Paraphrasing in 3 easy tricks - A how to guide

Paraphrasing is about putting something in your own words. Rewording involves taking someone else's words, making minor adjustments (such as changing a word here and there or re-ordering the sentences) and presenting this bizarre creation as your own.

With proper referencing paraphrasing lets you avoid plagiarism and helps create flow in your essay.
With proper referencing rewording is plagiarism and will probably destroy or prevent the creation of flow in your essay.

In order to avoid rewording by paraphrasing successfully you should follow these 3 simple tips:
1) Take notes in bullet point form
The great thing about bullet points is they are an effective way to pull out what you think the important ideas are. After all when it comes time to write your essay the important things to present are the ideas. Additionally If you take notes in bullet point form rather than by copying out entire sections you will not have the original content when you come to write your essay. This is actually beneficial as successful paraphrasing is about presenting ideas in your own words. If you deprive yourself of the original material you will be required to use your own words as you will have nothing else to fall back on.

2) Write your paragraph without looking at the original content
Even if you don't take notes in bullet point form you should never write your essay while looking at the original content. If you have the original content on hand you will find it difficult to break away from the structure of their sentences. Remove the temptation to cheat by rewording or reorganising their work by removing it from your environment. If you find this scary remember that the structure of their sentences is not what's important, the ideas that they present are what is important. If you are having trouble separating structure from ideas go back to the original content and take notes in bullet point form.

3) If you get stuck, try to explain what you have read to a friend or family member in 1-2 sentences
Often people freak out about their ability to paraphrase. They feel that the existence of a technical term means that paraphrasing is a technical skill that can only be completed by people with that skill. That is nonsense. Paraphrasing is simply putting an idea in your own words. You do this naturally all the time when you summarise what happened in a movie, tv show, or lecture when talking with friends. If you get stuck think of what you have read as something that you might want or need to explain to a friend. Figure out what you would say then use that explanation as your paraphrase.