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Ref-n-Write: Scientific Research Paper Writing Software

Paraphrasing Tool – Academic Rephrase Tool for Researchers

Ref-n-write’s paraphrasing tool has a powerful AI (Artificial Intelligence) module that is specifically designed for academic writing. It is very important to avoid plagiarism when it comes to academic writing. You can no longer use your own text after it is published, it should be paraphrased manually or with a good rephrase tool, otherwise it will be considered self-plagiarism . Ref-n-write has been ranked as one of the best paraphrasing tools available out there. Ref-n-write’s legacy phrase templates feature offers the ability to rephrase sentences individually, while the newly added paraphrasing tool allows the users to rephrase paragraphs with one click. These tools work hand-in-hand with the academic phrasebank and rewording tools to provide a full suite of tools for researchers. This makes Ref-n-write one of the best research tools available for students and academics. In a recent survey of rewriter tools available to students and academics to reduce plagiarism, Ref-n-write was rated as the best scholarly paraphrasing tool . Click here to see the video of paraphrasing tool in action rephrasing a paragraph.

What is a Paraphrasing Tool?

A paraphrasing tool is used to rewrite or rephrase a sentence without altering its meaning. This is accomplished by substituting any number of alternate versions for specific words, phrases, sentences, or even whole paragraphs to create a slightly different variant.

How do you use the Ref-n-Write’s Paraphrasing Tool in Word?

You have to select a passage and click the ‘Paraphrase’ button in the Ref-n-write’s button panel. Ref-n-Write will rewrite the text and display the results in the panels below. Following figure demonstrates Ref-n-Write’s paraphrasing tool in action.

Screenshot of paraphrasing tool

Can Ref-n-write’s Paraphrasing Tool correct grammatical errors in the text?

The Ref-n-Write’s paraphrasing tool functions as a grammar checker. In addition to rephrasing and rewording the text the tool can detect and correct grammatical errors. You don't have to spend extra money on a separate grammar check as these tools can be quite expensive and you have to sign up for an annual subscription.

Paraphrasing Tool correcting Grammatical errors

How do you Rephrase a Sentence?

Rephrasing a sentence follows the same process as paraphrasing, but the most important consideration is to make the sentence clearer. Rephrasing may or may not be coupled with rewording or synonym adjustments. It may only entail rearranging the original sentence as long as clarity is obtained.

Can Ref-n-write Rephrase a Sentence?

Perfectly! It is an all-in-one tool that will assist you with every aspect of academic writing. Ref-n-write makes it very easy to rephrase, reword, rewrite, paraphrase, cite and avoid plagiarism.

Is it Okay to use a Paraphrasing tool?

Yes, it is okay to use a paraphrasing tool. However, there has been much debate about whether or not using a paraphrasing tool is a good practice. Some may argue that it prevents authors and students from improving their ability to express themselves in their own words. As with any invention, these paraphrasing tools can be misused. But that doesn’t mean using them is bad. These tools provide suggestions and ideas to help the user paraphrase, but the final product is still up to the user. Only when authors, students, or users see these paraphrasing tools as a direct substitute for citation does it become a bad practice.

How do you Paraphrase Correctly?

  • • Read the text to get an understanding of its message and flow.
  • • Identify and highlight keywords that must not be changed to retain the text’s meaning.
  • • Identify words that can be rearranged or moved without changing the meaning or flow of the text.
  • • Identify words and phrases that can be changed and replace them with appropriate synonyms.
  • • Double-check that you included all of the vital information in the original text.

How do you Professionally Paraphrase?

You Paraphrase professionally by following our guidelines on paraphrasing correctly and appropriately citing and referencing the source materials. A paraphrasing tool (ideally Ref-n-write) will make the process quicker and faster, increase the overall quality of your work, and provide you with a greater variety of ideas to work with.

How do you Rephrase a Paragraph?

  • • Paraphrasing each sentence that makes up the paragraph.
  • • Ensuring there is an adequate flow from sentence to sentence
  • • Ensuring every sentence is clear
  • • Ensuring the meaning of each sentence and the overall message of the whole paragraph is not altered

How can I make a Sentence Better?

It is essential that a good sentence be clear, concise, appropriately punctuated, free of grammar errors, and have a proper flow. All of the elements stated above must be improved for a sentence to be better. Effective paraphrasing may help you improve a sentence, and employing the right paraphrasing tools can help you improve a sentence even more.

Can you use the Ref-n-Write’s Paraphrasing Tool Offline?

Most of the existing rephrase tools requires access to the internet. On the contrary, the Ref-n-write’s paraphrasing tool can be operated in both online and offline modes. Following images show the rephrased output of the paraphrasing tool when operating in online and offline modes. If you look at the rephrased paragraph, you will notice that the rephrased sentences are colour coded in offline mode indicating the confidence of each word replacement - green means very confident; blue means moderately confident and red means not very confident. There is no colour coding in the online mode, however the quality of rephrasing is much better in the online paraphrasing mode compared to the offline mode. It is highly recommended to use the paraphrasing tool in online mode since this is much more powerful than the offline mode.

How do you Paraphrase a file with Ref-n-Write?

Ref-n-Write allows users to paraphrase their file one passage at a time. This enables the author to learn and understand the paraphrasing process and do it without outside help in the future. Since Ref-n-write is a Microsoft Word add-in, paraphrasing can be applied directly to the document without losing the formatting.

What is the best free online paraphrasing tool?

There is no such thing as the best online paraphrasing tool. An excellent online paraphrasing tool should provide final paraphrased results that adhere to the steps recommended in our guideline to correctly paraphrasing. Ref-n-write provides a 15-day free trial period in which you can test the paraphrasing feature before charging a one-time fee.

Can I get the paraphrasing tool for free?

As the saying goes, “the great ones don’t come cheap.” Ref-n-write is the best academic paraphrasing tool available. It is a Microsoft Word add-in that is compatible with both Windows and Mac computers. If you are a scholar, student, researcher, author, or you have a job that requires a lot of writing, Ref-n-write is the best for you. Ref-n-write provides a 15-day free trial period before charging a one-time fee of around £29.99 for the full version. That is significantly less expensive than any other paraphrasing tool that charges a monthly fee. It aids in citation and allows you to import your source materials and conduct a full-text search to avoid plagiarism. Ref-n-write is the most affordable all-in-one paraphrasing tool available.

What is the difference between free and paid Paraphrasing tool?

Paraphrasing with a free or paid tool follows the same steps as mentioned above for correctly paraphrasing. However, when compared to the paid version of Ref-n-write, using a free tool has some limitations on the word count of the text being paraphrased.

Is Ref-n-write Paraphrasing Tool Safe?

Ref-n-write’s paraphrasing tools are secure and dependable. They take the security and privacy of their members seriously, and they operate in line with all relevant privacy and data protection legislation.

Is using Paraphrasing Tool Cheating?

Some may argue that employing paraphrasing tools is unethical because the information is not original and the tools do not acknowledge the original writer. Paraphrasing, on the other hand, is not plagiarism if adequately cited and referenced. Hence, utilising paraphrasing tools with correct citation and reference is not considered cheating.

Is Paraphrasing Tool Legit?

The utilisation of paraphrase tools determines their legitimacy. When used correctly, they are legal; nevertheless, when misused, they constitute plagiarism, which is illegal. True, these paraphrase tools make work easier and faster, especially when one is on a tight deadline, but they must be utilised correctly.

Can Turnitin Detect Paraphrasing Tool?

An excellent way to avoid plagiarism scanners is by paraphrasing. Turnitin’s algorithms do not detect paraphrasing. They are primarily concerned with recognising similar language structures, grammatical patterns, and phrases. This paraphrasing tool will not be flagged as plagiarised as long as it generates unique content that exhibits little or no similarity to anything in the Turnitin database.

Is Paraphrasing Tool Plagiarism?

As previously stated, combining paraphrasing tools with proper citation and referencing is a good practice. Yes, some of these paraphrasing tools can produce 100% unique content, but the source material should be acknowledged. As a result, if proper citation is not used, a paraphrasing tool can constitute plagiarism.

Is there a Website that can Paraphrase Sentences for you?

You can try the Ref-n-write paraphrasing tool on the website, however it is recommended to install the plugin on your Microsoft Word as it offers more options and is easy to use. If you conduct a Google search, you will be presented with an unending list of websites to consider. Many of these websites reword sentences; they do not adequately rewrite them.

What is the Best Paid Paraphrasing tool?

We are possibly the best paid paraphrasing tool available. Ref-n-write does more than just paraphrase; it also assists with citation and referencing and allows you to import all of your source materials and perform a full-text search to check for similarity and text overlap. Our academic phrase bank provides you with a variety of phrases related to your topic of interest from which to choose. Ref-n-write helps you enhance your writing to suit today’s standards. Oh, and did I forget to mention that it is very affordable compared to other paid tools? We give you good value for your money.

How do you Use the Paraphrasing Tool in Word?

Microsoft Word’s Web version now includes rewrite suggestions, but it is very basic. However, this is a new function and has not yet been implemented on the PC or mobile versions. There are various paraphrasing tools available as Microsoft Word add-ins on PC, including Ref-n-write and many others. These add-ins will assist you in rewording your texts in a variety of ways.

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paraphrasing in academic writing

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Paraphraser

Make your academic writing clear and original.

See how we are better than Quillbot

We took an abstract from a research paper and pit ourselves against Quillbot. While Quillbot simply restructures sentences with a few different words here and there, SciSpace’s paraphraser gives fresh, unique content while retaining the meaning of the source text. See for yourself.

In the past, Internet users primarily consumed material online, whether it was text, video, or audio. Yet, users are increasingly turning to tools like wikis, blogs, social networking sites, and video sharing websites to produce, alter, distribute, and debate online media.

Traditionally, consumers used the Internet to simply expend content: they read it, they watched it, and they used it to buy products and services.

Gone are the days when Internet enthusiasts were satisfied with merely browsing online content, be it in textual, visual, or auditory form. Nowadays, these users have taken to embracing a vast array of innovative resources such as wikis, blogs, social media platforms, and video-sharing sites to create, modify, circulate, and discuss online content.

In the past, the digital realm was a mere conduit for consumers to access information, passively absorbing it through reading, viewing, and purchasing.

Internet users used to rely heavily on the Internet for their media consumption needs. Wikis, blogs, social networking sites, and video sharing websites are just a few examples of the tools that people are increasingly resorting to in order to create, modify, disseminate, and discuss online material.

In the past, users' primary Internet activities was content consumption (reading, watching videos, and making purchases).

If you're using a paraphrasing tool, be smart about it

Improve your writing with ease using SciSpace's paraphrasing tool. Enjoy powerful features designed to save your time and give a better quality output.

Style your text in any tone

Connect with your audience better by conveying the words you want in the way you want. Choose from 22 preset tones or customize your tone to sound like any personality you have in mind.

Paraphrase into 75 languages

Overcome language barriers and express yourself freely in 75 languages. Choose your preferred language and style your text without worrying about your language proficiency.

Customize the length and variation of paraphrased text

Not everyone has the same needs while paraphrasing. Some want to tweak a few phrases, while others want to completely restructure their text. That’s why SciSpace’s paraphrasing tool allows you to choose the extent to which you want to paraphrase.

Stay in charge of your content

A paraphrasing tool is a mere AI assistant. You get to call the shots. So, feel free to edit the output content, whether you want to change a particular word or a sentence.

Perform AI detection

Ensure originality even if your source text was written by an AI. Analyze the text for AI-written content and rephrase accordingly. And if you want a more detailed AI report, head over to our AI detector.

SciSpace’s paraphrasing tool brings out the best in your writing

Our paraphraser is simple and intuitive, giving you the best paraphrased output every single time.

🔎Develop your styleParaphrase in any tone
📚Multilingual paraphrasingParaphrase in 75 languages
📝Custom outputDefine paraphrasing length and variation
⚡️Stay originalDetect for AI and edit freely

Some commonly asked questions about paraphrasing tools

  • What is a paraphrasing tool? A paraphraser or paraphrasing tool is a software that assists users in changing the words and structure of text without taking away the meaning. Paraphrasing tools are handy for writers who refer to other sources often in their writing.
  • Is paraphrasing illegal?
  • Is using a paraphrasing tool cheating?
  • Can a paraphrasing tool help me avoid plagiarism?
  • How can I paraphrase into another language?
  • How do I cite a paraphrase?
  • How does paraphrasing different from plagiarism?
  • What are the things I should keep in mind when paraphrasing?

Explore our range of reading and writing tools

Ease up your research workflow with SciSpace's cohort of exciting AI tools

SciSpace Copilot

Ai detector, citation generator.

Frequently asked questions

How do i paraphrase effectively.

To paraphrase effectively, don’t just take the original sentence and swap out some of the words for synonyms. Instead, try:

  • Reformulating the sentence (e.g., change active to passive , or start from a different point)
  • Combining information from multiple sentences into one
  • Leaving out information from the original that isn’t relevant to your point
  • Using synonyms where they don’t distort the meaning

The main point is to ensure you don’t just copy the structure of the original text, but instead reformulate the idea in your own words.

Frequently asked questions: Citing sources

A scientific citation style is a system of source citation that is used in scientific disciplines. Some commonly used scientific citation styles are:

  • Chicago author-date , CSE , and Harvard , used across various sciences
  • ACS , used in chemistry
  • AMA , NLM , and Vancouver , used in medicine and related disciplines
  • AAA , APA , and ASA , commonly used in the social sciences

There are many different citation styles used across different academic disciplines, but they fall into three basic approaches to citation:

  • Parenthetical citations : Including identifying details of the source in parentheses —usually the author’s last name and the publication date, plus a page number if available ( author-date ). The publication date is occasionally omitted ( author-page ).
  • Numerical citations: Including a number in brackets or superscript, corresponding to an entry in your numbered reference list.
  • Note citations: Including a full citation in a footnote or endnote , which is indicated in the text with a superscript number or symbol.

A source annotation in an annotated bibliography fulfills a similar purpose to an abstract : they’re both intended to summarize the approach and key points of a source.

However, an annotation may also evaluate the source , discussing the validity and effectiveness of its arguments. Even if your annotation is purely descriptive , you may have a different perspective on the source from the author and highlight different key points.

You should never just copy text from the abstract for your annotation, as doing so constitutes plagiarism .

Most academics agree that you shouldn’t cite Wikipedia as a source in your academic writing , and universities often have rules against doing so.

This is partly because of concerns about its reliability, and partly because it’s a tertiary source. Tertiary sources are things like encyclopedias and databases that collect information from other sources rather than presenting their own evidence or analysis. Usually, only primary and secondary sources are cited in academic papers.

A Wikipedia citation usually includes the title of the article, “Wikipedia” and/or “Wikimedia Foundation,” the date the article was last updated, and the URL.

In APA Style , you’ll give the URL of the current revision of the article so that you’re sure the reader accesses the same version as you.

There’s some disagreement about whether Wikipedia can be considered a reliable source . Because it can be edited by anyone, many people argue that it’s easy for misleading information to be added to an article without the reader knowing.

Others argue that because Wikipedia articles cite their sources , and because they are worked on by so many editors, misinformation is generally removed quickly.

However, most universities state that you shouldn’t cite Wikipedia in your writing.

Hanging indents are used in reference lists in various citation styles to allow the reader to easily distinguish between entries.

You should apply a hanging indent to your reference entries in APA , MLA , and Chicago style.

A hanging indent is used to indent all lines of a paragraph except the first.

When you create a hanging indent, the first line of the paragraph starts at the border. Each subsequent line is indented 0.5 inches (1.27 cm).

APA and MLA style both use parenthetical in-text citations to cite sources and include a full list of references at the end, but they differ in other ways:

  • APA in-text citations include the author name, date, and page number (Taylor, 2018, p. 23), while MLA in-text citations include only the author name and page number (Taylor 23).
  • The APA reference list is titled “References,” while MLA’s version is called “ Works Cited .”
  • The reference entries differ in terms of formatting and order of information.
  • APA requires a title page , while MLA requires a header instead.

A parenthetical citation in Chicago author-date style includes the author’s last name, the publication date, and, if applicable, the relevant page number or page range in parentheses . Include a comma after the year, but not after the author’s name.

For example: (Swan 2003, 6)

To automatically generate accurate Chicago references, you can use Scribbr’s free Chicago reference generator .

APA Style distinguishes between parenthetical and narrative citations.

In parenthetical citations , you include all relevant source information in parentheses at the end of the sentence or clause: “Parts of the human body reflect the principles of tensegrity (Levin, 2002).”

In narrative citations , you include the author’s name in the text itself, followed by the publication date in parentheses: “Levin (2002) argues that parts of the human body reflect the principles of tensegrity.”

In a parenthetical citation in MLA style , include the author’s last name and the relevant page number or range in parentheses .

For example: (Eliot 21)

A parenthetical citation gives credit in parentheses to a source that you’re quoting or paraphrasing . It provides relevant information such as the author’s name, the publication date, and the page number(s) cited.

How you use parenthetical citations will depend on your chosen citation style . It will also depend on the type of source you are citing and the number of authors.

APA does not permit the use of ibid. This is because APA in-text citations are parenthetical and there’s no need to shorten them further.

Ibid. may be used in Chicago footnotes or endnotes .

Write “Ibid.” alone when you are citing the same page number and source as the previous citation.

When you are citing the same source, but a different page number, use ibid. followed by a comma and the relevant page number(s). For example:

  • Ibid., 40–42.

Only use ibid . if you are directing the reader to a previous full citation of a source .

Ibid. only refers to the previous citation. Therefore, you should only use ibid. directly after a citation that you want to repeat.

Ibid. is an abbreviation of the Latin “ibidem,” meaning “in the same place.” Ibid. is used in citations to direct the reader to the previous source.

Signal phrases can be used in various ways and can be placed at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence.

To use signal phrases effectively, include:

  • The name of the scholar(s) or study you’re referencing
  • An attributive tag such as “according to” or “argues that”
  • The quote or idea you want to include

Different citation styles require you to use specific verb tenses when using signal phrases.

  • APA Style requires you to use the past or present perfect tense when using signal phrases.
  • MLA and Chicago requires you to use the present tense when using signal phrases.

Signal phrases allow you to give credit for an idea or quote to its author or originator. This helps you to:

  • Establish the credentials of your sources
  • Display your depth of reading and understanding of the field
  • Position your own work in relation to other scholars
  • Avoid plagiarism

A signal phrase is a group of words that ascribes a quote or idea to an outside source.

Signal phrases distinguish the cited idea or argument from your own writing and introduce important information including the source of the material that you are quoting , paraphrasing , or summarizing . For example:

“ Cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker (1994) insists that humans possess an innate faculty for comprehending grammar.”

If you’re quoting from a text that paraphrases or summarizes other sources and cites them in parentheses , APA and Chicago both recommend retaining the citations as part of the quote. However, MLA recommends omitting citations within a quote:

  • APA: Smith states that “the literature on this topic (Jones, 2015; Sill, 2019; Paulson, 2020) shows no clear consensus” (Smith, 2019, p. 4).
  • MLA: Smith states that “the literature on this topic shows no clear consensus” (Smith, 2019, p. 4).

Footnote or endnote numbers that appear within quoted text should be omitted in all styles.

If you want to cite an indirect source (one you’ve only seen quoted in another source), either locate the original source or use the phrase “as cited in” in your citation.

In scientific subjects, the information itself is more important than how it was expressed, so quoting should generally be kept to a minimum. In the arts and humanities, however, well-chosen quotes are often essential to a good paper.

In social sciences, it varies. If your research is mainly quantitative , you won’t include many quotes, but if it’s more qualitative , you may need to quote from the data you collected .

As a general guideline, quotes should take up no more than 5–10% of your paper. If in doubt, check with your instructor or supervisor how much quoting is appropriate in your field.

To present information from other sources in academic writing , it’s best to paraphrase in most cases. This shows that you’ve understood the ideas you’re discussing and incorporates them into your text smoothly.

It’s appropriate to quote when:

  • Changing the phrasing would distort the meaning of the original text
  • You want to discuss the author’s language choices (e.g., in literary analysis )
  • You’re presenting a precise definition
  • You’re looking in depth at a specific claim

“ Et al. ” is an abbreviation of the Latin term “et alia,” which means “and others.” It’s used in source citations to save space when there are too many authors to name them all.

Guidelines for using “et al.” differ depending on the citation style you’re following:

To insert endnotes in Microsoft Word, follow the steps below:

  • Click on the spot in the text where you want the endnote to show up.
  • In the “References” tab at the top, select “Insert Endnote.”
  • Type whatever text you want into the endnote.

If you need to change the type of notes used in a Word document from footnotes to endnotes , or the other way around, follow these steps:

  • Open the “References” tab, and click the arrow in the bottom-right corner of the “Footnotes” section.
  • In the pop-up window, click on “Convert…”
  • Choose the option you need, and click “OK.”

To insert a footnote automatically in a Word document:

  • Click on the point in the text where the footnote should appear
  • Select the “References” tab at the top and then click on “Insert Footnote”
  • Type the text you want into the footnote that appears at the bottom of the page

Footnotes are notes indicated in your text with numbers and placed at the bottom of the page. They’re used to provide:

  • Citations (e.g., in Chicago notes and bibliography )
  • Additional information that would disrupt the flow of the main text

Be sparing in your use of footnotes (other than citation footnotes), and consider whether the information you’re adding is relevant for the reader.

Footnotes appear at the bottom of the page they refer to. This is convenient for the reader but may cause your text to look cluttered if there are a lot of footnotes.

Endnotes appear all together at the end of the whole text. This may be less convenient for the reader but reduces clutter.

Both footnotes and endnotes are used in the same way: to cite sources or add extra information. You should usually choose one or the other to use in your text, not both.

An in-text citation is an acknowledgement you include in your text whenever you quote or paraphrase a source. It usually gives the author’s last name, the year of publication, and the page number of the relevant text. In-text citations allow the reader to look up the full source information in your reference list and see your sources for themselves.

If you are reusing content or data you used in a previous assignment, make sure to cite yourself. You can cite yourself just as you would cite any other source: simply follow the directions for that source type in the citation style you are using.

Keep in mind that reusing your previous work can be considered self-plagiarism , so make sure you ask your professor or consult your university’s handbook before doing so.

A credible source should pass the CRAAP test  and follow these guidelines:

  • The information should be up to date and current.
  • The author and publication should be a trusted authority on the subject you are researching.
  • The sources the author cited should be easy to find, clear, and unbiased.
  • For a web source, the URL and layout should signify that it is trustworthy.

Peer review is a process of evaluating submissions to an academic journal. Utilizing rigorous criteria, a panel of reviewers in the same subject area decide whether to accept each submission for publication. For this reason, academic journals are often considered among the most credible sources you can use in a research project– provided that the journal itself is trustworthy and well-regarded.

Academic dishonesty can be intentional or unintentional, ranging from something as simple as claiming to have read something you didn’t to copying your neighbor’s answers on an exam.

You can commit academic dishonesty with the best of intentions, such as helping a friend cheat on a paper. Severe academic dishonesty can include buying a pre-written essay or the answers to a multiple-choice test, or falsifying a medical emergency to avoid taking a final exam.

Academic dishonesty refers to deceitful or misleading behavior in an academic setting. Academic dishonesty can occur intentionally or unintentionally, and varies in severity.

It can encompass paying for a pre-written essay, cheating on an exam, or committing plagiarism . It can also include helping others cheat, copying a friend’s homework answers, or even pretending to be sick to miss an exam.

Academic dishonesty doesn’t just occur in a classroom setting, but also in research and other academic-adjacent fields.

To apply a hanging indent to your reference list or Works Cited list in Word or Google Docs, follow the steps below.

Microsoft Word:

  • Highlight the whole list and right click to open the Paragraph options.
  • Under Indentation > Special , choose Hanging from the dropdown menu.
  • Set the indent to 0.5 inches or 1.27cm.

Google Docs:

  • Highlight the whole list and click on Format >  Align and indent >  Indentation options .
  • Under  Special indent , choose Hanging from the dropdown menu.

When the hanging indent is applied, for each reference, every line except the first is indented. This helps the reader see where one entry ends and the next begins.

For a published interview (whether in video , audio, or print form ), you should always include a citation , just as you would for any other source.

For an interview you conducted yourself , formally or informally, you often don’t need a citation and can just refer to it in the text or in a footnote , since the reader won’t be able to look them up anyway. MLA , however, still recommends including citations for your own interviews.

The main elements included in a newspaper interview citation across APA , MLA , and Chicago style are the names of the interviewer and interviewee, the interview title, the publication date, the name of the newspaper, and a URL (for online sources).

The information is presented differently in different citation styles. One key difference is that APA advises listing the interviewer in the author position, while MLA and Chicago advise listing the interviewee first.

The elements included in a newspaper article citation across APA , MLA , and Chicago style are the author name, the article title, the publication date, the newspaper name, and the URL if the article was accessed online .

In APA and MLA, the page numbers of the article appear in place of the URL if the article was accessed in print. No page numbers are used in Chicago newspaper citations.

Untitled sources (e.g. some images ) are usually cited using a short descriptive text in place of the title. In APA Style , this description appears in brackets: [Chair of stained oak]. In MLA and Chicago styles, no brackets are used: Chair of stained oak.

For social media posts, which are usually untitled, quote the initial words of the post in place of the title: the first 160 characters in Chicago , or the first 20 words in APA . E.g. Biden, J. [@JoeBiden]. “The American Rescue Plan means a $7,000 check for a single mom of four. It means more support to safely.”

MLA recommends quoting the full post for something short like a tweet, and just describing the post if it’s longer.

The main elements included in image citations across APA , MLA , and Chicago style are the name of the image’s creator, the image title, the year (or more precise date) of publication, and details of the container in which the image was found (e.g. a museum, book , website ).

In APA and Chicago style, it’s standard to also include a description of the image’s format (e.g. “Photograph” or “Oil on canvas”). This sort of information may be included in MLA too, but is not mandatory.

The main elements included in a lecture citation across APA , MLA , and Chicago style are the name of the speaker, the lecture title, the date it took place, the course or event it was part of, and the institution it took place at.

For transcripts or recordings of lectures/speeches, other details like the URL, the name of the book or website , and the length of the recording may be included instead of information about the event and institution.

The main elements included in a YouTube video citation across APA , MLA , and Chicago style are the name of the author/uploader, the title of the video, the publication date, and the URL.

The format in which this information appears is different for each style.

All styles also recommend using timestamps as a locator in the in-text citation or Chicago footnote .

Each annotation in an annotated bibliography is usually between 50 and 200 words long. Longer annotations may be divided into paragraphs .

The content of the annotation varies according to your assignment. An annotation can be descriptive, meaning it just describes the source objectively; evaluative, meaning it assesses its usefulness; or reflective, meaning it explains how the source will be used in your own research .

Any credible sources on your topic can be included in an annotated bibliography . The exact sources you cover will vary depending on the assignment, but you should usually focus on collecting journal articles and scholarly books . When in doubt, utilize the CRAAP test !

An annotated bibliography is an assignment where you collect sources on a specific topic and write an annotation for each source. An annotation is a short text that describes and sometimes evaluates the source.

The elements included in journal article citations across APA , MLA , and Chicago style are the name(s) of the author(s), the title of the article, the year of publication, the name of the journal, the volume and issue numbers, the page range of the article, and, when accessed online, the DOI or URL.

In MLA and Chicago style, you also include the specific month or season of publication alongside the year, when this information is available.

In APA , MLA , and Chicago style citations for sources that don’t list a specific author (e.g. many websites ), you can usually list the organization responsible for the source as the author.

If the organization is the same as the website or publisher, you shouldn’t repeat it twice in your reference:

  • In APA and Chicago, omit the website or publisher name later in the reference.
  • In MLA, omit the author element at the start of the reference, and cite the source title instead.

If there’s no appropriate organization to list as author, you will usually have to begin the citation and reference entry with the title of the source instead.

The main elements included in website citations across APA , MLA , and Chicago style are the author, the date of publication, the page title, the website name, and the URL. The information is presented differently in each style.

When you want to cite a specific passage in a source without page numbers (e.g. an e-book or website ), all the main citation styles recommend using an alternate locator in your in-text citation . You might use a heading or chapter number, e.g. (Smith, 2016, ch. 1)

In APA Style , you can count the paragraph numbers in a text to identify a location by paragraph number. MLA and Chicago recommend that you only use paragraph numbers if they’re explicitly marked in the text.

For audiovisual sources (e.g. videos ), all styles recommend using a timestamp to show a specific point in the video when relevant.

The abbreviation “ et al. ” (Latin for “and others”) is used to shorten citations of sources with multiple authors.

“Et al.” is used in APA in-text citations of sources with 3+ authors, e.g. (Smith et al., 2019). It is not used in APA reference entries .

Use “et al.” for 3+ authors in MLA in-text citations and Works Cited entries.

Use “et al.” for 4+ authors in a Chicago in-text citation , and for 10+ authors in a Chicago bibliography entry.

Check if your university or course guidelines specify which citation style to use. If the choice is left up to you, consider which style is most commonly used in your field.

  • APA Style is the most popular citation style, widely used in the social and behavioral sciences.
  • MLA style is the second most popular, used mainly in the humanities.
  • Chicago notes and bibliography style is also popular in the humanities, especially history.
  • Chicago author-date style tends to be used in the sciences.

Other more specialized styles exist for certain fields, such as Bluebook and OSCOLA for law.

The most important thing is to choose one style and use it consistently throughout your text.

The main elements included in all book citations across APA , MLA , and Chicago style are the author, the title, the year of publication, and the name of the publisher. A page number is also included in in-text citations to highlight the specific passage cited.

In Chicago style and in the 6th edition of APA Style , the location of the publisher is also included, e.g. London: Penguin.

A block quote is a long quote formatted as a separate “block” of text. Instead of using quotation marks , you place the quote on a new line, and indent the entire quote to mark it apart from your own words.

The rules for when to apply block quote formatting depend on the citation style:

  • APA block quotes are 40 words or longer.
  • MLA block quotes are more than 4 lines of prose or 3 lines of poetry.
  • Chicago block quotes are longer than 100 words.

In academic writing , there are three main situations where quoting is the best choice:

  • To analyze the author’s language (e.g., in a literary analysis essay )
  • To give evidence from primary sources
  • To accurately present a precise definition or argument

Don’t overuse quotes; your own voice should be dominant. If you just want to provide information from a source, it’s usually better to paraphrase or summarize .

Every time you quote a source , you must include a correctly formatted in-text citation . This looks slightly different depending on the citation style .

For example, a direct quote in APA is cited like this: “This is a quote” (Streefkerk, 2020, p. 5).

Every in-text citation should also correspond to a full reference at the end of your paper.

A quote is an exact copy of someone else’s words, usually enclosed in quotation marks and credited to the original author or speaker.

The DOI is usually clearly visible when you open a journal article on an academic database. It is often listed near the publication date, and includes “doi.org” or “DOI:”. If the database has a “cite this article” button, this should also produce a citation with the DOI included.

If you can’t find the DOI, you can search on Crossref using information like the author, the article title, and the journal name.

A DOI is a unique identifier for a digital document. DOIs are important in academic citation because they are more permanent than URLs, ensuring that your reader can reliably locate the source.

Journal articles and ebooks can often be found on multiple different websites and databases. The URL of the page where an article is hosted can be changed or removed over time, but a DOI is linked to the specific document and never changes.

When a book’s chapters are written by different authors, you should cite the specific chapter you are referring to.

When all the chapters are written by the same author (or group of authors), you should usually cite the entire book, but some styles include exceptions to this.

  • In APA Style , single-author books should always be cited as a whole, even if you only quote or paraphrase from one chapter.
  • In MLA Style , if a single-author book is a collection of stand-alone works (e.g. short stories ), you should cite the individual work.
  • In Chicago Style , you may choose to cite a single chapter of a single-author book if you feel it is more appropriate than citing the whole book.

Articles in newspapers and magazines can be primary or secondary depending on the focus of your research.

In historical studies, old articles are used as primary sources that give direct evidence about the time period. In social and communication studies, articles are used as primary sources to analyze language and social relations (for example, by conducting content analysis or discourse analysis ).

If you are not analyzing the article itself, but only using it for background information or facts about your topic, then the article is a secondary source.

A fictional movie is usually a primary source. A documentary can be either primary or secondary depending on the context.

If you are directly analyzing some aspect of the movie itself – for example, the cinematography, narrative techniques, or social context – the movie is a primary source.

If you use the movie for background information or analysis about your topic – for example, to learn about a historical event or a scientific discovery – the movie is a secondary source.

Whether it’s primary or secondary, always properly cite the movie in the citation style you are using. Learn how to create an MLA movie citation or an APA movie citation .

To determine if a source is primary or secondary, ask yourself:

  • Was the source created by someone directly involved in the events you’re studying (primary), or by another researcher (secondary)?
  • Does the source provide original information (primary), or does it summarize information from other sources (secondary)?
  • Are you directly analyzing the source itself (primary), or only using it for background information (secondary)?

Some types of source are nearly always primary: works of art and literature, raw statistical data, official documents and records, and personal communications (e.g. letters, interviews ). If you use one of these in your research, it is probably a primary source.

Primary sources are often considered the most credible in terms of providing evidence for your argument, as they give you direct evidence of what you are researching. However, it’s up to you to ensure the information they provide is reliable and accurate.

Always make sure to properly cite your sources to avoid plagiarism .

Common examples of secondary sources include academic books, journal articles , reviews, essays , and textbooks.

Anything that summarizes, evaluates or interprets primary sources can be a secondary source. If a source gives you an overview of background information or presents another researcher’s ideas on your topic, it is probably a secondary source.

Common examples of primary sources include interview transcripts , photographs, novels, paintings, films, historical documents, and official statistics.

Anything you directly analyze or use as first-hand evidence can be a primary source, including qualitative or quantitative data that you collected yourself.

The Scribbr Citation Generator is developed using the open-source Citation Style Language (CSL) project and Frank Bennett’s citeproc-js . It’s the same technology used by dozens of other popular citation tools, including Mendeley and Zotero.

You can find all the citation styles and locales used in the Scribbr Citation Generator in our publicly accessible repository on Github .

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paraphrasing in academic writing

Learn how to express the source you’re reading in your own words to highlight your learning.

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Paraphrasing literature in your own words is a great way to digest what you’re reading as well as demonstrate to your reader what you've learned from it. It demonstrates your understanding of the text and can help your writing be more concise and flow better, as well as foregrounding your own voice.

Paraphrase entails expressing someone else’s ideas in your own words. This means that you’ll still need a reference but won’t need quotation marks. You may be concerned that your version isn’t as stylish, fluent or accurate as the original. You may also be unsure how much you need to change the original wording so that it counts as your own words rather than plagiarism. Read on for some suggestions about effective paraphrasing.

What not to paraphrase

  • Technical terminology: this means specialist terms which have an accepted and very specific meaning in your subject and are used to refer very precisely and unambiguously to a concept or thing. These words are part of the shared language of your subject and another word would not mean the same thing. If there is a technical term which is invented by or closely associated with a particular author, you might want to put it in quotation marks, but commonly agreed technical terms don’t need
  • Small common words and phrases such as ‘the’, ‘to’ ‘because’ and commonly occurring patterns of words such as ‘although this does not’. These aren’t distinctive to a particular author. You might want to find your own expression if you can, but isolated words and short strings of commonly associated words don’t constitute plagiarism in small amounts

How not to paraphrase

Some students try to work closely with the original text, first finding a synonym for as many of the original words as possible, and then starting to change the order of the words so the sentence structure is different. This is quite a mechanical approach to paraphrase, focussing on superficial questions such as how many words to change so that it’s not plagiarism, rather than the real issue which is demonstrating your understanding of the original. This approach may be too close to the original, border on plagiarism, and more importantly, doesn’t tell your marker how you’ve understood the original text.

Techniques to try

  • Read the text carefully to understand the meaning and content. Don’t try to memorise it. You might re-read it several times, check the definition of individual words you’re not sure of, explain it to yourself, ask yourself ‘what is it about?’ or pick out the main aspects from ones which aren’t as important or relevant to the argument you’re making.
  • Note only technical terminology which cannot be paraphrased
  • Hide the original. Don’t look at it. Trust yourself that you’ve accurately grasped its meaning and not forgotten anything
  • Jot down rough notes about your understanding of the text’s main message. Don’t try to replicate what it said, only what the meaning was. You might scribble key words or phrases, bullet points, a mini-mindmap or other visual or a freely written brain dump.
  • Now polish those notes into academic English. Remember, as long as it is grammatical, clear and appropriate academic English, your version doesn’t have to be better written than or even as good as the original – style is less important than conveying your grasp of the original. Not all published academic work is brilliantly written – your version might even be better! Your version doesn’t necessarily have to be a neutral representation either – you can subtly reflect your opinion of the original idea in your choice of words, with positive or negative connotations, as long as you’re not misrepresenting its meaning.
  • Now check to see it captures the meaning of the original accurately. If you find you’ve left small aspects out, ask yourself whether they are important for your argument or not. This is the critical sifting we undertake to help refine our position or argument. Another check is whether you’re misrepresenting the meaning of the original text if you leave aspects out.

Paraphrase and plagiarism

The plagiarism detection software Turnitin matches text and the result tells the marker what percentage of a student assignment matches another source. A paraphrase which is too close to the original over a longer portion will be flagged as problematic, but very small matches are to be expected to some degree. Paraphrase can feel more challenging and risky than directly quoting but if you approach it as we suggest, it can be a far better way to demonstrate your learning and develop your understanding of the content and confidence in writing academic English.

To find out more about which to use, read our related guide, Quote or Paraphrase? .

Download this guide as a PDF

How to paraphrase.

Learn how to express the source you’re reading in your own words to highlight your learning. **PDF Download**

More in this section

paraphrasing in academic writing

Quote or paraphrase?

Quote the original words of your source, or paraphrase them in your own words? Read our advice on deciding which will work best for your purpose.

paraphrasing in academic writing

How to quote

Find out how to integrate quotations purposefully and smoothly into your writing.

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For more guidance on your learning, book a one-to-one tutorial with one of our tutors or visit our website for more activities and resources.

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Free AI Paraphrasing Tool For Academic Writing

Effortlessly rewrite text with the best online AI paraphrasing tool for academics. Paraphrase content, trim text, and ensure academic tone in minutes.

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What Makes Paperpal the Best Academic Paraphrasing Tool

Tailored to enhance academic writing, our precise AI paraphrasing tool helps you deliver clear, concise, and impactful writing in a click.

Quickly paraphrase academic text

Rewrite complex academic text to add variety, remove repetition, and enhance readability without changing the context or essence of your work.

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Trim text without sacrificing meaning

Reduce word count by up to 25%, eliminating redundancies and wordiness to deliver clear, concise writing that meets journal word count limits.

Achieve an academic tone with ease

Ensure your writing meets the professional, formal tone required in academic writing, which focuses on the precise, objective phrasing of ideas.

Improve phrasing with contextual synonyms

Enhance clarity, precision, and readability with contextually relevant synonym suggestions that are validated based on published literature.

Available on Word & Web

Why Academics Love Paperpal’s AI Paraphraser

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Rated Excellent on Trustpilot

Paperpal is a reliable tool for editing academic manuscripts. It renders the manuscript an academic tone that is suitable for journal submission. The extensive edit mode helps rephrase the sentences, thereby ensuring conciseness. Paperpal truly understands the context, provides appropriate alternate terminologies, and checks for consistency.

I like how Paperpal offer suggestions about paraphrasing and generally helps re-organize my paragraphs, giving them better language structure. I feel confident about my manuscripts after running them through Paperpal.

Unlike Grammarly, Paperpal aligns and tailors my sentence structures to the convention of academic writing. Unlike Grammarly, Paperpal aligns and tailors my sentence structures to the convention of academic writing.

Paperpal has made a huge difference. My manuscript is now free of errors, more concise and more readable!

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Reword Academic Text with the Best AI Paraphraser Online

Use our online academic paraphrasing tool you deliver clear, engaging academic prose with minimal effort!

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Paperpal is More Than a Free AI Paraphraser

Simplify your writing journey with Paperpal’s academic writing toolkit. Check your language and grammar, get accurate English translations, and gain from generative AI assistance, all in one place.

Paperpal’s free grammar checker saves time and effort by quickly identifying and correcting complex grammar errors, spelling mistakes, and punctuation issues.

With Paperpal’s online translation tool, non-native English speakers can achieve high-quality academic text by translating from 25+ languages to English.

Paperpal’s secure generative AI technology helps authors write confidently, save time, and deliver high-quality, reliable, and original content, every time.

Who Can Benefit From Paperpal's Free Academic Paraphrasing Tool?

Paperpal’s online academic paraphrasing tool is the perfect assistant to polish all kinds of academic writing.

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Save time and effort by using Paperpal’s AI paraphraser to quickly rewrite lengthy sentences and add variety to your writing without sacrificing meaning.

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Efficiently rephrase sentences for a global audience or reduce article length to meet journal limits without compromising the essence of your research.

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Instantly paraphrase academic text to develop unique study materials, well-structured presentations, and powerful scholarly publications with ease.

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Create impactful academic articles by rephrasing sentences to avoid repetition, improve readability, and ensure accuracy while retaining your own voice.

Paperpal’s Academic Paraphrasing Tool - Frequently Asked Questions

What is paraphrasing, what is a paraphrasing tool, does paperpal's ai paraphrasing tool impact academic writing skills, can paperpal’s online academic paraphrasing tool help in developing the quality of essays, how is paraphrasing different from plagiarising, can i use a paraphrasing tool for academic writing, can you get in trouble for using a paraphrasing tool, do paraphrasing tools improve the readability and tone of content, why are citations an important element in paraphrasing content, why is paperpal better than other ai paraphrasing tools for academic writing, master the art of paraphrasing.

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The best AI tools for academic paraphrasing: tested and ranked

Proper paraphrasing is an essential skill for individuals in academia, including researchers, scholars, professors, and students. In this guide, we comprehensively tested, reviewed and ranked seven popular AI tools for academic paraphrasing , along with our top 3 choices, so that you can pick the best one.

What are the best AI tools for academic paraphrasing?

When writing academic papers, it is necessary to reference sources and avoid relying solely on direct quotations.

Throughout this process, it is crucial to avoid plagiarism, ensuring that one’s work does not contain stolen text passages, even unintentionally.

The evaluation of the results was based on the following criteria:

Customization refers to the range of options offered by the tool, such as selecting different paraphrasing approaches or indicating the desired degree of change and the use of synonyms.

Distinguished by its adaptability to various disciplinary standards and scientific conventions, Trinka stands out as an all-encompassing solution.

Quality of Rephrasing

When we first tried Trinka for the paraphrasing the quote for our test, we were surprised: Trinka faced challenges in paraphrasing an entire text selection at once, leaving a portion untouched and necessitating manual intervention (see image below).

Originality

After the brief detour, accomplished in just three clicks, the achieved result yielded the following plagiarism scores:

Customization

Furthermore, as stated above, a notable feature is the personal assistant tool, accessible in a separate window, aiding in paraphrasing and offering customization options for your voice. From adjusting tones and lengths to sounding formal, confident, or casual, this feature significantly enhances the quality of paraphrasing.

2. QuillBot

QuillBot ‘s AI will collaborate with you to generate effective rephrasing: You have a lot of control as you can compare outputs from all seven available modes to choose the most suitable paraphrase.

While it’s crucial to approach AI paraphrasing tools with discernment, QuillBot distinguishes itself by providing a user-friendly experience. Through a color-coded overview of modifications (see the image below), it enhances transparency in the process. For instance, changed words are highlighted in orange, and the longest unchanged words are marked in blue.

The initial rephrased output yielded an originality score of 66% and less. Nevertheless, with QuillBot ‘s clear indication of unchanged passages, a minimal number of clicks sufficed to modify a few additional words, swiftly achieving a 100% originality score.

Moreover, QuillBot presents a unique feature allowing users to expand or shorten text, proving exceptionally useful for students and researchers constrained by stringent word limits.

With the premium plan, you gain access to full functionality, including unlimited word paraphrasing, faster processing, advanced grammar features, tone detection, and more. The premium plan is priced at $19.95 per month or $8.33 per month when paid annually.

3. Scispace

Scispace ‘s paraphrasing option consistently delivers results that are unique and accurate.

Although the plagiarism detection did not flag it as plagiarized, for experienced university professors, it might seem a bit too close to the original, especially if the original quote is known, as numerous adjectives were essentially transformed into nouns.

While we selected an ‘academic’ tone, Scispace offers a plethora of tones, ranging from ‘professional’ to ‘sympathetic’ or even ‘passive-aggressive.’

The Scispace premium subscription, offering unlimited paraphraser outputs, is priced at $12 per month when billed annually. This comes at a slightly higher cost than its competitor QuillBot. However, you can get 20% OFF the monthly subscription plan with the code masteracademia20 , or 40% off the annual plan with the subscription code masteracademia40 !

4. Paraphraser

While Paraphraser provides decent paraphrasing capabilities, it’s worth noting that when dealing with more intricate quotes, users should exercise caution to ensure the preservation of the original meaning of the quoted text.

However, the real challenge lies in preserving accurate meaning. The initial attempt to paraphrase our test quote resulted in a somewhat tangled paraphrased version. Nevertheless, it presented numerous synonyms that facilitated additional manual edits.

Another noteworthy advantage is the inclusion of a built-in plagiarism checker, streamlining and enhancing this crucial step in the process.

However, each existing mode offers a curated set of synonyms, indicated by words highlighted in green, providing a diverse range of options for paraphrasing. This feature not only facilitates the creation of uniquely paraphrased quotes but also ensures that the essence and meaning of the original quote are preserved.

Additionally, Paraphraser offers extra pro functions, including an inbuilt summarizer, grammar checker, and plagiarism checker, enhancing the overall user experience and ensuring the quality of the paraphrased content.

5. Writefull

($5.46/month if billed annually)

Writefull harnesses the power of language models extensively trained on academic journal articles, making it a specialized tool designed specifically for the academic context.

Writefull delivers satisfactory results in paraphrasing and excels in generating unique content. However, it has limited options for customization.

Each of the three paraphrased quotes underwent rigorous scrutiny on the selected plagiarism detection sites. The outcome across all evaluations revealed a noteworthy result – 100% uniqueness for each paraphrased version.

Upon receiving this input, Writefull generates three distinct versions of the text, effectively showcasing alterations by highlighting them in a user-friendly yellow color.

However, while the tool allows for effortless comparison and selection among the provided versions, it lacks a feature for direct, on-the-spot manual customization. Unlike some other platforms, Writefull does not currently support the ability to click on individual words and make immediate synonym selections and the like.

Writefull can be used with limited functionality for free. Its Premium Plan offers unlimited use of all features at a cost of $15.37 per month. However, there are significant savings if you choose to pay annually, as it amounts to only $5.46 per month.

While Copy.ai demonstrated decent paraphrasing quality in our testing, the free paraphrasing option lacks sufficient customization options, rendering it unsuitable for academic settings.

Nevertheless, delving into the free version could prove beneficial for refining email communication or crafting social media posts that share academic publications.

Quality of Paraphrasing

While Copy.ai has not been developed specifically for academic purposes, the paraphrased text by copy.ai is decent:

However, difficult to follow the changes as there was no side by side comparison or highlighted words or sentences parts, helping to follow what changed.

The originality of the paraphrased text was very good. Putting the generated text by copy.ai into three different plagiarism checkers, resulted in all 100% unique results!

Copy.ai provides customization options within its system; however, it lacks specific features relevant to paraphrasing and academic applications. This limitation becomes apparent in the prompts available upon account creation, which are centered around sales, social media, or email marketing.

It’s essential to acknowledge that while these prompts offer utility in various contexts, they may not align well with academic needs.

Furthermore, as previously mentioned, the free paraphraser fails to present a comparison with the original quote and lacks a manual option for incorporating additional synonyms or other modifications.

Copy.ai provides a free plan enabling the creation or editing of up to 2,000 words per month at no expense. Should you decide on the monthly subscription and opt for an annual payment, the cost totals $36 per month.

While it may prove beneficial for various professions, it is not advisable for academic paraphrasing due to being comparatively expensive. However, experimenting with the free version could be a viable option to gauge its suitability for your needs.

7. Grammarly

Hence, paraphrasing in Grammarly is not merely a copy-paste exercise. Grammarly can augment paraphrasing efforts, albeit in a more nuanced and intricate manner.

Quality of paraphrasing

Furthermore, a minor inconvenience arises in the form of a formatting issue with the reference and the brackets around it, which, while relatively minor, remains somewhat bothersome.

The availability of three paraphrased text options in Grammarly is appreciated. However, the performance of the free paraphrasing tool itself is mediocre.

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Paraphrase: Write It in Your Own Words

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Paraphrasing is one way to use a text in your own writing without directly quoting source material. Anytime you are taking information from a source that is not your own, you need to specify where you got that information.

A paraphrase is...

  • Your own rendition of essential information and ideas expressed by someone else, presented in a new form.
  • One legitimate way (when accompanied by accurate documentation) to borrow from a source.
  • A more detailed restatement than a summary, which focuses concisely on a single main idea.

Paraphrasing is a valuable skill because...

  • It is better than quoting information from an undistinguished passage.
  • It helps you control the temptation to quote too much.
  • The mental process required for successful paraphrasing helps you to grasp the full meaning of the original.

6 Steps to Effective Paraphrasing

  • Reread the original passage until you understand its full meaning.
  • Set the original aside, and write your paraphrase on a note card.
  • Jot down a few words below your paraphrase to remind you later how you envision using this material. At the top of the note card, write a key word or phrase to indicate the subject of your paraphrase.
  • Check your rendition with the original to make sure that your version accurately expresses all the essential information in a new form.
  • Use quotation marks to identify any unique term or phraseology you have borrowed exactly from the source.
  • Record the source (including the page) on your note card so that you can credit it easily if you decide to incorporate the material into your paper.

Some examples to compare

Note that the examples in this section use MLA style for in-text citation.

The original passage:

Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they overuse quotations in the final [research] paper. Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript should appear as directly quoted matter. Therefore, you should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking notes. Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers . 2nd ed., 1976, pp. 46-47.

A legitimate paraphrase:

In research papers, students often quote excessively, failing to keep quoted material down to a desirable level. Since the problem usually originates during note taking, it is essential to minimize the material recorded verbatim (Lester 46-47).

An acceptable summary:

Students should take just a few notes in direct quotation from sources to help minimize the amount of quoted material in a research paper (Lester 46-47).

A plagiarized version:

Students often use too many direct quotations when they take notes, resulting in too many of them in the final research paper. In fact, probably only about 10% of the final copy should consist of directly quoted material. So it is important to limit the amount of source material copied while taking notes.

A note about plagiarism: This example has been classed as plagiarism, in part, because of its failure to deploy any citation. Plagiarism is a serious offense in the academic world. However, we acknowledge that plagiarism is a difficult term to define; that its definition may be contextually sensitive; and that not all instances of plagiarism are created equal—that is, there are varying “degrees of egregiousness” for different cases of plagiarism.

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How to Paraphrase in Academic Writing: A Comprehensive Guide

Paraphrasing is a regular exercise in academic writing. High school students, college students, and research scholars are required to paraphrase to demonstrate their understanding of a text. However, there are cases when, due to ineffective paraphrasing, instances of plagiarism dot an academic manuscript. Therefore, academic writers must correctly understand the fundamentals of academic paraphrasing and apply them to their writings to avoid any occurrence of any academic offense. This article will peruse the anatomy of academic paraphrasing. In addition, it will examine how paraphrasing is different from summarization and suggest ways to paraphrase effectively.

paraphrasing in academic writing

Paraphrasing is a regular exercise in academic writing. High school students, college students, and research scholars are required to paraphrase to demonstrate their understanding of a text. However, there are cases when, due to ineffective paraphrasing, instances of plagiarism dot an academic manuscript. Therefore, academic writers must correctly understand the fundamentals of academic paraphrasing and apply them to their writings to avoid any occurrence of any academic offense .

This article will peruse the anatomy of academic paraphrasing. In addition, it will examine how paraphrasing is different from summarization and suggest ways to paraphrase it effectively.

What is paraphrasing in academic writing?

Paraphrasing refers to the act of reinstating an already available set of ideas in own words. Ideal paraphrasing expresses the message of the source using a different set of words without deviating from its context and line of reasoning.

The following examples explain how paraphrasing works:

Original source: A trip to Kyoto, Japan, is incomplete without a tour of the Nijo Castle.

Paraphrase : An itinerary for a trip to Kyoto, Japan, must include a visit to the Nijo Castle.

Original source: Woolly mammoths faced extinction approximately 4000 years ago due to climate change.

Paraphrase : Not humans but climate change caused the extinction of Woolly mammoths nearly 4000 years ago.

The purpose of paraphrasing in academic texts, such as essays, research papers, and dissertations, is to relay the message of an original piece of text without plagiarizing. Paraphrasing also delineates how well has a student or a scholar understood a text to “reword” it without corrupting its essence.

Paraphrasing in academic writing vs. summarizing

Summarizing and paraphrasing might seem to have similar characteristics since they both work toward reformulating a piece of academic text. However, the difference lies in how and why they reformulate the text.

While paraphrasing transmutes the meaning of a text without omitting its intricacies and nuances, summarizing simply highlights the crux of the text.

Also, paraphrasing is used when an author wants to explain a concept but does not want to quote from a source excessively. Summarizing condenses a text to impart its central idea to the readers.

Paraphrasing in academic writing: 5 steps

The following steps instruct how the process of paraphrasing should be executed.

1. Scrutinizing the text

The first step to successfully paraphrasing a text is reading it closely. A close reading of a text enables a writer to firmly grasp its key concepts and the central idea.

While studying the text closely, the writer should make plenty of notes and curate a summary to facilitate future references.

2. Rewriting the concepts without referring to the source

Rewriting a text after scrutinizing it ensures that the writer has understood its message. The ideal way to rewrite is to avoid referring to the source even once and write what comes to mind.

3. Juxtaposing the rewritten version and the original

To confirm whether the rewritten version comprises all or most of the concepts of the original, the writer should place their version alongside the original and highlight the areas that are lacking.

In case any shortfalls occur, the writer should compensate for them. This is also the stage where the writer should adjust the language and diction of the paraphrased text to make it look more academic.

4. Using synonyms and altering the structure (to avoid plagiarism)

To avoid any instance of plagiarism in the paraphrased text, writers should substitute the original words and phrases with appropriate synonyms.

Copying the structure of the original text also amounts to plagiarism. Therefore, when paraphrasing, writers should make it a point to alter the original structure. They can do so by either changing the text’s layout or changing the order in which key concepts appear in the source.

What is Plagiarism | How to Avoid It

5 Practical Ways to Avoid Plagiarism

How to Choose the Right Plagiarism Checker for Your Academic Works

5. Citing the source

Including citations after paraphrasing is key to ensuring that the intellectual rights stay with the original author. Also, citations help the reader determine whether the paraphrased text maintains the claims of the source in its entirety.

Paraphrasing is a mandatory tool for all academics as a part of the writing aspect of their curriculum. As such, they should know how to paraphrase readily.

However, owing to the confusion surrounding paraphrasing due to lack of clear demarcation between it and rephrasing or summarizing, most academics find paraphrasing difficult.

Hence, to paraphrase properly, practicing regularly and referring to this guide should be a part of one's practice routine.

If you need help, then contact Best Edit & Proof!

Best Edit & Proof expert editors aim to provide your manuscripts with proper scholarly and academic tone and style. They will significantly improve the chances of having your research manuscript accepted for publishing. They provide subject-area proofreading and editing services in several fields categorized under various disciplines. With our extensive knowledge and expertise, we will help you find the right tone and style for your manuscript.

If you need our subject-area editors to format your manuscripts, giving you the fundamental rules for formatting your manuscripts as described in your guidelines, such as APA, MLA, or Chicago/Turabian styles, then contact us. At Best Edit & Proof, our proofreaders and editors edit  every type of academic paper . We have a user-friendly website and a simplified ordering process. 

Paraphrasing in academic writing

If you would like our subject-area editors and language experts to work on your project for the improvement of its academic tone and style, then please visit the  order page.  It is easy! It takes only a few minutes to submit your paper and complete the process. Click  here  to see how it works.

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This article gives you some helpful tips to paraphrase in academic writing effectively. To give you an opportunity to practice proofreading, we have left a few spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors in the text. See if you can spot them! If you spot the errors correctly, you will be entitled to a 10% discount.

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Paraphrasing - an overview

Paraphrasing is ..., what are the differences between quoting, paraphrasing & summarising .

  • Why Paraphrase?
  • Paraphrasing versus Plagiarism
  • The Do's and Don'ts of Paraphrasing
  • Paraphrasing - examples
  • Further Information

paraphrasing in academic writing

Paraphrasing is 'a restating of someone else’s thoughts or ideas in your own words. You must always cite your source when paraphrasing’ (Pears & Shields, 2019 p. 245).  

(Solas English, 2017)

  • Quoting means using someone else’s exact words and putting them in quotation marks.. 
  • Paraphrasing means expressing someone else’s ideas in your own voice, while keeping the same essential meaning.
  • Summarising means taking a long passage of text from someone else and condensing the main ideas in your own words.

Watch the video below for more information.  

(UNC Writing Center, 2019)

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Paraphrasing: Things you need to know...

Paraphrasing i s the process of reading a section of text and then re-writing it using your own words I t is necessary in university study as it shows that you have understood the information.

REMEMBER - the information has come from text that somebody else has written, so you must  still cite the author appropriately according to the referencing system used on your course. If you do not reference the source it will be classed as plagiarism, even if you have put into your own words.

For effective paraphrasing it is important to:

  • Read first for understanding
  • Summarise the key points
  • Re-write the statement in your own words
  • Place in quotation marks any phrases used from the original source
  • Include the appropriate citation 
  • Paraphrasing Paraphrasing is demonstrating your understanding of the texts you are reading by writing them in your own words.

Need to know more...

  • Related pages
  • External links
  • Academic writing Illustrates the main features of academic writing so that you are aware of what it is and what it involves

Paraphrasing - How to Paraphrase - Step-by-Step Guide & Examples (Scribbr)  https://www.scribbr.co.uk/working-sources/paraphrasing/  [Accessed 10 February 2023]

What's the Difference? Summarizing, Paraphrasing & Quoting (Quetext Blog)  https://www.quetext.com/blog/difference-between-summarizing-paraphrasing-quoting  [Accessed 10 February 2023]

paraphrasing in academic writing

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5 Best Paraphrasing Tools for Academic Writing (2024)

Are you tired of endless research, reading dictionaries, and spending countless hours just writing a “ simple “ academic research paper or thesis? 

If you are ready to save more time, write better academic papers and gain a better grade, then I prepared something you should take the time to read.

After thorough research, I pulled the 5 best paraphrasing tools for academic writing that will even trick Turnitin, our biggest enemy.

Okay, maybe that was harsh. 

However, Turnitin, a plagiarism detector that promotes academic integrity, can be tricked using these 5 tools.

Keep reading below if you are ready to finally find a solution for painful academic writing tasks.

Best Paraphrasing Tools for Academic Writing

  • Spin Rewriter
  • SpinnerChief

My Top Pick Up-Front

Without wasting your time, my top pick up-front is QuillBot .

QuillBot is my top pick since it is:

  • most affordable
  • most versatile
  • almost always passes Turnitin plagiarism checker
  • most accurate
  • straightforward to use

Who is this article for?

This article is for students who are not linguistic experts and seek to avoid common errors and stress and save time while writing thesis and research papers.

Keep reading below if you want to:

  • save time while researching
  • write better literature reviews
  • paraphrase thesis
  • write hour-long content within seconds
  • avoid paraphrasing manually
  • trick Turnitin and professors

The Best Paraphrasing Tools for Academic Writing (Review)

Without further ado, let’s learn the pros and cons of each paraphrasing tool.

1. QuillBot – Best Overall

QuillBot is a writing and paraphrasing tool that leverages modern A.I. technology. 

Nevertheless, the most important feature for you is the paraphrasing tool that uses complex rewording mechanisms to pass plagiarism checkers and save you time. 

Here is an example of QuillBot rewriting one of the sections from a random law research paper:

paraphrasing in academic writing

When you click on “Rephrase” in the right window where the text is being reworded, you can choose the style of rewriting . It is also called a rewriting mode, and you can see that below:

paraphrasing in academic writing

In this instance, I choose the formal rewriting mode since it suits our need to rewrite complex research papers and theses.

You can play around and also manually rewrite certain parts of the text. QuillBot will even give you suggestions and synonyms to include in your text. 

Furthermore, you can also see some other features like:

  • Grammar Checker
  • Citation Generator

The second most crucial QuillBot feature for you is Summarizer. QuillBot Summarizer goes through stacks of reading material and identifies key findings and points. Imagine having a virtual research assistant who helps you do all the necessary work before starting to write. 

You can combine the two tools to create the best document on a particular topic. Use Summarizer to learn the whole document faster by only remembering key points and findings. In addition, use a rephrasing tool to avoid plagiarism detection and save time.

The only downside of Quillbot is its Chrome Extension doesn’t correct errors automatically. You must paste the sentences into the main site to do the paraphrasing.

QuillBot Pricing

Free QuillBot account can only process up to 700 characters at a time. That’s why you need a premium version to paraphrase up to 10000 characters. 

The Premium QuillBot version will save you more time.

Monthly Plan: $7.95 every month

Semi-Annual Plan: $29.50 every 6 months

Annual Plan: $39.95 every year

  • passes Turnitin
  • easy to use
  • limited free version
  • Chrome Extension limitations

2. Spinbot – Best Free Version

I believe Spinbot is the best alternative to QuillBot since it offers features like text rewriters, article spinning, and a content-creating tool. Spinbot provides the best free version since it lets you paraphrase 10000 characters. 

In this sense, Spinbot offers the best features for a free version of the software compared to the rest of the paraphrasing tools. It spins the words and paraphrases the whole text in seconds. You even have the option to ignore specific words or capitalized letters to further boost the authenticity of the text. 

In addition, Spinbot requires no registration. 

Here is an example of Spinbot’s free paraphrasing tool. I used the exact text as before:

paraphrasing in academic writing

Some of the downsides of the tool are the lack of extensions which can make your rewriting and research process a lot harder. Even though the free version lets you paraphrase up to 10000 characters, ads and CAPTCHA code can still be annoying from time to time. There is always an option to purchase a premium version. 

Let’s see what it has to offer:

Spinbot Pricing

The Premium Spinbot version gets rid of boring CAPTCHA and disturbing ads. In fact, that is the only advantage of a premium account, so make sure to check if that is going to make your life easier.

Monthly Plan: $10 every month

Semi-Annual Plan: $50 every 6 months

Annual Plan: $75 every year

  • best QuillBot alternative
  • offers the best free version
  • paraphrasing up to 10000 characters for free
  • customizable options to suit your needs
  • the free version has ads and a CAPTCHA code

3. WordAi – Best to Avoid Plagiarism Detection

WordAi is another paraphrasing tool that leverages artificial intelligence and works very fast. However, there are better features of this tool than those. 

WordAi is the only tool that passes any plagiarism detector, including our famous Turnitin, as 100% authentic. It instantly rewrites your thesis and research works. Also, you can upload 1000 articles and spin them all simultaneously. 

paraphrasing in academic writing

Another cool feature this tool has is the ability to intelligently spin text titles. It is almost impossible to spot the rewriting and spinning that take place. 

The only downside of this A.I. paraphrasing tool is that it’s only free for three days. Also, to use the tool for three days for free, you need to create an account. In the end, you must purchase the premium plan. 

WordAi also has the option to integrate with Anti Forge. Still, we won’t get deep into that since you, as a student, will probably provide some offline resources for paraphrasing. 

However, this integration can be helpful if you are sourcing content for your thesis from the internet.

WordAi Pricing

Here are two options WordAi offers for the premium version:

Monthly Plan : $49.95 per month

Yearly Plan : $347 per year

  • 100% authentic text (passes every plagiarism detector)
  • upload up to 1000 works and spin them all at the same time
  • text titles spinning
  • integrates with other similar tools, such as Anti Forge
  • only free for three days

4. Spin Rewriter – Best for All Devices

Spin Rewriter is another popular paraphrasing tool initially developed to aid SEO specialists. An SEO specialist is a person who performs search engine optimization. This is important because SEO has become much more about semantics and meaning today. 

So, how does this feature benefit you? 

Simply put, Spin Rewriter is one of the few tools close to understanding the meaning behind the text(semantics). Your paraphrased text will be more accurate, and the original text’s meaning will be much more visible and accessible to the reader, your professor. 

paraphrasing in academic writing

However, there are other benefits of using this tool. 

Spin Rewriter is cloud-based, meaning you can use it on devices such as:

  • mobile phones

paraphrasing in academic writing

Basically, on every device, you can think of. Okay, that was an exaggeration. Smartwatches are still to be included. 

Furthermore, you can get more than 1000 variations of a single text. This is known as mass export. However, you can also rewrite and paraphrase multiple articles multiple times. The meaning of the text is always going to stay.

Spin Rewriter Pricing

Here comes the only downside of this tool. 

There is no free version, and you can only have a free 5-day trial for the yearly Plan. Maybe not the best option budget-wise, but still something to think about. 

Monthly Plan : $47 per month

Yearly Plan : $77 per year

Lifetime Plan : $497 per year

  • preserves meaning
  • compatible with all devices
  • up to 1000 variations of a single text
  • no free version
  • only a 5-day free trial

5. SpinnerChief – Most Accurate Synonym Use

SpinnerChief is highly recommended for a thesis paraphrasing for team collaborations. It leverages artificial intelligence to generate the most unique content that aims to pass any plagiarism detector. 

Their newly-added technologies, such as statistical replacement and part-of-speech analysis, ensure the most appropriate use of synonyms. Also, the number of words continues to expand, and new synonyms are constantly added as people continue using their software. 

Furthermore, you can use SpinnerChief to:

  • spin thousands of works in a short period
  • manually paraphrase text or customize rules to suit your needs
  • paraphrase content in different languages such as French, Spanish, German, Indonesian, etc.(translation API like Bing API is required)

paraphrasing in academic writing

SpinnerChief is not only web-based and has both mobile and desktop versions. Moreover, it supports Mac, Windows, Android, and iOS. 

SpinnerChief Pricing

One of this tool’s downsides is the price of a premium version. However, you can still use a free version with some basic features.

Elite Version : $197 one-time fee

Ultimate Version : $107 per year ($307 one-time fee)

Team Version : $277 per year ($627 one-time fee)

  • good for teams
  • accurate synonym use
  • customizable rewording rules
  • compatible with multiple languages
  • supports Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android
  • the free version only has basic features

More Paraphrasing Tools 

Here are two tools that didn’t make our top 5 list but are still worth mentioning.

Clever Spinner

Clever Spinner is an article rewriter tool that is a little outdated by today’s standards. It only offers a 3-day trial but has Copyscape and API integration. Also, it rewrites articles in about 10 seconds, but as we mentioned before, that is below today’s standards. 

Some tools on our list rewrite the whole article immediately and are much more accurate than Clever Spinner. The quality of content could be better, and too many unnecessary options don’t do anything to make the text more authentic. 

Also, the software lacks customer support, and if you are stuck with some of its features, you are left to fix the problem on your own.

Ref-n-write

I didn’t put this tool on the list because it needs to be updated. If you visit their site, you can see that it looks outdated. Strangely enough, it ranks on the first page when you type the query “best paraphrasing tool for academic writing.” 

Reviews are generally mixed, and some people are unsatisfied with their rewriting tool. The positive thing about this tool is it’s compatible with Mac and Windows computers. I am leaving this one to you to decide.

Paraphrasing Tools F.A.Q.

Now, let’s address some most common questions regarding paraphrasing tools.

Can Turnitin detect QuillBot?

Turnitin can’t detect QuillBot because it uses algorithms that don’t necessarily detect paraphrasing. Turnitin usually finds similar phrases, grammatical patterns, and sentence structures. Therefore, QuillBot’s paraphrased content is unique enough to pass Turnitin’s detection.

Is QuillBot allowed in University?

There are specific penalties if University detects the use of softwares like Quillbot and SpinBot. However, the point is most Universities rarely notice such paraphrased texts.

When paraphrasing what should you avoid?

You must always avoid just changing a few words in a single sentence and leaving it as it is. Seek to always use your own words to convey the same(author’s) meaning.

Can you paraphrase without citing?

In theory, paraphrasing always requires you to use a citation. This is because stealing ideas is forbidden since they belong to someone else. A wise psychologist once said:  People don’t own ideas, but ideas own people. 

Why do we paraphrase in academic writing?

Paraphrasing is one of the most essential skills to learn since it demonstrates your ability to understand the source well enough to articulate it in your own words.

How do you summarize without plagiarizing?

Always follow these rules to avoid plagiarism when summarizing an article: 1. Write only in your own words. 2. Cite the source with an in-text citation

Let’s sum it up!

Finding the right paraphrasing tool for academic writing can take time and effort. 

Factors like budget, level of uniqueness, and quantity of work must be considered.

I hope that after reading this article, you clearly understand which tool for academic writing is the best for you.

Let me know in the comments below which tool you liked the most and why.

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A short video on using paraphrasing in your writing, by Sarah Robinson from the Centre for Academic Success.

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Critical Writing Program Spring 2024 - Art and Crime: Academic Sources

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Academic Sources

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Academic or "scholarly, peer reviewed" articles are written by and further the research of faculty members or scholars, who come from all disciplines and fields. Regardless of the field, academic literature is supported by in depth research, looking at available evidence. That evidence can be textual as in literature, archival and object based as in history and archaeology, observable, or numerical. 

Penn Libraries subscribes to hundreds of databases, which provide access to scholarly articles or to information about those articles. You will engage in different kinds of searches, depending on your research. Often that might include known-item searching (e.g., citation chasing) or database searching with keywords. Commonly, you will use two categories of databases: multi-disciplinary (that cover many disciplines) and discipline-specific (those that focus on one or a small number of closely related fields). 

Known Item Searching

Known-item searching  is working with a specific source -- you have a title and author. When you have this "known item," you may want "chase it."  Citation chasing  can go in two directions -- backwards and forwards. If you have found an article or similar work that is important to your paper you may want to follow up on the scholarship relied on by your author --- this is chasing backwards -- looking at the foundation of the scholarship you are reading. You can also "chase" forward by seeing who has cited your author. This may show you how the research has moved along. Articles+ and Google Scholar are good resources for citation chasing because they have broad disciplinary coverage.

When to use:  When you have found a reference in one of your readings or discussions to an article that sounds as if it might be helpful, you can find out whether others have cited this article using the known item search strategy in Google Scholar. Simply put the title in quotation marks--”Scenarios for Demand Growth of Metals in Electricity Generation,” for example--and Google will show you a “cited by” figure. Clicking on that number will show you all the scholarly articles that cite your author’s article. 

Advantages:

  • Finding out who has cited your article will lead you to more recent articles, which may be related to your topic. It leads you forward in the scholarly conversation. 
  • Seeing how many times your article has been cited gives you an idea of how important it is within the conversation. 
  • Looking at the references within your article helps you understand what kinds of sources and knowledge are fundamental to your author's research.

Disadvantages: 

  • You may need to look through a number of marginally related articles 
  • Those citing the article may disagree with or be citing your article because they question the research
  • Searching backwards may lead you to information that is dated and no longer accurate or accepted.
  • You may discover scholars who disagree with your selected article’s findings or methods, which is valuable information for creating a substantive white paper

Watch a short, 4 minute video on "citation chasing."

Distinguishing Sources

Distinguishing Sources Most academic literature undergoes peer review, which means that peer scholars from the same or closely related disciplines review submitted papers before they are approved for publication. These publications, and their network of citations and research make up a form of conversation among scholars.  Some tips for recognizing academic literature (as opposed to news stories, op-eds, working papers, and grey literature):  

  • Academic articles always have footnotes, endnotes, and/or bibliographies that cite other scholarship. If you don't see some form of citation, it isn't an academic article.
  • Academic articles include information about the authors and their qualifications -- their academic credentials, where they teach or carry out their research, often contact information 
  • The journal publishing the article has an editorial board made up of scholars in the field
  • Your instructors will likely be familiar with the journal and recognize the names of the scholars publishing in that journal 

Grey Literature: Grey literature may not have a specific author and is usually distributed by the organization or entity, which may or may not be a not-for-profit. The organization will have a mission and you can get a feel for their perspective if you read through the mission or "about" pages. Academic literature will always be distributed by a commercial or university press publisher. Much of this literature is made available on the organizations website. See the next tab for more on grey literature.

Using Databases to find Journal Articles

You will search for academic literature in databases . These databases may cover journals from a wide variety of subjects, fields, and disciplines, or they may focus on just one subject area. 

Multi-Discipinary Databases

Multi-Disciplinary Databases   have broad coverage across subject areas and fields of study. These multi-subject databases may include articles from STEM, humanities, and social science fields. Some Examples include: 

  • Articles + Articles+ is the Penn Libraries version of "Google Scholar" search -- it searches most of our subject databses and covers all disciplines. You'll find books, ebooks, book chapters, journal articles, newspaper articles, government publications, grey literature, and more
  • JSTOR A selective collection of academic journals across most disciplines. JSTOR does not always provide the most journal issues. Rely on the other multidisciplinary databases in this list for up-to-date coverage.
  • Academic Search Premier Provides access to more than 8,000 scholarly journals and related periodicals in all scholarly disciplines. You might also be interested in searching Ebsco Mega File , which incorporates material from additional databases and connects to articles dating back to the 19th century.
  • Google Scholar Google Scholar provides links to books and journal articles from scholarly publishers and from educational institutions. Connecting to Google Scholar via Penn’s Library site will take you through the Penn Libraries proxy, unlocking the paywalls that keep non- subscribers from accessing the articles.

When to use: If you find that your results from citation hunting are too narrow, try do the same search in a multi-disciplinary database. This can help you discover new vocabulary and angles on your topic.

Advantages: 

  • You may not know the precise discipline of your topic
  • An interdisciplinary approach may lead you to new insights
  • May reveal that different disciplines approach your topic differently
  • Familiarizes you with the specialized language of different disciplines

Disadvantages:

  • Potentially more difficult to narrow your topic
  • More likely to get irrelevant results

Discipline-Specific Databases

Discipline-specific databases cover the journals, and books within one discipline. You can think of your prospective major as a discipline. A discipline specific database could be devoted to sociology (Sociological Abstracts) or psychology (Psycinfo), history (America: History and Life) or literature (MLA International Bibliography). Talk with your professor or librarian to learn more about databases representing specific fields of study. You can also search through the Penn Libraries' database index . Some examples include: 

  • Art + Architecture Source Search for full-text of art and architecture journals.
  • Oxford Art Online Get started with research using this key reference source.
  • International Bibliography of Art Publications covered include at least 500 core journals, with an emphasis on specialist and rare titles that are not covered by other indexes, plus detailed coverage of monographs, essay collections, conference proceedings and exhibition catalogues.

When to use: One approach is to begin your search in the more specific database and then move to the multi-disciplinary database to compare your results with similar publications from the viewpoint of scholars working in different disciplines.

  • You can search more with fewer terms 
  • Shorter list of sources because the database will be smaller and more focused
  • Subject terms, academic vocabulary will be specific for your topic 
  • Introduces you to the major journals in the discipline
  • Reveals authors in “conversation” with each other, building upon, criticizing, responding to each other’s work 
  • Smaller database means that you will get fewer returns
  • You will need to be familiar with the disciplines' terminology and ways of expressing concepts
  • << Previous: Searching for Different Genres of Information
  • Next: Grey Literature >>
  • Last Updated: Sep 19, 2024 10:45 AM
  • URL: https://guides.library.upenn.edu/c.php?g=1425677

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paraphrasing in academic writing

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Using Evidence: Examples of Paraphrasing

Examples of paraphrasing.

Here is the original source an author might use in a paper:

Differentiation as an instructional approach promotes a balance between a student's style and a student's ability. Differentiated instruction provides the student with options for processing and internalizing the content, and for constructing new learning in order to progress academically.

Here is an example of bad paraphrasing of the source. Even though the student is citing correctly, underlined words are simply synonyms of words used in the original source. You can also see how the sentence structure is the same for both the original source and this paraphrase.

Differentiation is a way to encourage equality between the approach and talent of the student (Thompson, 2009). This type of instruction gives students different ways to deal with and grasp information , and for establishing new learning to move on in education (Thompson, 2009).

Here is an example of a better way to paraphrase the source. In this example, the author has taken the essential ideas and information from the original source, but has worded it in her own way, using unique word choice and sentence structure. The author has condensed Thompson's (2009) information, including what is relevant to her paper, but leaving out extra details that she does not needed.

Teachers use differentiated instruction to help students learn, allowing the teacher to cater lessons to the way each student learns and each student's skill (Thompson, 2009).

Paraphrasing Examples Video Playlist

Related Resource

Didn't find what you need? Email us at [email protected] .

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IMAGES

  1. How to Paraphrase like a Straight A Student

    paraphrasing in academic writing

  2. Paraphrasing Tips in Academic Writing: Effective Strategies

    paraphrasing in academic writing

  3. Paraphrasing example

    paraphrasing in academic writing

  4. Paraphrasing in Academic Writing: How to Do it Properly

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  5. Examples of Proper Paraphrasing in Academic Writing

    paraphrasing in academic writing

  6. How to Paraphrase in Academic Writing: A Comprehensive Guide

    paraphrasing in academic writing

VIDEO

  1. 154 Academic writing tips

  2. Basic Academic Writing Skills: Summarizing, Paraphrasing and Synthesizing

  3. Mastering Academic Writing: Paragraphs

  4. CPN 100: Paraphrasing

  5. Elements of Academic Writing: Quoting, Paraphrasing, Summarising, Critical Analysis

  6. How to Paraphrasing and 10 Tips to Avoid Plagiarism

COMMENTS

  1. How to Paraphrase

    Learn how to put someone else's ideas into your own words without plagiarizing. Follow five easy steps, see examples of paraphrasing, and cite your sources correctly.

  2. Paraphrasing Tool

    Ref-n-write is the best academic paraphrasing tool available. It is a Microsoft Word add-in that is compatible with both Windows and Mac computers. If you are a scholar, student, researcher, author, or you have a job that requires a lot of writing, Ref-n-write is the best for you. Ref-n-write provides a 15-day free trial period before charging ...

  3. Free AI Paraphrasing Tool

    Academic writing and research Ahrefs' Paraphrasing Tool can be valuable for students, researchers, and academics who need to paraphrase existing texts while maintaining the original meaning. It can help avoid plagiarism by generating alternative versions of sentences or paragraphs, ensuring academic integrity.

  4. Paraphrase

    Paraphrasing in academic writing is an effective way to restate, condense, or clarify another author's ideas while also providing credibility to your own argument or analysis. Successful paraphrasing is essential for strong academic writing, and unsuccessful paraphrasing can result in unintentional plagiarism. Look through the paraphrasing ...

  5. AI Paraphrasing Tool for Academics

    Citation generator. Effortlessly create in-text citations and bibliographies in APA and 2,500 other formats. Open. Write in more tones and languages than Quillbot Paraphraser, and humanize your text with our AI detector. Make your academic writing more clear and original with SciSpace.

  6. Paraphrasing Tool

    Paraphrasing means expressing someone else's ideas or thoughts in your own words while maintaining the original meaning. It can make your text more concise, clear, and suitable for a specific audience. Paraphrasing is an important skill in both academic writing and professional communication.

  7. Academic Guides: Using Evidence: Effective Paraphrasing Strategies

    Using Evidence. Effective Paraphrasing Strategies. Reread the original passage you wish to paraphrase, looking up any words you do not recognize, until you think you understand the full meaning of and intention behind the author's words. Next, cover or hide the passage. Once the passage is hidden from view, write out the author's idea, in your ...

  8. Paraphrasing

    Writing a Paraphrase. First, re-read the original work to be sure you understand it. Then, set it aside and write what you think it means in your own words. Putting the original out of sight is helpful since it frees you from the temptation to merely rearrange the words or substitute a synonym or two. A successful paraphrase will typically ...

  9. Evidence-Based Arguments:

    Paraphrasing. Evidence-based arguments for doctoral capstone writers. A successful paraphrase is your own explanation or interpretation of another person's ideas. Paraphrasing in academic writing is an effective way to restate, condense, or clarify another author's ideas while also providing credibility to your own argument or analysis.

  10. PDF Principles of Paraphrasing

    In education and psychology , the use of long quotes is not preferred. Paraphrasing allows you to succinctly compare, contrast, and synthesize the ideas of scholars in your field. Paraphrasing allows you to represent the ideas of others and demonstrate how your own ideas relate to and build on the ideas of other scholars.

  11. Paraphrasing in Academic Writing: Answering Top Author Queries

    Paraphrasing in academic writing is when you rewrite someone else's ideas or information in your own words while retaining the intended meaning. It is a fundamental skill for academics as it emphasizes their understanding of the material, allows them to integrate important information effectively, and also allows them to maintain academic ...

  12. How do I paraphrase effectively?

    To present information from other sources in academic writing, it's best to paraphrase in most cases. This shows that you've understood the ideas you're discussing and incorporates them into your text smoothly. It's appropriate to quote when: Changing the phrasing would distort the meaning of the original text

  13. Paraphrasing in academic writing: what, when, and how

    Paraphrasing means rephrasing or rewriting sentences in your own words. It is important in academic writing, where you need to show your understanding of other sources without copying them. To paraphrase sentences thoroughly, you must do more than just replace a few words: you must also make changes in word order and sentence structure.

  14. How to Paraphrase

    Paraphrase can feel more challenging and risky than directly quoting but if you approach it as we suggest, it can be a far better way to demonstrate your learning and develop your understanding of the content and confidence in writing academic English. To find out more about which to use, read our related guide, Quote or Paraphrase?.

  15. PDF Academic Writing Guide: Paraphrasing

    Academic Writing Guide: Paraphrasing Definition: A paraphrase is a restatement of another author's ideas in your own way, without changing the meaning or removing any information from the original text. It is important to note that a paraphrase is not a direct quote and is more complex than using a few synonyms or rearranging the original ...

  16. Academic Paraphrasing Tool

    Academic paraphrasing tool helps you rephrase the academic text, sentences, and paragraphs. Our Free AI paraphraser enhances the language clarity, ensures proper vocabulary, style, and tone. AI paraphrasing tool designed for researchers and academics. Enhance your writing with our online academic paraphraser. Trusted by top publisher's academic writers more than 130 countries.

  17. The best AI tools for academic paraphrasing: tested and ranked

    Scispace. 1. Trinka. ($6.67/month if billed annually) A strong contender in the rankings, Trinka secures its place as one of the top AI academic writing tools. Distinguished by its adaptability to various disciplinary standards and scientific conventions, Trinka stands out as an all-encompassing solution.

  18. Paraphrasing

    Paraphrasing is one way to use a text in your own writing without directly quoting source material. Anytime you are taking information from a source that is not your own, you need to specify where you got that information. ... Plagiarism is a serious offense in the academic world. However, we acknowledge that plagiarism is a difficult term to ...

  19. How to Paraphrase in Academic Writing: A Comprehensive Guide

    Paraphrasing in academic writing: 5 steps. The following steps instruct how the process of paraphrasing should be executed. 1. Scrutinizing the text. The first step to successfully paraphrasing a text is reading it closely. A close reading of a text enables a writer to firmly grasp its key concepts and the central idea.

  20. What is Paraphrasing?

    Paraphrasing, Academic writing, Citing and referencing. Paraphrasing means 'to state something written or spoken in different words, especially in a shorter and simpler form to make the meaning clearer' (Cambridge Online Dictionary, 2022). Paraphrasing is 'a restating of someone else's thoughts or ideas in your own words.

  21. Paraphrasing

    Paraphrasing is the process of reading a section of text and then re-writing it using your own words It is necessary in university study as it shows that you have understood the information. REMEMBER - the information has come from text that somebody else has written, so you must still cite the author appropriately according to the referencing ...

  22. 5 Best Paraphrasing Tools for Academic Writing (2024)

    Without further ado, let's learn the pros and cons of each paraphrasing tool. 1. QuillBot - Best Overall. QuillBot is a writing and paraphrasing tool that leverages modern A.I. technology. Nevertheless, the most important feature for you is the paraphrasing tool that uses complex rewording mechanisms to pass plagiarism checkers and save you ...

  23. How to Paraphrase Effectively

    Academic Writing. Academic Integrity. How to Paraphrase Effectively. Study. Clearing 2024. Where bright futures begin. Find out more; Undergraduate. Courses; ... A short video on using paraphrasing in your writing, by Sarah Robinson from the Centre for Academic Success. Swansea University DSA Assessment Centre; Student Support Services;

  24. Critical Writing Program Spring 2024

    Known-item searching is working with a specific source -- you have a title and author.When you have this "known item," you may want "chase it." Citation chasing can go in two directions -- backwards and forwards.If you have found an article or similar work that is important to your paper you may want to follow up on the scholarship relied on by your author --- this is chasing backwards ...

  25. Academic Guides: Using Evidence: Examples of Paraphrasing

    Differentiation as an instructional approach promotes a balance between a student's style and a student's ability. Differentiated instruction provides the student with options for processing and internalizing the content, and for constructing new learning in order to progress academically. Here is an example of bad paraphrasing of the source.