Seldom does a source just contain information. And ideas are built around information. Students will find themselves moving back and forth between translating ideas and transforming information.
A student can also incorporate bits of quotation from the original source to round out his or her explanation. In other words, instead of just quoting the information with little or no change, the student can transform the facts and translate the key ideas, supporting the translation with quotations from the original source.
Here is a passage explaning Brownian movement:
Original: " . . . a phenomenon first observed by the Scottish botanist Robert Brown in 1827. Brown had reported that tiny particles, such as dust particles, move about with a rapid and random zigzag motion when suspended in a liquid." ("Albert Einstein," Notable Scientists, par. 9).
This is taken from the following source:
"Albert Einstein." Notable Scientists: From 1900 to the Present. Gale Group, 2001. Biography Resource Center. n/a. Accessed 9 Mar. 2004.
To paraphrase this information, a student might follow these steps:
Begin by extracting key nouns from the original: 1827, Scottish botanist, Robert Brown, particles, liquid
Identify the key idea--usually tied to the verb action: "move about with a rapid and random zigzag motion"
- Write the paraphrase using any of these approaches:
Use key nouns with a partial quote to express idea: In 1827, Scottish botanist Robert Brown found that particles in a liquid "move about with a rapid and random zigzag motion" ("Albert Einstein").
Use key nouns with a translation of the key idea coupled with quotes of a few key words: In 1827, Scottish botanist Robert Brown described the motion of particles in a fluid as "rapid" and a "random zigzag motion" ("Albert Einstein").
Use key nouns with a translation of the key idea: In 1827, Scottish botanist Robert Brown found particles move quickly in liquids but not in straight lines or following any pattern ("Albert Einstein").
All of these examples would be appropriate paraphrases because they do not mimic the sentence structure of the original but correctly present the idea and give credit for both the idea and any words taken from the original. However, the last two examples are preferred because they are less dependent on quotations. If a student's paper is too dependent on quotations, it will feel like a cut-and-paste job and suggests that the student has not sufficiently processed the information that he or she is presenting.