QuickParaphrase

How to paraphrase

Paraphrasing means restating someone else’s idea in your own words and your own sentence structure, then crediting them. Here is the method, with an example you can step through.

The five steps

  1. Read until you understand. If you can’t explain it to a friend, you are not ready to paraphrase it.
  2. Put the source away. Close the tab or turn the page over. This one step prevents most accidental copying.
  3. Write from memory. Start the sentence differently from the author, and explain the idea the way you would say it.
  4. Compare. Check the meaning is right and look for phrases of three or more words you carried over. Quote them or change them.
  5. Cite. The idea still belongs to the author: add the in-text citation and the reference entry.

The interactive example shows why step 2 matters. Step through four attempts at paraphrasing the same sentence and watch the overlap meter, which counts how many three-word sequences are borrowed from the original.

On ahaboo, you can work through visual explainers on subjects like why the Moon shows phases, drawn from trusted sources.

From copy to real paraphrase

Original: Sleep plays a critical role in memory, because the brain replays and strengthens the connections formed during the day while we are asleep.

Sleep plays a critical role in memory, because the brain replays and strengthens the connections formed during the day while we are asleep.

100% borrowed 3-word phrases0% reworded

Too close to the source. Word-for-word copying. Fine only inside quotation marks with a citation.

Check your own paraphrase

Paste the source and your version. The checker lists every three-word sequence you kept from the source. It runs in your browser only.

Results appear when both boxes have text.

Stuck on a sentence? The paraphrasing tool can suggest a draft, and the sentence rewriter offers five alternatives to learn from.

Paraphrasing techniques

TechniqueBeforeAfter
Change the starting pointSleep plays a critical role in memory…Memory depends heavily on sleep…
Active ↔ passiveThe brain strengthens connections.Connections are strengthened by the brain.
Change word class…plays a critical role…is critical
Split or merge sentencesOne long sentenceTwo short ones, or the reverse
Concrete restatement…replays and strengthens connections…goes back over what we learned and locks it in

Paraphrase, quote or summarize?

Quote when the exact words matter (a definition, a striking phrase, legal text). Paraphrase when you need the full idea of a specific passage in your voice. Summarize when you need only the main point of a longer text; try the summarizer. More on the differences in what is paraphrasing?

Example source: Walker, M. (2017). Why We Sleep. Scribner. The overlap meter is a teaching aid, not a plagiarism checker.

Frequently asked questions

What are the steps to paraphrase?

Read the passage until you understand it, put it away, write the idea from memory in your own words and structure, compare with the original to check meaning and borrowed phrases, then cite the source.

How much do I need to change when paraphrasing?

There is no official percentage. The test is whether the wording and sentence structure are your own. Keeping strings of three or more words from the source, or its sentence skeleton with synonyms swapped in, is usually considered too close. Quote those words instead.

Do I need to cite a paraphrase?

Yes. APA, MLA and Chicago all require a citation for paraphrased ideas. APA encourages, but does not require, a page number for paraphrases.

Can I keep technical terms when paraphrasing?

Yes. Specialist terms, names and numbers usually have no good substitute; keep them and change the language around them.

What is patchwriting?

Patchwriting, a term from writing researcher Rebecca Moore Howard, is copying a passage and just swapping in synonyms or deleting a few words. It keeps the source’s structure and is treated as plagiarism by most institutions even if cited.

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