Bad paraphrasing is the #1 reason solid students fail plagiarism scans. Here's how to paraphrase correctly, with real before/after examples and the three tests every paraphrase has to pass.
The three tests every good paraphrase passes
(1) Different sentence structure. (2) Different vocabulary (not synonym-swapping). (3) Same meaning, fully attributed. If any one of these fails, you're plagiarizing.
Bad paraphrase (synonym-swap)
Original: 'Climate change poses significant threats to global food security.' Bad paraphrase: 'Global warming creates major dangers for worldwide food supply.' Why it fails: same structure, just synonyms. Plagiarism scanners flag this as 70%+ match.
Good paraphrase (restructured)
'Food supply systems worldwide face mounting risks as the climate changes (Author, 2024).' Why it works: different structure, different verb framing, citation included.
The 'close the source' technique
Read the passage. Close the source. Write what you remember in your own words, from scratch. Then check back to verify accuracy. This forces your brain to actually rephrase rather than synonym-swap. Most plagiarism happens because students paraphrase with the source open.
When to quote vs paraphrase
Quote when: the wording itself matters (definition, famous phrase, exact statistic). Paraphrase everything else. Most papers should be ~10% quotes, 90% paraphrase + analysis.
The citation rule no one teaches
Every paraphrase needs a citation, even if it's not a direct quote. The idea isn't yours; credit the source. 'Common knowledge' (basic facts no one disputes) is the only exception.
Key takeaways
- Synonym-swapping = plagiarism
- Close the source before rephrasing
- Change structure, not just words
- Always cite, even paraphrases
- ~10% quotes, 90% paraphrase