Using your words: paraphrase and source summary

To paraphrase is to put someone else’s speech or writing (usually just a short section) into your own words. In academic writing you are also expected to use your own words to summarise a source, and so this is also a form of paraphrasing. When paraphrasing or summarising source material, you should use not only your own words but also your own style and sentence patterns as much as possible. Re-expressing other people’s work in this way is a vital part of academic work, but it is a difficult skill and takes practice to do well. Using mainly your own words and style to restate source material enables you to.