Paraphrasing vs plagiarism
Paraphrasing done right is the backbone of academic writing. Done wrong, it’s plagiarism — and the line isn’t where most students think. Swapping a few words for synonyms while keeping the original sentence is still plagiarism (it’s called patchwriting). And even a perfect paraphrase needs a citation, because the idea still isn’t yours.
The two ways paraphrasing becomes plagiarism
- Patchwriting — same structure, synonyms swapped in. Even with a citation, this reproduces the author’s expression, not just their idea.
- No citation — you restated it perfectly but didn’t credit the source. Changing the words doesn’t change whose idea it is.
Original: “The intervention significantly reduced hospital readmissions among elderly patients.”
Patchwrite: “The treatment notably lowered hospital readmissions in older patients (Smith, 2021).” — same sentence, synonyms swapped. Still plagiarism.
“Smith (2021) found that older adults who received the intervention were less likely to return to hospital after discharge.” — the idea, restructured in your own voice, and cited.
How to paraphrase properly
- Read the passage until you understand it.
- Hide it — look away and write the idea from memory, in your own words and structure.
- Compare with the original; if you’ve echoed its phrasing, rewrite further.
- Cite the source — every time.
When to quote instead
If a phrase is so precise or distinctive that rewording it would lose meaning — a definition, a coined term, a memorable line — quote it directly with quotation marks and a citation, rather than disguising it as a paraphrase. Quoting honestly beats paraphrasing badly.
Why you always cite
Citation credits the idea, not just the words. A paraphrase changes the wording but the finding or argument still belongs to the original author — so it gets an in-text citation just like a quotation, only without the quotation marks. This is the same integrity standard you apply when you evaluate sources for a review.
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Frequently asked questions
Is paraphrasing plagiarism?
Not when you genuinely restate the idea in your own words and structure and cite it. It is when you only swap synonyms (patchwriting) or don’t cite.
How do you paraphrase without plagiarising?
Read, look away and rewrite from memory in your own structure, compare to check you haven’t echoed phrasing, then cite.
Do you cite a paraphrase?
Yes — citation credits the idea, not the words. A paraphrase needs an in-text citation, just without quotation marks.
What is patchwriting?
Swapping synonyms while keeping the source’s structure. Even cited, it’s plagiarism — the most common unintentional kind.