Let’s think about a more complicated approach to paraphrasing which will also alter the order that the sentences and meaning appear in. It is important to remember that you don’t want to add extra ideas to your paraphrased text without indicating that this is your idea leading on from someone else’s.

The aim of paraphrasing is always to take the key points from the original source and write it in words and a style that is your own. Sometimes this might mean that you only replicate small sections of the text that you read, to help you in your argument or paper that you are working on.

The next example will show you how you might be able to represent this type of paraphrasing in your academic studies.

ORIGINAL TEXT

We have begun to get at the second element of morality. It consists in the individual’s attachment to a group of which he is a member. We shall raise the problem presently whether, among the various groups to which we belong, there is an hierarchy - whether they are useful to use to the same extent so far as moral conduct is concerned. But before embarking on this particular question, it is important to establish the general principle that the domain of the genuinely moral life only begins where the collective life begins - or, in other words, that we are moral beings only to the extent that we are social beings.

Emilie Durkheim, Moral Education (1925, p.64)

PARAPHRASED TEXT

Durkheim describes there being more than one element to morality. The second part of morality relates to someone’s connection with the culture and society around them. Durkheim argues that people’s individual morality is based on the morality in the society around them. This group or collective morality influences their own personal morality. He discusses whether there are hierarchies between the various groups in society. This connection with the groups which we are associated with he argues is part of the collective life of a society.

As we saw in this re-written piece of text, not only was the original wording paraphrased, but a middle section of text not referred to at all. It did not add anything to the meaning being given in the paraphrased text, so was not necessary, as shown in the red colour in the quote.

ORIGINAL TEXT

We have begun to get at the second element of morality. It consists in the individual’s attachment to a group of which he is a member. We shall raise the problem presently whether, among the various groups to which we belong, there is an hierarchy -  whether they are useful to use to the same extent so far as moral conduct is concerned. But before embarking on this particular question, it is important to establish the general principle that the domain of the genuinely moral life only begins where the collective life begins - or, in other words, that we are moral beings only to the extent that we are social beings.

Emilie Durkheim, Moral Education (1925, p.64)

Aside from missing out some of the original passage of text, the order of the ideas that Durkheim presented was moved around, but the whole meaning of discussion between individual morality and connection to group mortality was kept.

You will also see that in this piece of text, we rewrote the passage and referred it back to the original author, sociologist Emile Durkheim. The text talks about morality and wanting to present the ideas of Durkheim, so we need to frame this in a way that shows people that what is being written is from Durkheim.