SUMMARIZING AND PARAPHRASING

 SUMMARIZING  AND PARAPHRASING

• essential skills to better understand a text
• useful in identifying the most important information from a text
• allow one to explain a text in your own words
• saves time, gives credibility and authority to your work

Techniques in Summarizing a Text

• Read the text thoroughly and annotate key words and phrases.
• Identify the main idea or the thesis statement.
• Extract only the main points from the text.
• Rewrite the ideas using your own words. 
• Proofread your summary. Make sure you do not copy a sentence or any part of the text. 
• The summary must be shorter than the original text.
•  Use a citation format to acknowledge the source of the text. ( author heading, idea heading, date heading format)

Techniques in Paraphrasing a Text

• Read the text thoroughly  and highlight/annotate important words and phrases.
• Find equivalent words/phrases  to the ones you picked out. 
• Rewrite the original text, line by line. Simplify grammar and vocabulary and use the active voice.
• The paraphrase should be written in your own words and should not change the meaning of the original text. 

Example of Paraphrasing a Text 

Original : 

Despite the undoubted fact that everyone’s vision of what constitutes success  is different, one should spend time establishing and finalizing one’s  personal vision of it. Otherwise, how can you possibly understand what your final destination might be, or whether or not your decisions are assisting you in moving to the direction to the goals which you have set  for yourself?

The two kinds of statement – mission and vision- can be invaluable to your approach , aiding you as they do, in focusing to your primary goal and quickly identifying possibilities that you wish to exploit and explore. 

Paraphrase ( idea heading format)

Everyone has a different idea about success. What is important is that you spend time defining your version of success. That way, you will understand what you are working toward.  You will also know if your decisions are helping you move towards your goals.

Used as part of your personal approach to goal-setting, mission and vision statements are useful for bringing sharp focus to your important goal, and for helping you to quickly identify which opportunities you should pursue. ( www.mindtools.com, 2018)

Paraphrase ( author heading format)

According to www.mindtools.com ( 2018), everyone has a different idea about success. What is important is that you spend time defining your version of success. That way, you will understand what you are working toward.  You will also know if your decisions are helping you move towards your goals.

Used as part of your personal approach to goal-setting, mission and vision statements are useful for bringing sharp focus to your important goal, and for helping you to quickly identify which opportunities you should pursue.

Paraphrase ( date heading format)

In 2018, www.mindtools.com explained that everyone has a different idea about success. What is important is that you spend time defining your version of success. That way, you will understand what you are working toward.  You will also know if your decisions are helping you move towards your goals.

Used as part of your personal approach to goal-setting, mission and vision statements are useful for bringing sharp focus to your important goal, and for helping you to quickly identify which opportunities you should pursue.

Reminders:

Always acknowledge the source of information through any of the different in-text citation formats specified in the examples given in order to avoid plagiarism.

What is plagiarism?

Plagiarism is presenting someone else work as your own, with or without their consent, by incorporating it into your work without full acknowledgement. ( University of Oxford, 2019)

Is plagiarism a crime in the Philippines?

Plagiarism is the same as copyright violation and should be considered under the cybercrime law of the Republic Act 10175. According to the Department of Justice, plagiarism has the consequences of about six years of imprisonment and a fine of fifty thousand( 50, 000 pesos)  to one hundred fifty thousand ( 150,000 pesos).