Paraphrasing is one way of expressing an idea or information using your own words. It can be considered as an important skill that a person can develop using the English language. If you are a student and was asked by your teacher to research on a particular topic, then you are expected to use the materials as a source of the report, but you should deliver it using your own words. By paraphrasing the content, it will let your teacher and the class know that you have understood the assigned topic and that you can expound on it based on what you have learned from it.
Paraphrasing does not involve a simple copy/paste and simple editing. It is how you can translate what you have researched in your own words. The idea or thought should remain the same but the way of expressing it must be different from the original source, or else you might get penalized for plagiarism or copying someone else’s work. If needed, you may also mention the source of the content.
The best way to paraphrase is to make sure that your wordings are not close to the original source. Do not rewrite per sentence, instead read the entire content and from there you should develop content that explains what the topic is all about. You may check the original content to see if what you are writing is aligned with the idea.
Overall, paraphrases are usually brief and more precise so that you can deliver your point faster and more direct than that of the original source. In most, cases paraphrasing encompasses gathering information or opinions and translate them using your own words. When you paraphrase a given content, it is necessary to retain the original idea or thought and explained it in a new form. It’s like you are expressing something in your own words about what has been said by the source.