Paraphrasing and summarising
Paraphrasing and summarising are both essential skills for academic writing.
What is the difference between paraphrasing and summarising?
Paraphrasing is when you put the ideas of another author into your own words. To avoid plagiarism when paraphrasing, it is essential that you do not include too many words from the original text.
Summarising is when you use your own words to draw out the key points or main arguments of the original text, significantly reducing its length.
| Paraphrasing | Summarising |
| Does not match the source word for word. | Does not match the source word for word. |
| Involves putting a passage from a source into your own words. | Involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, but including only the main point(s) |
| Changes the words or phrasing of a passage, but retains and fully communicates the original meaning. | Presents a broad overview, so is usually much shorter than the original text. |
| Must be attributed to the original source. | Must be attributed to the original source. |
Paraphrasing
What is paraphrasing?
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Paraphrasing is re-writing the ideas from a piece of text into your own words without changing the meaning.
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You still need to acknowledge the original source of the ideas.
Why paraphrase?
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You demonstrate your own understanding of the information.
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You avoid plagiarism. (Plagiarism is when you use someone else’s ideas or words without acknowledging where you got them from.)
How to paraphrase
Read the text until you understand it well. Find out the meaning of any unknown words or terms.
The first sentence of a paragraph (often called a topic sentence) will usually introduce the main idea of that paragraph, and will guide you to other key points.
Or write down keywords. This helps you be clear about what the text is about.
Use whole sentences this time to express the main points. Do not look at the original text when you do this, or you will be tempted to copy their words. Write the information down in the way it makes sense for you, as if you were explaining it to someone else. You do not need to put it in the same order as it was in the original, but make sure the information is in a logical sequence.
Read your paraphrase, then compare with the original to make sure you have not missed any important points.
Have you used your way of expressing ideas or information? (not just changed their words around or just moved their words or sentences into a different order).
Check you have expressed the key information accurately and you have not misrepresented the author’s ideas.
Cite in the paraphrase and record the full details of the information source for your reference list
Paraphrasing techniques
There are several ways to change the wording without deviating from the original meaning.
How to cite a paraphrase
If you are using APA or Harvard style for referencing, and if you include the author's last name in your sentence, write the date in brackets immediately afterwards.
Alternatively, write both the author's last name and the date of publication in brackets after you have finished the paraphrase.
APA style uses a comma to separate the author(s) and the year and Harvard style does not use a comma.
Things to note:
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You don't have to specify the page number when paraphrasing
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You don't need to repeat the date if you refer to the same author again in the same paragraph
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If you mention information from this source again later on in your work, you will need to repeat the full citation
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If you are using Chicago style, use footnotes and see the resources for the Chicago style for examples.
Summarising
A summary is an overview of the main ideas, concepts, or facts of a text. The main idea is given, but details and examples are left out.
Summarising is a useful skill for making notes from readings and in lectures, writing an abstract/synopsis and for incorporating material into assignments or literature reviews.
When do I summarise?
Summarise long sections of work, like a long paragraph, page or chapter.
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To outline the main points of someone else's work in your own words
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To include an author's ideas using fewer words than the original text
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To briefly give examples of several differing points of view on a topic
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To support claims in, or provide evidence for, your writing.
How to Summarise
The amount of detail you include in a summary will vary according to the length of the original text, how much information you need and how selective you are:
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Start by reading a short text and highlighting the main points as you read
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Focus on the topic sentences as these provide the main ideas of the paragraphs
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Reread the text and make notes of the main points, leaving out examples, evidence etc
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Without the text, rewrite your notes in your own words; restate the main idea at the beginning plus all major points
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Check that the meaning is the same as the original
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Use quotation marks for original/specialist phrases you have used from the original
A summary should be:
References
Attributions
Hero image: Close up of painting by Fiona Art. Licensed under a Pexels.com license.
Paraphrasing and Summarizing by University Library Service, Cardiff University. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
Person highlighting by Charlotte May, licensed under a Pexels.com license
Summarising. Writing skills by CPIT. Permission granted to use content.
