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GENS 279 - Indianapolis

When to Paraphrase or Summarize

Paraphrase:

  • Passages you do not wish to quote but use details important to your point

Summarize:

  • Long passages in which the main point is important to your point but the details are not.

 From:  Writing in Action by Andrea A. Lunsford p. 188

Paraphrasing is NOT

Paraphrasing is not;

  • keeping the meaningful phrases and changing the sentence structure
  • keeping the sentence structure and replacing meaningful words with synonyms. 

Paraphrase and Summary Examples

Paraphrase

Original Text

Student-centered teaching focuses on the student. Decision-making, organization, and content are determined for most by taking individual students' needs and interests into consideration. Student-centered teaching provides opportunities to develop students' skills of transferring knowledge to other situations, triggering retention, and adapting a high motivation for learning. 

--Z. Cubukcu, "Teachers' Evaluation of Students-Centered learning Environments" (2012), p.52

Plagiarism (Unacceptable borrowing of phrases);

According to Cubukcu (2012, student-centered teaching takes into account the needs and interests of each student, making it possible to foster students' skills of transferring knowledge to new situations and triggering retention (p.52).

Plagiarism (Unacceptable borrowing of structure):

According to Cubukcu (2021), This new model of teaching centers on the student. The material and flow of the course are chosen by considering the students; individual requirements. Student-centered teaching gives a chance for students to develop useful, transferable skills, ensuring they'll remember material and stay motivated (p. 52)

Not Plagiarism:

Cubukcu's (2012) research documents the numerous benefits of student-centered teaching in putting the student at the center of teaching and learning. When students are given the option of deciding what they learn, they are motivated to apply their learning to new settings and to retain the content of their learning (p. 52). 

From: APA Pocket Styleguide 8th Ed. by Diana HAcker and Nancy Sommers p. 184