Griffith English Language Institute

HELP Yourself Resource Transcript: Paraphrasing

In this video, we will look at how to paraphrase sources. We will talk about

what to paraphrase
techniques for paraphrasing, and
paraphrasing more than one source.

First, you should make sure that you are familiar with the mechanics of referencing by watching
the referencing video, where we consider how to properly format a quotation, how to integrate it
into your writing and how to add it to your reference list.

Paraphrasing is a restatement of the meaning of a text or passage in your own words. It is

important because academic writing is not simply a repetition of other peoples work with a list of
quotations. Remember that, as a general rule, quotations should make up a maximum of 10% of
your writing.

Like a quotation, a paraphrase is referenced in the text using an appropriate style such as APA
or Harvard. But, unlike a quotation, a paraphrase uses your own words, so do not use quotation
marks.

What to Paraphrase

Lets look again at the quotation from the referencing video. (Pause 4 seconds)

In this quotation the author is talking about computer assisted language learning (otherwise
known as CALL). He says that CALL as a discipline has existed for more than 25 years, as we
can see from the research in the field, but the actual use of CALL in the language classes
started before that.

Now that we understand this quote, we must decide how much of it to paraphrase. Only use
what is relevant. If, for example, your paper is about the early use of CALL, you might only
paraphrase the first part of the quotation. If your paper is about the research in CALL you would
only use the middle part. And if your paper is about the history of CALL, you might paraphrase
the entire sentence.

Techniques

Now that you have decided what to use, you need to consider how to change the vocabulary
and the sentence structure of the original quotation. In other words, how to rephrase the idea
but keep the same meaning.

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Lets first look at the vocabulary used in the quotation. Consider other words with the same
meaning for these words and then choose the ones that you think will work best. Start with
synonyms of nouns and noun phrases. Then look at verbs and other words.

Next change the sentence structure. There are several techniques you can consider for this.
You can:

reorder some of the clauses and phrases

change the word forms of some of the key words
rewrite the sentence in a different voice, either passive or active
...and you can add some clarifying information if necessary

However, you should be aware that not all of these techniques work in every situation. Here is a
possible paraphrase of the quotation:

Dating from the establishment of major journals such as CALICO, Stockwell (2013)
claims that CALL has been a focus of study for over 25 years.

If you compare this paraphrase to the original quotation you can see how the vocabulary has
been changed, the sentence restructured, and extra clarifying information has been added but
the essential meaning of the original idea is still present.

More Than One Source

Sometimes, you may have two or more quotations that you want to combine into a single
paraphrase. This process is called synthesis and it is especially common in a literature review.

Here are three quotations: the same one as before and two more on the same topic. How would
you combine - or synthesise - the ideas into a single sentence? Consider what similar point they
are making.

Here is a possible answer:

CALL has been a focus of study for over twenty-five years (Stockwell, 2013), and the
literature generally views CALLs role in language learning and teaching favourably
(Felix, 2008; OConnor, Mortimore, & Bond, 2011).

Note how this paraphrase summarises both the history of CALL and how it is viewed by
researchers. Also note that it is much shorter than the original three texts.

Summary

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So remember, when paraphrasing a quotation, first consider how to change the vocabulary and
then look at how to change the sentence structure. Remember that you can add clarifying
information or delete parts of the original quotation that you dont need. You can also use
paraphrasing to combine more than one quotation into a single sentence, which is an effective
and efficient way to integrate multiple sources into your writing. Paraphrasing is easier if you
approach it systematically using the techniques demonstrated in this video. Now try the
exercises below.

References

Felix, U. (2008). The unreasonable effectiveness of CALL: What have we learned in two
decades of research? ReCALL, 20(2), 141-161.
OConnor, C., Mortimer, D., & Bond, S. (2011). Blended learning: issues, benefits and
challenges. IJES, 19(2), 63-83.
Stockwell, G. (2013). Exploring Theory in Computer-Assisted Language Learning. Paper
presented at CELC Symposium, National University of Singapore, Singapore. Retrieved
from
http://www.nus.edu.sg/celc/research/books/4th%20Symposium%20proceedings/4%29.%20G
lenn%20Stockwell.pdf