Tip 7: How to effectively paraphrase in an APA Style paper

This week’s topic is how to make your students more aware of plagiarism and the importance of learning how to paraphrase.

Instructors, by this point in the semester, your students should have written a paper or two.

So, access your students’ last paper assignment via your classroom learning management system—if they are required to upload their work to it—or request students email you their last paper assignment.

If there are in-text citations and references in their papers, remove them and then copy sections from each student’s paper, along with copying passages from published journal articles, blog posts, news websites, etc., and add them into one document—with you listed as the author of the patchworked paper. The paper should be about 15 or more pages in length, and make sure the paper is filled with mostly direct quotes.

Email the patchworked paper to your students before you conduct this activity. Once you ensure all students have received the paper, ask them to check the paper for plagiarism, explaining you want them to identify parts of the paper that require in-text citations, that require reference list entries, and that require more paraphrased material and not so many direct quotes.

But, first, let’s practice. Assign your students the Paraphrasing and Citation Activities (PDF, 349KB)opens in new window. This activity can be started in class but finished for homework, because you need to ensure you have time left in class to discuss with your students about the patchworked paper you sent/plan to send to them for the next stage of this paraphrasing activity. Thus, during the next class period, please make sure your students have access to a computer, laptop, or other technological device with internet access. You can also go to the nearest computer lab or library to complete this next step.

Now, ask your students to take out the patchworked paper (if they printed it) or open it on their technological device. Then, organize your students into groups of four (feel free to adjust based on your class size). Inform your students to conduct an internet scavenger hunt to see if they can find all the sources you used to compose the patchworked paper. They can copy and paste the sources into the paper if they are using a technological device or handwrite the sources on the paper if they printed it.

Please do give your students hints as to which sections were copied from their papers and who the authors of those sections are.

Once they have all the sources listed in the appropriate places, and using the Paraphrasing and Citation Activities as a guide, have them paraphrase the direct quotes and cite them correctly. This activity can go on for several class periods, and it can be done in any appropriate place around campus with internet access and that accommodates your class size.

After you finish this activity, allow students to “show their work” by writing their answers on your class whiteboard or by displaying them on the class projector if they typed their answers. Remind your students that this activity should inform how they compose their next paper.

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