Paraphrasing vs Quoting

Paraphrasing versus Quoting

An important part of referencing includes how you use the information you have found. Here we will look at the difference between Paraphrasing and Quoting .

• Two ways to say it

  There are two ways you can use information from someone else. The first is by copying the exact words from the original source. This is called a direct quotation. The examples you have seen so far in this course have used quotations. 

  However, wherever possible, it is best to paraphrase the information, i.e. to put it into your own words.

  Whether quoting or paraphrasing you still need to show where you got the information from.

• Pre-activity

  Why paraphrase?

  Why do you think it is generally best to paraphrase information found somewhere else, than to quote someone directly? Can you think of two reasons?

  Check your answers below by clicking on the headings:

• Paraphrasing and referencing

  When paraphrasing, you must still show where you got the information from. Paraphrasing is a skill that will get easier the more you do it. It is not simply changing a word or two.

  The video below explains more. 

• Video

  Quoting versus paraphrasing 

  Watch the first 1.35 mins of the video below (Aplys Essays 2018) for a clear explanation of the differences between quoting and paraphrasing, before continuing with the activities below.

  (Though not essential, you may also like to watch the full video [3.07 mins] for additional information about types of quotations).
  

  
  

• Practice activity

  Which paraphrase is better?

  After watching the video above, read the Original Passage below, then read Paraphrase A and B. Decide which Paraphrase is better. Why?
  
  

  Original Passage 
  "In order to communicate effectively with other people, one must have a reasonably accurate idea of what they do and do not know that is pertinent to the communication" (Nickerson, 1999, p. 737).  

  
  Paraphrase A:
  For effective communication, it is necessary to have a fairly accurate idea of what people know or do not know that is relevant to the communication (Nickerson, 1999).

  
  Paraphrase B:
  Nickerson (1999) suggests that successful communication depends on a good understanding of what the audience already knows and where there are gaps in knowledge about the topic under discussion.

• Formatting tip

  What's different?

  Look at the original quote above and the two paraphrases again. Think now about the format of the in-text citations. What is different about the citation for the quotation compared with the paraphrases?

• Practice activity

  Have a go yourself - The Soul of an Octopus

  The above example paraphrases a single sentence. Quite often however, you will be paraphrasing a whole paragraph. The quotation below comes from the following book:

  Montgomery, S. (2016). The soul of an octopus: A surprising exploration of one of the world's most intriguing creatures. London, England: Simon & Schuster.

  1. Read the quotation a couple of times. 
  2. Have a go at paraphrasing the information.Try not to look back at the quotation as you write your paraphrase. This will help you put it into your own words.
  3. Check your paraphrase against the original, perhaps making some final changes if you've missed anything important.
  4. Make sure you include an in-text citation.
  5. After you have written your paraphrase, compare it with the examples below.

  Sy Montgomery (2016) says that

  The ability of the octopuses and their kin to camouflage themselves is unmatched in both speed and diversity. Octopuses and their relatives put chameleons to shame. Most animals gifted with the ability to camouflage can assume only a tiny handful of fixed patterns. The cephalopods have a command of thirty to fifty different patterns per individual animal. They can change color, pattern, and texture in seven tenths of a second. (p. 45)

• Paraphrasing and Turnitin

  Another reason to make sure you are paraphrasing correctly is Turnitin. Many NMIT courses ask you to submit your assignments electronically via a dropbox in Moodle. Once submitted, the assignment passes through a plagirism detector called Turnitin. 

  Turnitin will check your writing for any sign of copying from another source. If this is not referenced correctly, or sufficiently paraphrased, Turnitin will detect this. Turnitin generates a % score, i.e. what percentage of your writing is considered to be plagiarised. Many courses set an expected Turnitin score e.g. 10% or less.

  Your tutor will inform you more about whether they require you to submit via Moodle/Turnitin and what their expectations are in regard to referencing. But in general, always make sure to, paraphrase well into your own words, include quotation marks if you are directly quoting, and to reference in the correct format, to avoid a high Turnitin score.

  You can read more about Turnitin here. Scroll down to "Turnitin - How it Works".

• Summary

  You should now be feeling more informed about the difference between directly quoting someone and paraphrasing, and when to use each. As mentioned, your paraphrasing skill will get better, the more you do it.

  This completes the main part of this course as an introduction to referencing.

  The following sections are optional. You may want to look at them now, or return to them once you've had a bit more practice at referencing your first course assignments. These include:

  • the next section which looks at some tricky source types you may come across.
  • the tab above on "Referencing Tools". This looks at a variety of automated referencing tools that are freely available. These are best explored once you have more familiarity and practice with referencing manually first. 

  Best of luck with your studies and your referencing. Feel free to get in touch via the Further Support tab above.

  The Learning Support Team at NMIT.

• References

  Aplus Essays. (2018). Quoting vs paraphrasing - APA style [Videofile]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKR3IEkvJzY&t=45s

  Montgomery, S. (2015). The soul of an octopus: A surprising exploration of one of the world's most intriguing creatures. London, England: Simon & Schuster.

  Turnitin. (n.d.). Turnitin logo. Retrieved from https://www.turnitin.com/