Final answer:
Paraphrasing involves restating others' ideas in your own words while maintaining the original meaning and differs from quoting, which uses the exact words of the source. Proper attribution is necessary for any paraphrased content to provide credit and avoid plagiarism. Paraphrasing enhances the flow of an academic paper and integrates external ideas while preserving the writer's unique voice.
Step-by-step explanation:
When one is paraphrasing, they take the information or ideas from another person’s text and shape them into their own words, maintaining the original meaning. To differentiate it from quoting, where the exact words are cited within quotation marks, a paraphrase involves rephrasing the content without substantially altering its length. Effective paraphrasing allows you to weave statistics, specific ideas, or complex concepts into your writing seamlessly, keeping your own voice and style consistent. It is crucial, however, to provide appropriate attribution to the original source, even when you're putting the ideas in your own words to avoid plagiarism.
Paraphrasing can be a strategic choice in your writing when a direct quote would disrupt the flow, or when the original text's language is too dense or technical. It’s also valuable in showcasing your understanding of the material by conveying it in a way that makes it accessible to your audience, perhaps in simpler terms or a clearer format. Using paraphrases strategically can strengthen your writing by ensuring that you don't rely too heavily on quotations, which can result in a disjointed or derivative-sounding essay.
Especially in academic writing, it's important to put the original text aside and restructure the idea to reflect your own cognitive processing. If you mirror back the original idea faithfully with your own language but feel the necessity to use specific terms from the source, these should be placed within quotation marks to signal their origin. Remember to use a documentation format such as MLA or APA to cite your sources carefully.