When it comes to academic writing, two skills that are essential to understand are paraphrasing and summarising. Both techniques are commonly used to express ideas and information in a different form, yet they serve distinct purposes and are applied differently in writing. Understanding the differences between paraphrasing and summarising is crucial for anyone involved in writing essays, dissertations, or research papers, as each technique is used in different contexts and for different reasons.
In this blog post, we will explore the key distinctions between paraphrasing and summarising, provide detailed explanations of each concept, and offer practical examples to illustrate their use. By the end of this guide, you’ll have a clear understanding of paraphrasing vs summarising and how to apply them correctly in your writing.
What is Paraphrasing?
Paraphrasing refers to the act of rewording a piece of text while retaining its original meaning. The purpose of paraphrasing is to express someone else’s ideas or information in your own words, often to make the text clearer, more concise, or better suited to your own style of writing. Paraphrasing is commonly used when you want to incorporate external sources into your work but avoid directly quoting them.
Characteristics of Paraphrasing
- Paraphrasing is usually similar in length to the original text, although it may vary slightly.
- You must ensure that the meaning of the original text is preserved without changing the intended message.
- Paraphrasing involves altering both the structure and wording of the text.
What is an Example of Paraphrasing?
Let’s take a look at an example to understand what paraphrasing means:
Original Text: “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.”
Paraphrased Text: “A speedy brown fox leaps over a sluggish dog.”
In this case, the meaning of the sentence is unchanged, but the phrasing is different. Both sentences convey the same idea, but the words used are distinct.
What is Summarising?
Summarising, on the other hand, involves condensing a longer piece of text into a shorter form while maintaining only the main ideas or key points. A summary captures the essence of the original text but omits details, examples, and explanations. The purpose of summarising is to provide a brief overview of the main concepts, often to make it easier for the reader to understand the central themes of a larger text.
Characteristics of Summarising
- Summaries are typically much shorter than the original text.
- Only the most important information or ideas are included, with less emphasis on the details.
- Summarising is used to highlight the central points without elaborating on every aspect.
What is a Summary Example?
Let’s take the same sentence used in the paraphrasing example and look at a summary example:
Original Text: “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The dog, lying under the tree, does not react. The fox quickly hops back over and runs off towards the forest.”
Summary: “A fox jumps over a dog, but the dog remains still.”
As you can see, the summary captures the main idea of the original text (the interaction between the fox and the dog) but omits specific details like the dog’s position and the fox’s subsequent actions.
Paraphrasing vs Summarising: Key Differences
While both paraphrasing and summarising involve rewording a piece of text, they are used for different purposes and in different contexts. Understanding these differences between paraphrasing and summarising can help you decide which technique is appropriate for a given situation.
1. Length
- Paraphrasing typically maintains the original length or is slightly shorter than the source material, as you are rewording the full text.
- Summarising results in a much shorter version of the original text, with only the key points included.
2. Level of Detail
- In paraphrasing, the focus is on keeping the details intact while rewording. You still include most of the original content and structure.
- In summarising, many of the details are omitted to focus only on the central themes or ideas.
3. Purpose
- Paraphrasing is used when you want to convey the same meaning as the original text, but in your own words. This technique is often used to clarify ideas or incorporate external information seamlessly into your writing.
- Summarising is used when you need to condense information and provide an overview of a larger body of work. Summarising is particularly useful when dealing with long articles, research papers, or entire books.
4. Use in Academic Writing
- Paraphrasing is often used in academic writing when incorporating research into your own work while ensuring you avoid plagiarism. You’re essentially restating someone else’s work without quoting them directly.
- Summarising is useful when you need to provide a brief overview of a source, especially when writing literature reviews or introducing background information.
How to Paraphrase and Summarise Effectively
Both paraphrasing and summarising are important skills in academic writing. Here are some tips on how to do them effectively:
Tips for Paraphrasing
- Understand the Text Fully: Before you paraphrase, make sure you fully understand the original text. This will help you avoid misrepresenting the ideas when you put them into your own words.
- Use Synonyms: Replace words with appropriate synonyms, but be cautious of using words that change the meaning of the text.
- Change the Structure: Alter the sentence structure to create a version of the text that is different from the original.
- Avoid Copying: Simply changing a few words isn’t enough. Make sure the entire sentence or paragraph is reworded in your own style.
Tips for Summarising
- Identify the Main Ideas: Skim the text and highlight the key points. Focus on what the author is trying to convey, rather than the details.
- Be Concise: Condense the information into a short and clear version, removing any unnecessary details, examples, or explanations.
- Use Your Own Words: When summarising, make sure to rephrase the original text using your own vocabulary.
Conclusion
For PhD students working on longer pieces of work, such as dissertations or theses, effective paraphrasing and summarising can make your arguments clearer and more concise. Whether you are paraphrasing to incorporate research or summarising a complex article, mastering these techniques will help you communicate more effectively in your academic work.
If you need help with writing your thesis or, or need assistance with summarising and paraphrasing academic sources, our thesis writing service for PhD students can provide expert support throughout your doctoral journey. Our experienced academics are here to help you with every step of the process, ensuring that your work is well-written and properly structured.
