Library: Assignment skills: Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is when you rewrite an existing piece of information in your own words, while making sure that the meaning stays the same. When you paraphrase, the length of what you write should be similar to the original work. You must reference when paraphrasing.

Summarising

A summary is when the original piece that you are reading and referring to is much longer than what you write. For example, a chapter or a book summarised into one or two paragraphs.

The summary should include the main ideas, facts and statements of the original.

Direct quotes

Direct Quoting is when you take an exact piece of writing from a source and put it in your assignment. You should try not to use too many direct quotes in your assignments. If you are unsure, talk to your teacher about whether you can use direct quotes in your assignments.

Short quotes are part of a sentence you are writing. If you are using the APA referencing style, they should be forty words or less. If you are using the Harvard referencing style, they should be thirty words or less. You should use quotation marks around the quote.

Long quotes are separated from the main text. You should create a new paragraph, indent the writing, and make the font two points smaller. You do not need to use quotation marks for long quotes. An example is below.

Example:

F. Scott Fitzgeralds writing gives the reader a gateway into the world of the 1920's. The glitz and the glamour of scenes in America and France captures the imagination of reckless abandon coupled with an anxiety to fit into the material world demonstrated by the following passage:

Reaching the raft she was out of breath,

but a tanned woman with very white teeth

looked down at her, and Rosemary, suddenly

conscious of the raw whiteness of her own body,

turned on her back and drifted towards shore.

The hairy man holding the bottle spoke to her as

she came out (Fitzgerald 1934, p. 7).

Bendigo TAFE acknowledges their campuses are located on the ancestral lands of the Djaara people of the Dja Dja Wurrung and the Yorta Yorta People. The institute respects traditional custodians, Elders and their cultural heritage.

Kangan Institute acknowledges their campuses are located on the ancestral lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nations. The institute respects traditional custodians, Elders and their cultural heritage.

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