful paraphrase: We all know that exercise is necessary to help us to lose weight and to fight off potentially deadly diseases. But there are two other extremely good reasons to get off the couch and get moving: exercise will make us feel good and can help us fight stress. This is because when we exercise, our bodies release “feel good” hormones called endorphins into our blood stream (Krogue). As a result, we feel better both physically and emotionally. And, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Association, all we have to do to get this natural high is elevate our heart rates “for 15 to 30 minutes, three to four times a week” (Krogue). Seems like a good trade to me.