Paraphrasing others' words

Introduction    
What is plagiarism?
Is plagiarism a problem?
So if everyone is doing it...
Montgomery College &
      Plagiarism
Montgomery College
      Sanctions for plagiarism
Avoiding plagiarism
Citing others' exact words
Paraphrasing others' words
What you don't need to cite
Keeping yourself safe...
Evaluation and Quiz
   

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Last Updated:  4/21/06 [bsb]

Many students inadvertently commit plagiarism when paraphrasing others' words and ideas.  Many students think that as long as they change a few words around that they are OK.  This is not true.  Paraphrasing is OK as long as you do not follow the original source too closely AND you give credit to the original writer in both your footnotes and works cited.

• example of an original passage:

  "But life is never all hardship for a growing boy. The surrounding country was wild enough for any imaginative youngster to find adventure in" (5).
  
  Bryce, Robert M.  Cook & Peary:  the Polar Controversy, Resolved.
       Mechanicsburg, PA:  Stackpole Press, 1997.

• example of an unacceptable paraphrase:

  For a growing boy, life is never all hardship.   For anyone with imagination, the countryside was wild enough for adventures.

• example of an acceptable paraphrase:

  According to Robert Bryce, in a countryside like the one Cook grew up in, an adventurous boy could compensate for life's hardships (5).