By Dr. Jennifer Mitchell

READ this passage about writing process from the textbook, College Success. Then you’ll see some paraphrases of this passage.

“Writing instructors distinguish between process and product. The expectations [we’ve] described here all involve the ‘product’ you turn in on the due date. Although you should keep in mind what your product will look like, writing is more involved with how you get to that goal. ‘Process’ concerns how you work to actually write a paper. What do you actually do to get started? How do you organize your ideas? Why do you make changes along the way as you write? Thinking of writing as a process is important because writing is actually a complex activity. Even professional writers rarely sit down at a key board and write out an article beginning to end without stopping along the way to revise portions they have drafted, to move ideas around, or to revise their opening and thesis. Professionals and students alike often say they only realized what they wanted to say after they started to write. This is why many instructors see writing as a way to learn. Many writing instructors ask you to submit a draft for review before submitting a final paper. To roughly paraphrase a famous poem, you learn by doing what you have to do.” (College Success 285)

Below you will find examples of good and poor paraphrasing.

Examples of Good Paraphrases:

1. When writing, it is important to recognize that the product and process are two different things. The “product” is the final piece of writing that you submit to your professor, while the “process” pertains to how a writer creates their work (College Success 285).
2. The authors of the textbook, College Success, list things to consider when writing a paper. They mention how you begin a paper, the organization of concepts and how you make changes in your writing. These steps are all a part of one’s writing “process” (285). 3. For many people, writing is not a simple straightforward process. Even people who write professionally typically edit and reorganize their work before they submit it (College Success 285).
3. Often, writers are unsure of what they want to convey in their paper at the start. It isn’t until they are in the midst of writing that they determine what it is they want to say (College Success 285). That’s because writing leads to new ideas.
4. According to College Success, professors will often ask students to submit a draft of a paper before they complete the final product. This is a chance for professors to teach, and for the writer to make changes to their work (285).

Examples of Bad Paraphrases: What’s wrong here?

5. Professional writers and college students both often say they only realized what they wanted to say after they started writing.
6. Thinking of writing as a process is important. That’s because writing is actually a complex activity. Even professional writers rarely sit down at a key board and write out an article beginning to end. They stop along the way to revise portions they have drafted, to move ideas around, or to revise their opening and thesis (College Success 285).

Write:

A paraphrase:

• Copy one sentence
• Then present your paraphrase of that sentence in your own words.
• Include parenthetical citation.

A partial paraphrase:

• Copy a different sentence.
• Then insert your excellent paraphrase with one short, exact section/word/phrase from the original in quotation marks as part of your paraphrase.
• Include parenthetical citation.
• Always keep quotation marks on exact words.

WRITE:

Why are the example paraphrases considered good or bad by a college teacher?

Write just 3 – 5 sentences. This really is your perspective.

Considerations when paraphrasing:

• Is the paraphrase really in our own original wording — or is it using the authors’ words from the passage above?
• Is the source given credit correctly, in the sentence or in parentheses?

Remember, you are responsible for learning how to cite and doing it thoroughly. Teachers won’t always spell out requirements in the same way, so your initiative to learn and check the formats is essential.