What is paraphrasing, and how does it differ from quoting?

• A. Paraphrasing restates ideas in your own words with citation; quoting uses the exact wording with quotation marks and a page reference when required.
• B. Paraphrasing uses the exact wording with quotation marks.
• C. Paraphrasing requires quotation marks.
• D. Paraphrasing and quoting are the same in how citations are used.

Answer: (A)

Paraphrasing focuses on restating someone else’s ideas in your own words while still giving credit to the original source. It means you take the information, shape it with your own vocabulary and sentence structure, and provide a citation to show where it came from. Quoting, on the other hand, uses the exact words from the source, placed in quotation marks, with a location reference (like a page number) when required by the citation style. Paraphrase helps you integrate ideas smoothly into your own argument and demonstrate understanding, while quotation preserves the author’s precise language for emphasis, authority, or clarity. Both approaches require citing the source to avoid plagiarism, but the way you present the material differs: paraphrase is in your own words without quotation marks, and quotation is the text word-for-word with quotation marks and a precise reference.