From Inquiry to Academic Writing A Practical Guide, 3rd edition

WRiTing A PARAPHRASE 155

The paraphrase is not an improvement on the original passage — in

fact, historians would probably prefer what Lipsitz wrote — but it may

help readers who do not  share Lipsitz’s expertise understand his point

without distorting his argument.

Now compare this summary to the paraphrase:

SuMMAry

Historian George Lipsitz argues that technological, social, and economic changes

dating from the nineteenth century have culminated in what he calls a “crisis over

the loss of connection to the past,” in which Americans find themselves cut off from

the memories of their traditions (12).

Which is better, the paraphrase or the summary? Neither is better or worse

in and of itself. Their correctness and appropriateness depend on how the

restatements are used in a given argument. That is, the decision to para-

phrase or summarize depends entirely on the information you need to con-

vey. Would the details in the paraphrase strengthen your argument? Or is a

summary sufficient? In this case, if you plan to focus your argument on the

causes of America’s loss of cultural memory (the rise of commercial enter-

tainment, changes in spending habits, globalization), then a paraphrase

might be more helpful. But if you plan to define loss of cultural memory, then

a summary may provide enough context for the next stage of your argument.

Steps to Writing a Paraphrase

■^1 Decide whether to paraphrase. If your readers don’t need all the

information in the passage, consider summarizing it or presenting

the key points as part of a summary of a longer passage. If a passage

is clear, concise, and memorable as originally written, consider quot-

ing instead of paraphrasing. Otherwise, and especially if the original

was written for an academic audience, you may want to paraphrase

the original to make its substance more accessible to your readers.

■^2 Understand the passage. Start by identifying key words, phrases,

and ideas. If necessary, reread the pages leading up to the passage,

to place it in context.

■^3 Draft your paraphrase.^ replace key words and phrases with

synonyms and alternative phrases (possibly gleaned from the

context provided by the surrounding text). experiment with

word order and sentence structure until the paraphrase captures

your understanding of the passage, in your own language, for

your readers.

■^4 Acknowledge your source. That’s the only sure way to protect

yourself from a charge of plagiarism.

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