📝 Created by: El Arby Ameur | 📅 August 2026 | 🌐 lesson.tn

🔄 Paraphrasing in Academic Writing: Techniques and Examples

What is paraphrasing?

Restating a source's idea in your own words while keeping the original meaning. Must be cited.

Techniques

1. Change synonyms: "important" → "significant"
2. Change sentence structure: Active to passive: "Researchers conducted a study" → "A study was conducted by researchers"
3. Change word form: "analysis" (noun) → "analyze" (verb)
4. Combine or split sentences
5. Change order of information

Examples

Original: "Global warming is causing sea levels to rise at an alarming rate."
Paraphrase: "Sea levels are increasing rapidly as a result of global warming."
⚠️ Avoid "patchwriting" (changing only a few words). Put the original away and rewrite from memory.