is paraphrasing tool plagiarism

Paraphrasing vs Plagiarism (vs “Paraphrasing Plagiarism”)

• Posted on November 10, 2021 December 16, 2021

If you’ve done a fair share of writing, academically or otherwise, you’ve likely heard of both plagiarizing and paraphrasing. You’ve probably combed over essays or reports for accurate information and correct citations, but somehow someone always spot something you missed.

It can be confusing to avoid plagiarism with so many types out there and without a clear outline of the rules. Even more so when paraphrasing plagiarism sits on a fine line between what’s allowed and what’s not.

What Is Plagiarism?

Most people have a basic understanding of plagiarism : copying someone else’s words or work without crediting the original author or owner.

If you were to borrow a direct quotation from a famous film character and claim it as your own idea, chances are no one would believe you. But, that doesn’t change the fact that it would be considered plagiarism.

We tend to hear about plagiarism in terms of written works, but it covers all manner of works. A general guideline is to consider copyright. If it can be copyrighted, it can be plagiarized.

What is Copyright?

Copyright is the legal protection of intellectual property. Therefore, only the  copyright owner has the legal right to reproduce or allow the reproduction of their work.

While many authors, artists, composers, and creators might choose to file the paperwork to claim the copyright of their work, you don’t need to make it official. Copyright is intrinsic. The second you complete your poem or compose a new song, you are the copyright owner.

Copyright law can vary depending on the country. Although there is no such thing as international copyright, most countries offer some protections for foreign works.

In the US, copyright protection lasts for the duration of the author’s life plus 70 years. Additionally, work for hire, anonymous, or pseudonymous lasts 95 years from publication or 120 years from creation. As creation and publication are different standards, the protection defaults to whichever is shorter.

What if an artist borrowed a section of Starry Night, such as using the sky portion over an original cityscape? Imagine the artist doesn’t have malicious intent but rather the intention to pay homage to an inspirational creator.

While writing your original novel, what if you include a paragraph or chapter that plays off ‘Riddles in the Dark’ from The Hobbit? Of course, Gollum and Bilbo aren’t in the scene, but your characters similarly exchange riddles.

Van Gogh died in 1890, so he no longer owns the copyright. Therefore, works by Van Gogh are in the  public domain , meaning the general public may use or recreate them without obtaining permission.

Public domain includes works with expired copyrights, public works intended for general public use, and short phrases. For example, “Beam me up,” most associated with Star Trek is free to use.

However, if you were to try to quote an entire line of dialogue from Star Trek, such as including names and phrases more extended than a sentence, you would be infringing copyright. Using that brief three-word phrase might pay homage to your favorite show, but quoting an exchange of dialogue with Scotty and Kirk would be plagiarism.

As for the second homage example, J.R.R. Tolkien died in 1973, which means his estate still has legal rights. Therefore, if you were to imitate the scene or chapter without permission or crediting Tolkien, the homage would be plagiarism.

Taking it a step further, let’s assume you credit Tolkien for inspiring the scene in the author’s notes at the end of your book. It would not be plagiarism if you wrote a scene where two characters exchanged riddles trying to win a prize. However, it would be plagiarism if those two characters were in a cave, one of them promising not to kill the other if they win.

The difference is that plagiarism is when you copy the presentation of an idea. For example, no one owns the concept of riddles or games, which means your homage might paraphrase the idea of riddles-to-the-death, but not the exact words. However, it’s not homage when you place characters in a strikingly similar situation and connotation for more than a phrase or scene.

Types of Plagiarism

There are many  types of plagiarism . Some sources disagree about the amount, as some break down more specific categories while others generalize. Here we’ll discuss the general types with clarification on how they might divide into subcategories.

Word for word plagiarism is the simplest, most familiar type. Notably, copying, at any length, from a direct sentence to a direct paragraph would be verbatim plagiarism.

Mosaic or patchwork plagiarism falls under verbatim. However, mosaic plagiarism includes instances where the writer mentioned the quoted work earlier, but it is not directly connected.

For example, if you were discussing The Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields,” you might mention the title in the first paragraph of your essay. Then, you open the third paragraph with lyrics from the song. You know you’re quoting the music, and Beatles fans know, but you need your essay to acknowledge the use within direct proximity.

For a correct example:

‘Always, no sometimes, think it’s me / But you know I know when it’s a dream,’ is an iconic lyric from “Strawberry Fields.”

Self-Plagiarism

If you own the work, you can recreate it. However, the same isn’t true when you’re submitting work. For example, if you write an essay about Hamlet in high school, presenting the same paper for a university class is self-plagiarism.

Legal action is rarely necessary for self-plagiarism  unless you promised an original work and breached a contract.

Accidental Plagiarism

When a citation isn’t precise, it is still plagiarism, even if the intention was to credit another creator. Crucial to avoiding this type of plagiarism is understanding your preferred manual of style.

Generally, Associated Press (AP) applies to journalism, Chicago for publishing/business, American Psychological Association (APA) for academic writing, and Modern Language Association (MLA) for humanities disciplines.

Accidental plagiarism  includes inaccurate citation, failure to acknowledge, attribution or inaccurate source plagiarism, and paraphrasing.

What Is Paraphrasing Plagiarism?

Paraphrasing is not always plagiarism. Effective paraphrasing requires an understanding of the topic or quote well enough to express it originally. It is a form of summarizing or rephrasing that clarifies the meaning of another author’s words in your own words.

A common pitfall of paraphrasing is copying a sentence or direct quote, then the writer tweaks a few words, rewords sentences, or replaces original words with synonyms. Choosing to modify rather than rewrite from scratch is paraphrasing plagiarism.

For an example of paraphrasing plagiarism: Imagine you’re writing that Hamlet essay. During your research, you read an inspiring analysis. If you copy phrases or sentences directly from that analysis, you would be plagiarising. Likewise, rewording a metaphor or sentence you liked would be paraphrasing plagiarism.

However, you could quote a phrase and include a citation. Alternatively, you could write an original interpretation of that idea.

How to Avoid Paraphrasing Plagiarism

The first step to avoid paraphrasing plagiarism is never to copy and paste. However, if while reading your notes over and over, you’ve lost track of where your original words begin, and the quotation ends, a paraphrasing plagiarism tool can catch mistakes that slip through the cracks.

Avoiding plagiarism can be tricky without extra eyes. However, whether your writing process involves meticulous text citation or you sometimes lose track of your source material, a plagiarism checker can save your hard work from accidental plagiarism, including incorrect paraphrasing.

Focus on making your writing the best it can be without stressing over plagiarism. Check out Quetext’s plagiarism checker , which recognizes plagiarism lightning-fast and generates any missed citations.

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Exploring the gray area: Understanding paraphrasing as a potential path to plagiarism

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In the labyrinthine world of academic writing, paraphrasing walks a thin line between being a useful tool and a potential pitfall, leading to plagiarism.

Often referred to as "patchwriting" or " mosaic plagiarism," the act of paraphrasing raises a fundamental question: What makes writing truly original in an era saturated with accessible information? Mark Twain's assertion that all ideas are merely reconfigurations of existing ones challenges us to consider the essence of originality. This blog ventures into the complex dynamics of paraphrasing, disentangling its legitimate use from its problematic misuse. We'll delve into what constitutes effective paraphrasing that respects academic integrity and when it veers into the territory of plagiarism.

Unpacking the art of paraphrasing

Paraphrasing serves as a bridge, translating complex or specialized topics into accessible and simplified language. It is also a way for a student or researcher to synthesize what they have read, putting text into their own words to A) better understand the topic at hand and B) support their writing with a sound, meaningfully reworded example from an outside source. The Office of Research Integrity within the US Department of Health & Human Services offers a compelling example, transforming a dense scientific explanation into a concise, digestible format. Below is the original content: “Because the intracellular concentration of potassium ions is relatively high, potassium ions tend to diffuse out of the cell. This movement is driven by the concentration gradient for potassium ions. Similarly, the concentration gradient for sodium ions tends to promote their movement into the cell. However, the cell membrane is significantly more permeable to potassium ions than to sodium ions. As a result, potassium ions diffuse out of the cell faster than sodium ions enter the cytoplasm. The cell therefore experiences a net loss of positive charges, and as a result the interior of the cell membrane contains an excess of negative charges, primarily from negatively charged proteins” (Martini & Bartholomew, 1997, p. 204).

Here is an appropriate paraphrase of the above material:

“A textbook of anatomy and physiology (Martini & Bartholomew, 1997, p. 204) reports that the concentration of potassium ions inside of the cell is relatively high and, consequently, some potassium tends to escape out of the cell. Just the opposite occurs with sodium ions.”

The Office of Research Integrity also gives an example of an inappropriate version of paraphrasing from the original text: “...This movement is triggered by the concentration gradient for potassium ions. Similarly, the concentration gradient for sodium ions tends to promote their movement into the cell. However, the cell membrane is much more permeable to potassium ions than it is to sodium ions. As a result, potassium ions diffuse out of the cell more rapidly than sodium ions enter the cytoplasm…” (Martini & Bartholomew, 1997, p. 204). You’ll note that the above “rewritten” example is basically a copy of the original, save for a few superficial alterations, including word deletions, synonym swaps, and additions.

Because most of the words and structure of the original paragraph remain the same, this paragraph would technically be considered plagiarism, despite the writer crediting the original authors. As the Office of Research Integrity puts it: “[M]aking only cosmetic modifications to others’ writing misleads the reader as to who the true author of the original writing really is." In this scenario, a student could instead ask for support in learning how to more accurately paraphrase the information or alternatively, use a direct quote with a correctly cited source to make it clear that this is not their content. Effective paraphrasing isn't just about avoiding plagiarism; it's about enhancing comprehension and adding value to the discourse.

th"> The original thought conundrum

In the realm of academic discourse, Bloom's Taxonomy emerges as a crucial framework, offering a layered understanding of cognitive development. This taxonomy, a hierarchy starting from basic knowledge recall to the creation of new ideas, challenges us to consider the concept of 'original thought' in education. As we go from 'Remembering' and 'Understanding' through to 'Applying', 'Analyzing', and 'Evaluating', we reach the peak - 'Creating'. This final stage is where originality is presumed to flourish. However, this presents a conundrum: in an age where information is ubiquitous and influences are numerous, can any thought claim absolute originality? This paradox is especially relevant in a digital era saturated with ideas, where the difference between inspiration and replication becomes increasingly blurred. Bloom’s Taxonomy, therefore, not only maps out cognitive skills but also invites a deeper reflection on the nature and possibility of truly original thought in our modern knowledge ecosystem.

What’s the difference between plagiarism and paraphrasing?

Plagiarism and paraphrasing, while seemingly similar, diverge significantly in intent and execution. Plagiarism is the act of passing off someone else's work or ideas as one's own while paraphrasing, in contrast, aims to rearticulate ideas for clarity while maintaining the essence of the original work. Paraphrasing becomes problematic when it strays into the realm of plagiarism, often manifested in the failure to properly attribute sources, bring new insights to the table, or to uphold academic integrity. To wholly uphold academic integrity is to commit to honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility, and courage. It is a holistic concept that must be backed up by institutional policies, curriculum, teaching interventions, assessment design, and feedback loops that strengthen a student’s bond to learning. In an earlier post, we explored the ways in which paraphrasing may become problematic. The following three examples are situations that may cause challenges around paraphrasing expectations:

• When a student does not understand the purpose behind paraphrasing, they may not see the importance of attributing what they've paraphrased and therefore overlook doing so . Educators must take great care in building a culture of academic integrity and explaining to students how cited, well-paraphrased passages not only enhance their writing (and also provide variety in an essay that would otherwise be all quotations), they uphold integrity by recognizing an author’s original work.
• When a student does not have the foundational literacy skills to paraphrase, it may lead them to unintentionally plagiarize. In a suspected case of academic misconduct, an educator must ascertain if it is a skill deficit or deliberate plagiarism. From there, strengthening a student’s literary comprehension skills and basic academic writing skills can help bolster their confidence and ability to paraphrase. Turnitin’s Draft Coach can also be used to help students write accurate citations in Microsoft® Word for the web and Google Docs™.
• When a student knowingly and purposely uses short-cut solutions in place of their own skills, it’s a sign that action must be taken. Paraphrasing tools, also known as word spinners, alter existing text with the purpose of evading plagiarism detection software. This deeply impacts learning because they prevent students from understanding how to truly paraphrase.

st"> Steering clear of paraphrasing pitfalls

Avoiding paraphrasing plagiarism is a nuanced skill, requiring a blend of accurate citation, original sentence structuring, and a deep understanding of the source material. There are many ways to avoid paraphrasing plagiarism while still paraphrasing to summarize work and communicate topics more clearly and holistically. Ways to avoid plagiarizing include:

• Correct citation of sources
• Quoting and summarizing texts accurately
• Writing with your own sentence structures
• Understanding text and content clearly before paraphrasing

There is also a helpful paraphrasing strategy called the 4R’s: Read, Restate, Recheck, and Repair.

• Read: Did you understand the passage?
• Restate: Did you restate important points in your own words?
• Recheck: Did you include all of the important details?
• Repair: Did you correct any misinformation?

In addition to the above, the following sections delve into key elements to keep in mind and practical strategies to master this skill, ensuring that paraphrasing enriches, rather than diminishes, academic integrity.

The role of text spinners in paraphrasing plagiarism

Text spinners, or article spinners, present a new hurdle in the realm of paraphrasing plagiarism. These tools, designed to disguise copied content as original, exacerbate the issue by blurring the lines between legitimate paraphrasing and deceptive rewriting. “Simply put,” says Christine Lee, “when students use word spinners, they aren’t producing their own original work. Original work means that even when paraphrasing, students regenerate the ideas of another person into their own words and voice to express their own understanding of concepts.” Educators need to understand the emerging trends in misconduct and academic integrity so that they can build awareness around them, educate students on their misuse, and mitigate any threats to an institution's reputation to ensure authentic student learning.

ho"> How to effectively teach paraphrasing

Educators bear the responsibility of guiding students through the maze of paraphrasing. This entails instilling respect for academic integrity, teaching proper citation techniques, and encouraging the development of independent thought. To start, it is imperative to highlight examples of accurate paraphrasing and how it differs from quotations and summarizing. As quoted in an earlier Turnitin post, according to the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL):

• Quotations must be identical to the original, using a narrow segment of the source. They must match the source document word for word and must be attributed to the original author.
• Paraphrasing involves rewording a passage from source material into your own words. A paraphrase must also be attributed to the original source because there is no creation of new ideas. Paraphrased material is usually shorter than the original passage, taking a somewhat broader segment of the source and condensing it slightly.
• Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including only the main point(s). Once again, it is necessary to attribute summarized ideas to the original source because no new ideas have been introduced. Summaries are significantly shorter than the original and take a broad overview of the source material.

And while there are myriad ways for educators to approach and teach this highly important skill, the following are a few resources that can support thoughtful plagiarism education and practice:

• Explain the course’s or institution’s policy on academic integrity clearly and early in the semester. Outline course and assignment expectations explicitly, including appropriate use and misuse of AI tools. By building a culture of integrity that is clearly defined, students can more deeply understand the value of accurate paraphrasing and citations, as well as understand the consequences of misconduct.
• Dive into Turnitin’s Paraphrasing Pack , eleven out-of-the-box resources developed by veteran educators that are ready to be implemented in the classroom. It features everything from research strategies and student checklists for paraphrasing to lesson presentations and printable graphic organizers.
• Explore all of the resources that support academic integrity in the age of AI , including valuable assets that help students to better understand how and when to use AI tools ethically.
• Conduct a candid conversation with a student if their work appears to have similarities to other texts without proper paraphrasing or citation, or if inappropriate usage of AI tools is suspected. These dialogues often transform a moment of misconduct into an opportunity for learning by determining if there is a skill deficit that can be readily addressed. The data housed in the Similarity Report, including instances of synonym swapping, as well as Turnitin’s AI writing detection tool, can both serve as jumping off points for these essential conversations.

Maintaining academic integrity while paraphrasing

While building that culture of academic integrity and teaching skills is the first step, educators know that oftentimes it’s necessary to take another step, one that will confirm or refute that the student’s work is solely their own. It may be as simple as a remarkably sophisticated sentence structure or vocabulary choice, but educators tend to recognize when a student misrepresents something that is not their work, as their own. That next step is as simple as reviewing Turnitin’s newly enhanced Similarity Report, which has a streamlined workflow to show both the Similarity Score and the AI writing score. While AI continues to evolve, so too does the students’ use of AI tools. Turnitin’s AI writing score may indicate the use of AI paraphrasing tools to modify AI-generated content. Educators have no “extra clicks” as AI paraphrasing detection is built seamlessly into the existing workflow that educators already use and trust. As before, this score is to inform the educator of the likelihood that the student tried to use AI paraphrasing tools as a shortcut; whether intentional plagiarism or not is determined by the educator and the student during formative discussions surrounding their work. Then, next steps to help a student to revise can be taken. Check out this infographic that defines the key differences between human- powered paraphrasing and AI paraphrasing tools, as well as the role an AI paraphrasing detector can play in this process.

in"> In sum: How to skillfully paraphrase and avoid plagiarism

The skill of paraphrasing is foundational in academic writing, serving as a safeguard against the pitfalls of plagiarism and academic misconduct. When a student fails to master this skill, they risk inadvertently crossing the line from legitimate use of sources to plagiarism, a serious breach of academic integrity. Effective paraphrasing involves more than just altering a few words; it requires a deep understanding of the original text and the ability to express its essence in a new, original form while maintaining the core message. This process must be coupled with accurate citations and the appropriate use of quotes to credit the original authors. Without these critical components, a student's work can easily fall into the realm of academic dishonesty. Thus, learning to paraphrase correctly is not just about avoiding plagiarism; it's about respecting the intellectual labor of others, upholding the values of academic integrity, and contributing genuinely to the scholarly conversation.

Paraphrasing and Plagiarism — A Complete Guide

Take a closer look at what paraphrasing is and review examples of paraphrasing and plagiarism. then, get tips on the best paraphrasing practices..

Is it really considered plagiarism if you rephrase someone else’s content while retaining the original meaning? This practice, known as paraphrasing content , is a valuable skill to have. 

However, there’s a fine line between acceptable use and plagiarism. If done incorrectly, paraphrasing can lead to accidental plagiarism, which raises serious ethical and legal concerns. 

• What does correct paraphrasing actually look like, and how can AI help?  
• How can you tell if something is paraphrased to the point of plagiarism?  

Take a closer look at what paraphrasing is , along with examples of paraphrasing and plagiarizing . 

Then, learn how to correctly paraphrase content and how to use AI to help ensure that your content is accurately paraphrased and not plagiarized. 

What Is Paraphrasing?

Paraphrasing takes information from a source and rephrases it using different words and sentence structures while keeping the original meaning intact. 

It’s often used by students, researchers, writers, and professionals to express complex ideas in more simple language. Paraphrasing is also a way to integrate other people’s material into your own by expressing their ideas using your own words and style. 

• One of the most common myths about paraphrasing is that it involves “taking someone else’s idea and just changing the words slightly.”  
• To paraphrase correctly, you must clearly understand the original text so that you can explain it in your own words.  

Even though it becomes uniquely your own in the process, it’s still a good idea to cite the original author and give credit where it’s due. 

The Fine Line Between Paraphrasing and Plagiarism

Paraphrasing and plagiarism are closely related concepts that can overlap. 

• Paraphrasing helps writers share their knowledge in a way that’s concise and clear.
• The issue arises when improper paraphrasing becomes plagiarism .
• The fine line between paraphrasing and plagiarism is crossed when rephrased content still mirrors the wording of the original text . 
• It can also happen if the original text isn’t adequately cited . 

Even if you change the words, if the way the ideas are presented still mimics the original, the sentence structure hasn’t changed much, and citations are not provided, it can be considered plagiarism. 

How to Paraphrase Content

Successfully paraphrasing means understanding the original text on a deeper level . Then, you need to convey that meaning in a way that’s new and uniquely your own . 

Once you understand the material, then you can start to reshape and mold it in a way that works with your unique writing tone and style. Put the original text aside and write out the main ideas in your own words without looking at the source. 

Experiment with truly rephrasing the content, rather than simply swapping out words. However, simply changing the vocabulary isn’t enough. Focus on changing the structure of the underlying text.

Every student, writer, and professional has their own unique writing “fingerprint,” and paraphrasing can help you find yours. You might discover:

• You can easily break down complex sentences into more easily digestible pieces. 
• Paraphrased content makes more sense after reordering how the ideas are phrased to better align with your writing style. 

Don’t forget to properly credit the original author after expressing the idea in your own words.  

Even though the wording has been significantly changed, it still demonstrates respect for the original author’s work while also maintaining your integrity and transparency as a writer. 

Common Types of Paraphrase Plagiarism

To better understand paraphrase plagiarism, let’s look at several examples. 

AI-generated paraphrasing

If you think AI was used to create content, try an AI checker to identify which parts of the text are AI-generated. Then, flag these for further review to avoid plagiarism. 

Consider this example of original text created by AI: "The economic policies of the early 20th century were significantly influenced by the rapid industrialization and urbanization, leading to a greater focus on regulating labor conditions and improving workers' rights."

Now let’s look at the paraphrased text:

"The economic policies during the early 1900s were heavily influenced by fast industrialization and urban growth, which resulted in a stronger emphasis on regulating working conditions and enhancing workers' rights."

You can easily see that the paraphrased text changed a few words , but the original phrasing and writing style are still there, meaning it’s too similar to the source text . The paraphrased text would be considered plagiarism (not to mention it’s missing citations for the source content). 

Original AI-generated text

What if you edited the sentence structure a little? Here’s an example of the original text, again created by AI for illustrative purposes: "Climate change poses a significant threat to biodiversity, potentially leading to the extinction of numerous species and the disruption of ecosystems."

And here’s an example of the paraphrased text:

"Global warming presents a major danger to biodiversity, possibly causing the extinction of many species and the disruption of ecosystems."

Notice how the paraphrased (and plagiarized) text, swapped out potentially for possibly and numerous for many, as well as climate change versus global warming?

The paraphrased text mirrors the original text’s meaning and structure , very little of the content has been rephrased or interpreted in the author’s own words, and it’s missing citations. 

Proper paraphrasing practices

Now, let’s look at an example of correctly paraphrased text. Here is an AI-generated example:

"The economic policies of the early 20th century were significantly influenced by the rapid industrialization and urbanization, leading to a greater focus on regulating labor conditions and improving workers' rights."

And here is the version that I paraphrased: 

“In the early 1900s, the rapid growth of industry and the cities that sprang up around them helped to shape core economic strategies. These strategies in turn, spurred authorities to make workers’ rights and labor regulations a priority” (citation to original research).

Notice how the original ideas are conveyed differently, with different wording and sentence structure . The core message is the same, but the structure that surrounds it is considerably different while still communicating the same idea. 

For this example, there’s also a placeholder with brackets to note where a citation crediting the original author could be provided or a place to transparently cite AI-generated text . 

Why Do Traditional Plagiarism Checkers Fail to Detect Paraphrased Content?

If you look at correctly paraphrased content versus plagiarized content, you can see why it would be difficult for traditional plagiarism checkers to catch the paraphrased version. It’s one thing to swap out synonyms, but it’s another thing entirely to express an original idea in your own words, using your tone and style.

Paraphrasing challenges detectors that look for exact text matches

Traditional plagiarism checkers often struggle to detect paraphrased content because they rely on exact matches of text strings. While this method has been used to catch blatant copying or direct quotations, it falls short when dealing with more sophisticated forms of plagiarism, such as paraphrasing. 

When you change the wording or structure of the original text, swap out synonyms, alter sentence order, or change passive voice to active voice it can bypass these checkers. When traditional plagiarism checkers have difficulty matching the exact text string, it slips through the cracks (even though it’s plagiarized). 

How AI Can Help Paraphrase Detection

With proper training, AI-based systems can analyze the text's context, meaning, and structure. This advanced capability, known as NLP or Natural Language Processing, can help some AI-powered checkers identify when ideas and concepts have been rephrased or restructured, even with the original meaning still intact.

One of the main strengths of AI-based plagiarism detectors lies in their ability to learn and improve over time. As AI systems are trained on and process more data, they become better at recognizing patterns and identifying subtle similarities between texts. 

Beyond these capabilities, AI-based detectors can go a step further. They can analyze the underlying relationships between words and sentences to identify paraphrased content that maintains the original's intent but uses different wording. 

By highlighting the text for the author’s review, AI helps ensure that more instances of accidental plagiarism are remedied before they’re published. 

Challenges With AI-Based Paraphrase Plagiarism Checkers

Although AI has advanced plagiarism detection, it still faces a number of hurdles. 

The complexity of language

One of the biggest challenges lies in the complexity and variability of language. There are countless ways to paraphrase and many different degrees of subtlety. AI simply can’t (yet) capture all the possible instances of this happening.

Technical resources 

Another major challenge lies in the sheer amount of computing resources needed for AI-based plagiarism detection. Analyzing paraphrased text requires a considerable amount of raw computing power. Combine that with running sophisticated algorithms at scale (especially in real-time or near real-time) and you’re looking at a staggering amount of processing power and storage capacity. 

With the high costs and infrastructure needed to meet those requirements, not to mention the constant need to update and retrain the AI to keep up with new techniques, it’s easy to see the technical challenges this poses.

Final Thoughts — Paraphrasing, Plagiarism, and AI Tools

Paraphrasing properly can help you communicate research and ideas and match the tone of voice and style of your writing. To begin paraphrasing content, you can try an AI paraphrasing tool that encourages creative thinking.

Originality.ai offers a free AI Paraphraser designed to get you started with paraphrasing. You can select the language you want to paraphrase, the tone, and how many paraphrased versions you’d like to generate (up to three). 

Then, check your work with a plagiarism detector , and remember to follow proper citation practices when using the paraphrased content. Correctly reference the original source and author (including if it’s your previous work ) to avoid accidental plagiarism.

Sherice Jacob

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How to write a profile essay, is paraphrasing plagiarism.

The line between paraphrasing and plagiarism has become increasingly blurred. The quick and short answer is no, paraphrasing isn’t plagiarism . Paraphrasing involves rewording someone else’s ideas in your own words, while plagiarism is the process of passing off those ideas as your own without proper acknowledgment. We will further discuss what sets them apart, the importance of citation, and how to paraphrase effectively without crossing into the territory of plagiarism. Knowing the self plagiarism definition will keep you safe from accidentally plagiarizing.

How to Define Paraphrasing and Plagiarism?

It is the same case as the difference between paraphrasing and summarizing . Paraphrasing and plagiarism might seem similar at first glance, but there are clear distinctions between the two. Paraphrasing requires understanding the original text and then expressing it in your own words, along with a citation to the original source.

Plagiarism, on the other hand, involves using someone else’s work without giving them credit, and it doesn’t matter intentionally or accidentally. The intent behind paraphrasing is to use existing information to support your own ideas or arguments, not to steal credit.

Let’s take a look at how paraphrasing works with the help of examples.

Correct Paraphrasing

Proper paraphrasing means taking the original text and rewriting it in your own words, so that you keep the original meaning whilemaking significant changes in wording and sentence structure. This practice not only shows respect for the original author’s work but also demonstrates your own understanding and ability to engage with the content:

Incorrect paraphrasing

On the flip side, bad paraphrasing happens when the rewording is too close to the original text, without adequate citation or proper alteration in structure and vocabulary. You might want to use a plagiarism checker detector to be extra sure.

Don’t plagiarize! Try our Free Plagiarism Checker just to be sure

How to paraphrase without plagiarizing.

The process of paraphrasing without falling into the trap of plagiarism is straightforward yet requires attention to detail. By following these steps, you can rest assured your paraphrased work is both original and respectful of the source material:

• 📖 Read and Understand : Before attempting to paraphrase, take the time to thoroughly read and comprehend the original text. It’s crucial to grasp not just the surface-level meaning but also the underlying themes and nuances. Ask yourself what the key messages are and how they relate to your work or study.
• ✍️ Reword : Armed with a deep understanding of the text, begin to express the ideas in your own unique words. We advise you to avoid simply swapping out words with synonyms; instead, think about how you would explain the concept to someone who knows nothing about the topic. This step is about internalizing the information and then articulating it in a way that reflects your voice and perspective.
• 🔄 Structure Differently : Look at the structure of the original text and then alter it significantly in your paraphrase. If the original text follows a particular order or layout, try reorganizing the points or changing the focus of the sentences. This could mean converting active sentences to passive ones, rearranging the flow of arguments, or combining and splitting sentences to convey the same points differently.
• 🔀 Use Synonyms Wisely : While synonyms can be useful in paraphrasing, it’s important to use them judiciously. Simply replacing every word with a synonym without considering context can lead to inaccuracies or awkward phrasing. Select synonyms that fit the context and maintain the original meaning. Be particularly mindful of technical terms or specific concepts where synonyms might not be appropriate.
• 📌 Cite the Source : Perhaps the most critical step in avoiding plagiarism is to properly cite the original source. Even when paraphrasing, it’s essential to give credit to the author or creator of the original ideas. This not only respects intellectual property but also strengthens your own work by showing your engagement with existing literature or research. Follow the citation style recommended for your field or by your instructor, whether it’s APA, MLA, Chicago, or another format.

By going through these detailed steps, you’ll be able to paraphrase effectively and avoid plagiarism. Yes, it takes a bit of work, but getting penalized for plagiarism is far worse than spending an hour or two perfecting your text.

What defines the difference between original text and plagiarized content when it comes to paraphrasing?

The quality of information processing distinguishes between original content and plagiarism when paraphrasing.

Is paraphrasing considered illegal?

Paraphrasing itself is not illegal. However, it’s essential to understand the distinction between proper paraphrasing and simple word substitution.

What are some common mistakes to avoid when paraphrasing?

Common mistakes include maintaining the author’s sentence structure too closely, making only minor changes, and failing to use quotation marks for direct phrases.

Can paraphrasing effectively avoid plagiarism?

Yes, paraphrasing is a legitimate method to incorporate others’ ideas into your work, provided it’s done thoughtfully and with proper attribution.

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A Guide to Plagiarism and Paraphrasing

According to the joint research efforts of Dr. Donald McCabe and the International Center for Academic Integrity , nearly 30% of university students admit to having cheated in some way on an exam.

Understanding how and when to cite sources is a critical skill for students to learn. Whether you borrow someone’s ideas from a textbook, blog post, or academic journal, you must give proper credit while representing the source’s ideas fairly and coherently.

This guide covers:

• Paraphrasing
• Plagiarism checkers, citation managers, and writing tools

The Purdue Global Writing Center defines plagiarism as “using another's words, ideas, results, or images without giving appropriate credit to that person, therefore, giving the impression that it is your own work.”

Types of Plagiarism

University of Oxford notes eight common forms of plagiarism:

• Verbatim plagiarism: Copying someone else’s work word for word.
• Cutting and pasting from web pages without clear acknowledgement: Pulling information off the internet without referencing it and without including it in the bibliography.
• Paraphrasing: Paraphrasing so closely so that the copy is almost an exact match to the original.
• Collusion: In group projects, or projects in which you received help, failing to properly attribute the assistance or failure to follow the project’s rules.
• Inaccurate citation: Failing to cite correctly, according to the conventions of your discipline.
• Failure to acknowledge assistance: Failing to clearly acknowledge all assistance that has contributed to your work (ordinary proofreading and help from a tutor or supervisor is excepted).
• Use of material written by professional agencies or other people: Using material that was written by a professional agency or another person, even if you have the consent of the person who wrote it.
• Auto-plagiarism (also known as self-plagiarism): Reusing work that you’ve previously submitted or published; presenting that information as new when you’ve already gotten credit for the work.

A new concern revolves around AI and copying directly from chat, composition, and visual tools. Using prompts to generate content for assignments and passing it off as your own contribution is considered plagiarism. Various organizations use AI software to check for submissions generated by a chatbot.

Also, keep in mind that AI tools may produce inaccurate and unreliable information. While there may be valid use cases for informal AI-generated brainstorming, this is a complex and evolving topic. Be sure to verify the policy expressed by your school, professors, or professional organizations for recent developments.

It’s important to note that plagiarism can be intentional or unintentional. Unintentional plagiarism occurs when a student unknowingly cites a source inaccurately or improperly. Intentional plagiarism, on the other hand, is when a student chooses not to cite a source or tries to pass off someone else’s ideas as their own.

Consequences of Plagiarism

The consequences of plagiarism vary by institution, but it could get you expelled or dropped from a course. In less severe instances, plagiarism — both intentional and unintentional — may result in a grade penalty, course failure, or suspension. Beyond the academic consequences, plagiarism also tarnishes your reputation and minimizes your integrity. Whether you’re in school or the working world, plagiarism is not a good look.

How to Avoid Plagiarism

The key to avoiding plagiarism is learning how to incorporate research into your writing. According to the Purdue Global Writing Center , you can do this in the following ways:

• Quoting: If you don’t want to alter a source, use quotation marks to enclose all verbatim phrases.
• Summarizing: If you find multiple relevant points in a lengthy text, simplify them into your own condensed synopsis.
• Paraphrasing: If you want to use a source’s information, restate it in your own words.

Whether you’re quoting, summarizing, or paraphrasing, don’t forget to cite all sources.

What Is Paraphrasing?

Paraphrasing is using your own words to convey the meaning of an excerpt. It shows your reader that you did your research and understand the content. While students may understand that they need to cite sources, many struggle with paraphrasing the ideas of others into their own words. However, like many aspects of writing, effective paraphrasing is a skill developed over time.

How to Approach Paraphrasing

The goal of paraphrasing is to translate the original work into your own wording and sentence structure. The best way to approach this is to focus on the meaning of the text, forcing you to interact with its purpose and context.

Paraphrasing Tips

A good way to judge your understanding of material is to see if you can explain it to someone else. Once you have this level of understanding, it’s easier to create effective paraphrases — changing the language and structure of a passage becomes more manageable.

Here are some tips to help you paraphrase:

• Reread the passage until you fully understand its meaning.
• Write your own summary of the passage without referencing the original.
• Check that your summary accurately captures the context of the original passage.
• Document the source information following your summary, whether it’s an endnote or footnote.

Remember that you still need to cite your paraphrases, but your follow-up analysis and discussion points belong to you.

What Requires Citation?

Any time you use information that isn’t common knowledge or you didn’t come up with yourself, you must cite it. The following requires citation, usually through in-text citation or a reference list entry:

• Quotes: If you are quoting the actual words someone said, put the words in quotation marks and cite the source.
• Information and ideas: If you obtain ideas or information from somewhere else, cite it — even if you paraphrase the original content.
• Illustrations: If you use someone else’s graphic, table, figure, or artwork, you must credit the source. These may also require permission and a copyright notice.
• Photographs: If you use your own photography or an image that allows use without attribution, no citation is required. In other cases, add a note below the image and a corresponding reference citation.

Common Knowledge Exception

You don’t need to cite information that’s considered common knowledge in the public domain — as long as you reword the well-known fact. According to the Purdue Global Writing Center , information must have the following traits to be considered common knowledge:

• The reader would already be aware of it.
• It’s a widely accepted fact; for example, there are 24 hours in a day.
• It’s accessible via common information sources.
• It originates from folklore or a well-known story.
• It’s commonly acknowledged in your field and known by your audience.

Why Citation Is Important

The importance of citation goes beyond the avoidance of plagiarism. According to the Purdue Global Writing Center’s Plagiarism Information page, citation:

• Distinguishes new ideas from existing information
• Reinforces arguments regarding a particular topic
• Allows readers to find your sources and conduct additional research
• Maintains ethical research and writing
• Ensures attribution of ideas, avoiding plagiarism

Additionally, proper citation enhances your credibility with readers, displays your critical thinking skills, and demonstrates your strong writing ability.

Plagiarism Prevention and Writing Resources

It takes time to develop strong writing and paraphrasing skills. Thinking of writing as more of a discussion than a report may help you develop your skills. Remember that it’s not about reporting and repeating information; it’s about expanding on ideas and making them your own.

Below are some tools to help you avoid plagiarism, accurately cite sources, and improve your writing as you develop your own unique voice.

Plagiarism Checkers

• DupliChecker
• Grammarly's Plagiarism Checker
• Plagiarism Detector

Citation Managers

• Academic Writer
• Grammarly’s Free Citation Generator

>> Read: Apps and Extensions to Help You With APA Citations

Writing Tools

Check out purdue global’s writing center resources.

The Purdue Global Writing Center can help guide students through the paper writing process — from avoiding plagiarism to proper paraphrasing to getting the right citations.

Students may access this resource from the Purdue Global campus homepage . Click “My Studies,” followed by “Academic Success Center.”

From there, students have several options:

• Ask a writing tutor
• Connect with a tutor for a one-on-one session
• Browse the Study Studio
• Watch webinars

Students can check out the Using Sources & APA Style page , which includes several resources to guide students through the process of formatting a document and citing sources in the American Psychological Association (APA) style. The Plagiarism Information page offers a tutorial designed to help students identify instances of plagiarism and understand how to avoid them.

See Notes and Conditions below for important information.

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• Minimizing Your Plagiarism Risk
• Student Help
• Helping Prevent Plagiarism in Your Classroom
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To help the flow of your writing, it is beneficial to not always quote but instead put the information in your own words. You can paraphrase or summarize the author’s words to better match your tone and desired length. Even if you write the ideas in your own words, it is important to cite them with in-text citations or footnotes (depending on your discipline’s citation style ). 

Definitions

• Paraphrasing allows you to use your own words to restate an author's ideas.
• Summarizing allows you to create a succinct, concise statement of an author’s main points without copying and pasting a lot of text from the original source.

What’s the difference: Paraphrasing v. Summarizing

Explore the rest of the page to see how the same material could be quoted, paraphrased, or summarized. Depending on the length, tone, and argument of your work, you might choose one over the other. 

• Bad Paraphrase
• Good Paraphrase
• Reread: Reread the original passage until you understand its full meaning.
• Write on your own: Set the original aside, and write your paraphrase on a note card.
• Connect: Jot down a few words below your paraphrase to remind you later how you envision using this material.
• Check: Check your rendition with the original to make sure that your version accurately expresses all the essential information in a new form.
• Quote: Use quotation marks to identify any unique term or phraseology you have borrowed exactly from the source.
• Cite: Record the source (including the page) on your note card or notes document so that you can credit it easily if you decide to incorporate the material into your paper.

Explore the tabs to see the difference between an acceptable and unacceptable paraphrase based on the original text in each example.

Original Text

“Business communication is increasingly taking place internationally – in all countries, among all peoples, and across all cultures. An awareness of other cultures – of their languages, customs, experiences and perceptions – as well as an awareness of the way in which other people conduct their business, are now essential ingredients of business communication” (Chase, O’Rourke & Wallace, 2003, p.59). 

More and more business communication is taking place internationally—across all countries, peoples, and cultures.  Awareness of other cultures and the way in which people do business are essential parts of business communication (Chase, O’Rourke & Wallace, 2003, p.59)

Compare the Original and Paraphrase

Too much of the original is quoted directly, with only a few words changed or omitted. The highlighted words are too similar to the original quote: 

More and more business communication is taking place internationally —across all countries, peoples, and cultures .  Awareness of other cultures and the way in which people do business are essential parts of business communication (Chase, O’Rourke & Wallace, 2003, p.59)

Original Text 

“Business communication is increasingly taking place internationally – in all countries, among all peoples, and across all cultures. An awareness of other cultures – of their languages, customs, experiences and perceptions – as well as an awareness of the way in which other people conduct their business, are now essential ingredients of business communication” (Chase, O’Rourke & Wallace, 2003, p.59).

The importance of understanding the traditions, language, perceptions, and the manner in which people of other cultures conduct their business should not be underestimated, and it is a crucial component of business communication (Chase, O’Rourke & Wallace, 2003, p. 59).

The original’s ideas are summarized and expressed in the writer’s own words with minimal overlap with the original text's language:

The importance of understanding the traditions, language, perceptions, and the manner in which people of other cultures conduct their business should not be underestimated, and it is a crucial component of business communication (Chase, O’Rourke & Wallace, 2003, p. 59).

• Bad Summary
• Good Summary
• Find the main idea: Ask yourself, “What is the main idea that the author is communicating?”
• Avoid copying: Set the original aside, and write one or two sentences with the main point of the original on a note card or in a notes document.
• Connect: Jot down a few words below your summary to remind you later how you envision using this material.

Business communication is worldwide, and it is essential to build awareness of other cultures and the way in which other people conduct their business. (Chase, O’Rourke & Wallace, 2003, p.59). 

Compare the Original and Summary

Too much of the original is quoted directly, with only a few words changed or omitted. The highlighted words are too similar to the original text:

Business communication is worldwide, and it is essential to build awareness of other cultures and the way in which other people conduct their business . (Chase, O’Rourke & Wallace, 2003, p.59). 

In a world that is increasingly connected, effective business communication requires us to learn about other cultures, languages, and business norms (Chase, O’Rourke & Wallace, 2003, p.59). 

The original’s ideas are summarized and expressed in the writer’s own words with minimal overlap:

In a world that is increasingly connected, effective business communication requires us to learn about other cultures , languages , and business norms (Chase, O’Rourke & Wallace, 2003, p.59). 

No matter what the source or style, you need to cite it both in-text and at the end of the paper with a full citation! Write down or record all the needed pieces of information when researching to ensure you avoid plagiarism. 

Cheat Sheet

• Paraphrasing and Summarizing Download this helpful cheat sheet covering "Paraphrasing and Summarizing."
• << Previous: Quoting
• Next: Minimizing Your Plagiarism Risk >>
• Last Updated: Aug 12, 2024 1:18 PM
• URL: https://guides.library.jhu.edu/avoidingplagiarism

Frequently asked questions

Is paraphrasing considered plagiarism.

Paraphrasing   without crediting the original author   is a   form of plagiarism , because you’re presenting someone else’s ideas as if they were your own.

However, paraphrasing is not plagiarism if you correctly referencing the source . This means including an   in-text citation   and a full reference, formatted according to your required   citation style.

As well as citing, make sure that any paraphrased text is completely rewritten in your own words.

Frequently asked questions: Paraphrasing Tool

The act of putting someone else’s ideas or words into your own words is called paraphrasing, rephrasing, or rewording. Even though they are often used interchangeably, the terms can mean slightly different things:

Paraphrasing   is restating someone else’s ideas or words in your own words while retaining their meaning. Paraphrasing changes sentence structure, word choice, and sentence length to convey the same meaning.

Rephrasing   may involve more substantial changes to the original text, including changing the order of sentences or the overall structure of the text.

Rewording   is changing individual words in a text without changing its meaning or structure, often using synonyms.

It can. One of the two methods of paraphrasing is called “Fluency.” This will improve the language and fix grammatical errors in the text you’re paraphrasing.

Paraphrasing and using a paraphrasing tool aren’t cheating. It’s a great tool for saving time and coming up with new ways to express yourself in writing.  However, always be sure to credit your sources.  Avoid plagiarism.  

If you don’t properly reference text paraphrased from another source, you’re plagiarising. If you use someone else’s text and paraphrase it, you need to credit the original source. You can do that by using citations. There are different styles, like APA, MLA, Harvard, and Chicago. Find more information about referencing sources  here.

Plagiarism   means using someone else’s words or ideas and passing them off as your own.   Paraphrasing   means putting someone else’s ideas in your own words.

So when does paraphrasing count as plagiarism?

• Paraphrasing   is   plagiarism if you don’t properly credit the original author.
• Paraphrasing   is   plagiarism if your text is too close to the original wording (even if you cite the source). If you directly copy a sentence or phrase, you should   quote   it instead.
• Paraphrasing  is not   plagiarism if you put the author’s ideas completely in your own words   and   properly referencing the source .

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Does Paraphrasing With A Tool Count As Plagiarism?

• October 12, 2022 at 3:48 am September 14, 2024 at 7:20 am

Paraphrasing is one of the common elements of writing good content. So, does it count as plagiarism?

Content is king, as said by Bill Gates over 26 years ago. It’s proven right today in every aspect, as 60% of marketers focus on creating at least one piece of content every day. However, creating good quality content is a challenge in Data Science Bootcamp , and that’s when a lot of writers employ paraphrasing tools.

But, does the paraphrasing tool commit plagiarism by rephrasing another author’s content? Moreover, what are the ground rules for using such a tool? And, how does it affect students or academic writers besides SEO writers?

Let’s find the answer to all of these.

Defining Plagiarism

Plagiarism is when a person copies another author’s work and claims that it is their own. This can be done in many different ways, including:

• Copying words from a source and putting them into the text without giving credit to the original author
• Copying ideas from a source without giving credit to the original author
• Presenting an idea as if it was your own but not giving credit to the original author
• Using someone else’s work without permission and claiming that you created it

While there are various types of plagiarism, which we’ll be discussing in a bit, all of them are equally unethical and wrong. Whether in an academic setting or a professional one, this is a practice that is frowned upon.

The cases caught with plagiarism are usually served with severe penalties, such as expulsion from the academies or getting fired from a job. However, the harms of plagiarism can exceed far beyond that, and some cases include:

• Writer’s lost credibility
• Reduction of academic grades
• Demotion or relegation in a professional setting (getting fired in worst-case scenarios)
• Brand’s tarnished reputation

These are some of the most common pitfalls of plagiarism for any writer.

4 Main Plagiarism Types

Plagiarism is a problem, and make no mistake, the factors mentioned above can also count in on accidental or unintentional plagiarism. That’s why it’s important to understand the four major types of plagiarism, which are:

• Mosaic Plagiarism

Mosaic plagiarism is a term that has been coined by the writer and researcher Dr. Rebecca Moore Howard. It is a form of plagiarism where an article or book is constructed from multiple sources without attributing them to the original author.

Since it’s hard to detect, it’s also considered the most unethical type. The construction of mosaic plagiarism can be done in one of three ways:

• The author takes passages from different sources, pastes them together, and rewrites them to create their own work
• The author copies and pastes passages into a word processor document, create a new title for the document, and publishes it under his or her name as if it were original content
• The author copy-pastes passages from different sources into a word processor document and publishes it under his or her name
• Direct Plagiarism

Some people copy content from other sources and then publish it as their own. This is called “direct plagiarism.” Direct plagiarism is a serious offense that can result in a legal action but harms the original author’s reputation. It can also lead to a loss of trust from readers, which is an important part of marketing for any business.

• Accidental Plagiarism

Accidental plagiarism is a common problem that many writers face without even intending to duplicate content. It is possible to accidentally plagiarize even without meaning to do so. How is that? For instance, by forgetting to cite a source or by using an online tool that automatically generates content.

• Source-Based Plagiarism

Source-based plagiarism is a form of plagiarism that occurs when a writer fails to cite the source of their work. Or if they cite a source that doesn’t exist. In order to avoid this type of plagiarism, it is important for writers to be aware of the potential pitfalls and to use reliable sources.

What Is A Paraphrasing Tool? How Does it Work?

A paraphrasing tool is a computer program that automatically paraphrases text. The program analyzes the original text and replaces words with synonyms to generate a new text. It’s based on AI algorithms that allow users to conduct these actions within seconds.

If you were, to sum up how a paraphrasing tool works, then it’d look like this:

• NLP reads the content and converts it for the machine
• AI scans and analyzes the text
• Then AI picks the best synonyms and alternative terms
• The tool replaces said terms with picked synonyms
• All this occurs within a mere seconds

Now, as opposed to manually rephrasing, a paraphrasing tool does it quickly and conveniently. That’s why this type of software is often used by:

• Bloggers who want to generate more content very quickly
• SEO specialists who want to improve the quality of their articles
• People/writers who need assistance with their writing skills

Since it’s also commonly available today, it’s becoming more and more popular within writing communities of all kinds around the globe.

The simple answer is no, it’s not plagiarism if you do it right. However, if you do it wrong, then a lot can go left and cause plagiarism in your text. In order to avoid that, it’s imperative that you focus on writing original text with the assistance of a paraphrasing tool.

So, what are the pillars of using paraphrasers without committing to plagiarism? Here are three main things you need:

• The Intention Should Be Right

The first thing that counts as plagiarism is the intention. If the writer intended to reuse another author’s work to save time or effort without giving them their due credit, then it’s plagiarism. Granted, plagiarism can be unintentional too.

However, plagiarism’s most unethical shape is the one where it’s intended to be that way. Therefore, the writer should always use a paraphrasing tool to avoid plagiarism, not cause it.

• Paraphrasing Should Be Thorough

One of the most common problems writers face when paraphrasing is the lack of it. In other words, not paraphrasing thoroughly is what commonly causes plagiarism. How could they avoid that? By paraphrasing all the way through.

If your content remains the same as the original one, then plagiarism will remain. That’s why, to avoid it effectively, it’s imperative to use a tool that thoroughly rewrites the original text and avoids any similarities with the original.

• The Citation Should Be There

The final nail is to cite the original author after paraphrasing. Remember, plagiarism is caused by not giving the original writer their due credit. Therefore, you need to make sure you cite properly after rephrasing.

So, how do you do that? By hyperlinking the text with the link to the original blog/website. Or, you can use MLA or APA styles to cite the original author.

How Should You Use A Paraphrasing Tool To Avoid Plagiarism?

Using a paraphrasing tool to avoid plagiarism sounds good, but you must ensure you’re doing it properly. So, here’s a four-step procedure you should use to avoid plagiarism every time you use a paraphrasing tool.

• Pick A Paraphraser

The first step is to pick a good paraphrasing tool, and while we’ll be suggesting three such tools later, you need to look for something that offers:

• Various content tones
• At least a 500-word count limit
• The natural tone of rephrased content
• Quick and convenient usage

If a paraphrasing tool has these traits, then go for it.

• Choose A Content Tone

Once you pick a tool, the next step is to paste or upload your content into the tool’s editor. After that, you’ll have to pick a content tone. Most good tools would offer something along the lines of:

While some tools don’t have these options, you shouldn’t worry because such tools know what’s best for your type of text.

• Rewrite Content

The next step is to let the paraphrasing tool rewrite your content. This process takes up a few seconds, depending on the abilities of the tool you pick. However, most capable tools would take around a minute or two to rewrite around 400-500 words.

• Cite The Source

The final step is to avoid plagiarism effectively by citing the source. As mentioned before, you can try various ways of citation, but using the MLA or APA system is the best way to ensure the original author gets their due credit.

3 Recommended Paraphrasing Tools in 2022

Now that the process is out of the way let’s talk about the tools. Bearing in mind all the qualities we mentioned before, we picked the three best paraphrasing tools you can use in 2022. Here they are:

• Paraphrasingtool by Prepostseo

PrePostSEO’s paraphrasing tool is one of the common occurrences in Google search results for such tools. And there’s a good reason behind that, as it’s perhaps the best paraphrasing tool available today.

You cannot ask for more from a paraphrasing tool with a good UI design and paraphrasing capabilities. Because, in theory, this is the complete paraphraser that every writer needs.

• 1000-word limit
• Four content tones
• Supports 17 languages
• Paraphrase Online by Editpad

Editpad is new to the game, but the paraphrasing tool is becoming one of the best available today. Featuring three different content tones and outstanding abilities to paraphrase online your text, it’s one of the best options you have.

On top of that, it can rewrite texts without causing unnatural or robotic tones. Which makes it an ideal companion for any writer.

• 1000+ word limit
• Three content tones
• Various supported languages
• Quick and convenient
• Paraphraser.io

Paraphraser.io is another leading name in paraphrasing , as it’s  one of the favorites among writers. Why is it used on a wide scale? Because it has all the key ingredients to make a good paraphrasing tool.

From two more-than-suitable content tones to plagiarism removing capabilities, it’s everything a writer needs to avoid plagiarism.

• 500-word limit
• Two content tones (three if premium)
• Supports 13 languages
• Exceedingly quicker than most paraphrasers

Understanding how to use a paraphrasing tool requires you to understand the basics of it. Most of which we’ve covered in this article, as it explains just how you should approach paraphrasing. Therefore, to sum it all up, use a good tool and make sure you cite the original author to avoid plagiarism.

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Home > Blog > Paraphrasing vs Plagiarism: Differences with Examples

Paraphrasing vs Plagiarism: Differences with Examples

• Smodin Editorial Team
• Published: February 21, 2023
• General Guide About Content and Writing

Paraphrasing and plagiarism are two essential aspects of any research work or study. In the contemporary world, where ethical laws highly protect intellectual and research work, it is rare for people to directly quote someone’s work in its original form. 

When Should You Paraphrase?

Of course, maintaining the work’s ethical value and confidentiality is crucial to maintaining the quality of the research conducted. One tends to tweak and modify the words and restructures any phrase. In layman’s language, this is known as paraphrasing, which is done to avoid infringement on the owner’s rights. Every academic student and researcher should be knowledgeable about the meaning of paraphrasing. One must ensure that the purpose of the restated words is not changed in paraphrasing. This is where paraphrasing tools (Smodin’s Paraphrasing Tool) come into play and act as a lifesaver for any academic student. It is common to paraphrase whether you are writing an essay, an article, a thesis, or a research paper. It helps in delivering your ideas more effectively and coherently.

Should Plagiarism Be Used?

Paraphrasing is done where a direct quotation is irrelevant to the academic paper. While it is essential to paraphrase words, the lack of it leads to plagiarism. Plagiarism is something that every research student must be wary of and never do intentionally, as it can subjugate one’s work to harsh critique by peers. Furthermore, it can even be considered illegal and against research ethics. The very backbone of research is work that is free from any hints of plagiarism, and following the code of conduct is vital for the success of one’s written work. Not only does plagiarism tarnish the tonality of the writing, but it also ruins the writing structure and authenticity. So any time you add someone’s work to your paper, make sure you credit the author properly so that the work is not mistaken for your own in any way, shape, or form. 

Mostly, plagiarism happens by mistake due to the need for the right tools to paraphrase one’s written work. Thankfully, many online tools can help you translate effectively and detect plagiarism that might be “plaguing” your document. Using these tools is encouraged by academic institutions to make your writing error-free. So now that it is evident why these terms are crucial let us understand with examples what the two terms mean and the critical differentiation between them. One must ensure that paraphrasing and plagiarism are distinct so that the quality of the paper is excellent. 

What is Paraphrasing?

Simply put, paraphrasing means conveying somebody’s ideas in words that are entirely your own. According to Cambridge Dictionary, “paraphrasing” means “to repeat something written or spoken using different words, often in a humorous form or in a simpler and shorter form that makes the original meaning clearer.” Thus, even though it might be tempting to paraphrase a quote or a passage, you must be careful that it does not get considered plagiarism. In other words, you should use more synonyms and refrain from using original words and concepts. You can, however, use generic terms such as global warming and globalisation as they are commonly understood and accepted. 

For example , let us take a look at this fact related to the human body:

Original phrase: At birth, infants have about 300 bones. However, some of these bones get fused as they grow older; eventually leading to only 206 bones by the time they attain adulthood.

Paraphrasing: Babies are born with approximately 300 bones in their body, but as they turn older and reach adulthood, the bones tend to amalgamate and decrease to just 206.

Plagiarism: Infants have about 300 bones at the time of birth . These bones get fused as they grow older, leaving them with just 206 bones in total by the time they attain adulthood .

From this, we can clearly understand the difference between plagiarism and paraphrasing. 

In the first example (paraphrasing) , the text has been paraphrased effectively as there is the usage of synonyms (amalgamate, babies, etc.) Also, the translated text has restated words, and their meaning does not change.

In the second example (plagiarism) , a lot of plagiarism occurs as the writer has used exact words from the original text without quotation marks. Additionally, the actual words have been used, and there are a lot of duplicities.

What is Plagiarism?

Using parts of another person’s work and passing it across as your own, intentionally or unintentionally, is plagiarism. Exposure can even lead to a bad grade or cause extreme critique amongst one’s peers, as it is a morally unethical practice. Research allows no room for plagiarized work and can tamper the reputation of the one whose work is “stolen”. One can avoid such instances with the help of many online tools such as DupliChecker, Copyscape, and Plagiarism Detector. However, it is best to understand what plagiarism is and how to avoid it manually, as getting exposed can have serious consequences. 

When it comes to providing a proper citation, your local library’s help can help a lot. Also, online software and tools like Zotero, Ref Works, EndNote, and Mendeley can go a long way in ensuring that credit is provided wherever it may be due. It also helps to develop an understanding of the passage and understand the text after reviewing it thoroughly. By doing this, there will be little confusion, eliminating the need for plagiarism.

Types of Plagiarism

Paraphrasing vs plagiarism is a rather broad and versatile topic. There are several types of plagiarism, and having an understanding of each one of them is vital in academics and research. According to the Harvard College Writing Program, these are as follows:

• Verbatim Plagiarism: This means copying someone’s work word by word.
• Mosaic Plagiarism: Taking parts of text from various sources without crediting the author.
• Inadequate Paraphrase: Paraphrasing that still has duplicity. 
• Uncited Paraphrase: Sufficiently copying another person’s work without giving credit.
• Uncited Quotation: Lack of reference material on a quotation cited from an external source.
• Using Another Student’s Work: Misusing someone’s ideas by completely copying them and taking all the credit for their work.

Thus, it is always handy to use RefWorks and Zotero to keep a proper log of all the citations and references used in your research paper or thesis. By doing so, you can go a long way in maintaining your work’s originality and ethical quality. 

Is Paraphrasing The Same As Plagiarism?

Paraphrasing is not the same as plagiarism, as the former encompasses proper citations, quotation marks, and references wherever necessary. However, paraphrasing might count as plagiarism in cases where:

• If your text is copied too closely to the original text, it is considered plagiarism. Yes, even if you provide proper citations. Thus, you are encouraged to use restated wording after grasping the passage’s meaning.
• Paraphrasing can also be considered plagiarism if you do not provide credit to the original writer.

When is Paraphrasing Not the Same as Plagiarism?

Although the lines between the two concepts may seem blurred, there are instances where paraphrasing and plagiarism are not similar such as the following:

•  If you do not copy the original author’s work, word by word, and provide adequate citations, then paraphrasing is not considered the same as plagiarism.

How to Paraphrase Without Plagiarism?

To paraphrase without getting acquitted of plagiarism, follow the given tips:

• Keep the Original Text at Bay

Once you have read the original text, leave it aside when it is time to write. By doing so, you can avoid confusion and hesitation. Also, use different coloured pens and highlighters while gathering sources for citing. 

• Gather a Genuine Understanding

Read the text a couple of times till you have acquired an understanding of it by heart. If you understand the concept, it will be a walk in the park for you to paraphrase it later in your words. 

• Adequately Cite The Sources

Be mindful of the various writing styles, such as the APA and the MLA. Follow the manual’s guidelines and use the format that is in the latest edition. Always use adequate citations and quotations in your writing.

• Use Anti-Plagiarism Tools

If you are a student, you can benefit from anti-plagiarism tools such as Copyscape and DupliChecker. These tools will allow you to escape accidental plagiarism. You can also use Grammarly’s Plagiarism Tool, which is one of the best.

Smodin’s Paraphrasing Tool

Another excellent paraphrasing tool is Smodin’s paraphrasing tool . Using this tool, you can rewrite any passage using as little as five words. It restates your text with good grammar and ensures high quality simultaneously. Smodin’s paraphrasing tool also comes packaged with a citation generator and a plagiarism checker. In short, it is your one-stop solution for all research-related papers.

On A Final Note

Paraphrasing is essential in any work to convey an original text in one’s own words. Smodin’s Paraphrasing Tool, Grammarly , CopyScape, and, DupliChecker are all handy tools for writing a top-notch academic paper. So check them out through the links given in this article.

Paraphrasing Tool

The paraphrasing tool uses AI-based technology to present content differently without changing its main idea. Revamp your paragraphs with this paraphrase facility.

What is Paraphrasing?

Paraphrasing is the process of conveying the meaning of something written or spoken using different words, especially to gain more clarity. It involves rearranging the content of a text in a way that is clear and concise without changing its main message or ideas. It is a useful technique for summarizing or explaining a complex concept in simpler terms. It requires careful attention to the original text to avoid plagiarism and maintain accuracy.

How to Paraphrase Online?

The process of paraphrasing is quite simple and straightforward with our paraphrasing tool. You can follow the easy steps given below to paraphrase online.

Copy-paste text or upload file.

Select the language and paraphrase mode.

Hit the Paraphrase Text button.

Check rephrased results in the Output Section.

Paraphrasing Tool Online for Multiple Languages

How does online paraphrasing tool work.

The online Paraphrasing Tool is based on advanced algorithms that help you paraphrase text without taking anyone’s assistance.

It starts by understanding the context and flow of your uploaded text.

It identifies keywords contained in the text to preserve and not change them in the paraphrasing process.

It highlights and replaces the words and paraphrases with easy-to-understand synonyms without disturbing the context of the text.

Finally, it displays top-quality paraphrasing results on your screens in no time. If you want to know more about it, Wikipedia is the best resource in this regard.

Modes Provided by Our Paraphrase Tool

Unlike most paraphrase tools you’ll find over the web, this online paraphraser comes with different modes to provide users with effective paraphrasing results. These modes include the following:

The smart spin mode provides users with smart paraphrasing results. Firstly, it understands the context of your entered text and replaces words that just have a single synonym automatically. It also highlights the words that have multiple synonyms and allows you to pick them as per your choice.

Replace Manually

The replace manually mode gives you the complete authority to paraphrase text as you desire. It highlights all the words that can be replaced with synonyms and provides you with suggestions to replace them. By manually selecting synonym suggestions, you can finish the paraphrasing process on your own with this mode.

The ultra spin mode is a combination of smart spin and replace manually mode. Under this mode, the words in the entire content are replaced with their synonyms. In addition, the replaced words are highlighted, and suggestions are provided against them to help you choose your desired sentence or phrase as per the context of your article.

AI Rephraser

The AI rephraser is a premium paraphrasing mode that uses advanced AI technology to rephrase your entire text. This mode not only changes the words contained in your text with synonyms. It also modifies the sentence structure of the text to make it look entirely unique to the readers. With this mode, you can generate text that no one can say is paraphrased from another source!

Features of Paraphraser

The paraphraser online has some distinct features that make it stand out from others. Some of which are described below:

Files Uploading

This paraphrasing tool supports all kinds of file formats; if you wish to upload your text in the file instead of copy-pasting, then you don’t have to get it in a specific format. It allows you to upload all kinds of text file formats, which include .txt, .doc, .docx, .odt, .pdf, .rtf, and .tex.

Unlimited Free Paraphrasing

The paraphrase tool won’t impose any sort of restrictions on users for its usage. It allows everyone to paraphrase online as many times as they want without any cost.

24/7 Accessibility

You don’t need to wait for a specific time to use this paraphraser. It provides you this facility with 24/7 accessibility. Hence, you can easily access this utility from any corner of the world, anytime!

Copyright Checking

Besides allowing you to paraphrase text, this rephrase online also provides you with an option of copyright checking. If your primary concern is to get rid of plagiarism, you can turn to the plagiarism checker once you have completed the paraphrasing of your text on this web portal.

SEO and Human-Friendly Content

Your SEO efforts won’t go in vain if you choose to use this online paraphraser. While paraphrasing your entered text, this tool ensures to keep SEO essence alive and delivers human-friendly content.

Responsive Layout

The user-friendly interface of this paraphrasing tool provides you with an easy way to paraphrase online. You won’t have to face any troubles for using it; by following simple steps, you can rephrase text in a matter of seconds.

Sentence Rephraser Helps you to Write Better, Smarter, and Faster

Our sentence rephraser gives you an opportunity to bring improvements to already written text. From the tone of the article to its fluency, style, and vocabulary, this advanced paraphrasing tool will help you revamp your text as per your requirements. We aim to assist you in the writing process; you can surely write better and smarter in no time with the help of different modes. The tool also supports multiple languages and dialects of the English language, which can surely give you relief and help you paraphrase as you want!

Web-based Sentence Rephraser

We are providing many web-based content applications to our users like Paraphrasing tool, Text Compare and Word to PDF . But this is the most useful and best tool that can provide you with multiple variations of a single word or sentence. It is based upon the sentence syntax and its grammatical formation.If you are one of those people who want to create content in bulk, then this is undoubtedly the best paraphrasing tool to manage and spin your articles. By using this article paraphrase tool, you can create a perfect copy of your source article. It generates a variation by using the spinning algorithm, which is commonly known as paraphrasing.

Paraphrasing Tool Users

The paraphrase online helps people working in various domains of life. From the corporate to the education sector, this tool is a right fit for many individuals. Here are the most common users of the paraphrasing tool.

Webmasters don’t have to rely on content writers anymore to write every single sentence on the website. In case webmasters need a sentence or paragraph urgently, they can turn to the paraphrase generator and easily get plagiarism free text.

In academia, students are involved in writing tasks on a daily basis. Being a student, you will understand how hard it is to manage academic tasks. The tough routine often leaves them with no spare time to concentrate on writing assignments and leads them to plagiarize information from different sources over the web. Instead of getting involved in this act of academic dishonesty, you can make use of the paraphrasing tool to complete writing tasks in a short time. It allows you to write faster without facing any hassle.

Pro Tip: Proofread your content after paraphrasing through Grammar Checker .

Researchers

The researchers often need to make use of secondary research data to support their own findings. When using secondary research data, they cannot simply copy-paste information into their research, as it will give a bad impression to the readers. The researchers can save themselves by using this paraphrasing tool online. It can help you present the research of others in unique words.

Digital Marketers

Digital marketers need to produce content on a daily basis to aid their content marketing strategies and generate leads and revenue for online businesses. However, generating content isn’t a piece of cake, as you can easily run out of ideas at some point. In such a case, you can follow a different strategy in which you can rephrase existing content pieces and repurpose them to further reap its benefits. The paraphrasing tool free can help you out in repurposing old content. It can provide you with fresh and engaging content against your entered text without leaving any traces of plagiarism.

Are you sure you want to clear text and results?

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How to rephrase a sentence.

You can rephrase sentences with the online sentence rephraser. It allows you to easily paraphrase a sentence without investing time and effort.

When Can Paraphrasing Be Not Used?

It cannot be used when you have to write down specific terminologies. You cannot modify terminologies in your own words, as it won’t be of any help to the readers. In addition, when you are required to add the exact quotes of famous in your writing, you cannot paraphrase them.

Do I Need to Get Registered for Using this Paraphrase Online Facility?

No! You don’t need to get registered to use this paraphrase online facility. If you wish to get its premium membership, then you’ll need to create an account on plagiarismdetector.net.

What is the Important Point to be Considered While Paraphrasing?

The most important point to be considered while paraphrasing is the usage of unique vocabulary. A text can be effectively paraphrased with the help of your own words while maintaining the context of the original text.

Is it Legal to Use a Paraphrase tool?

Yes! It is legal to use a paraphrase tool because it provides the users with text that has a distinct sentence structure and unique words.

What is Understood by Paraphrasing?

Paraphrasing is a process in which a written text needs to be expressed with different words to make it easily understandable for the targeted audience.

Does this Paraphrasing Tool Free Steal My Work?

No! This paraphrasing tool free doesn’t steal your work. The uploaded text or files aren’t saved in its databases. Once the paraphrasing process is completed, your work gets safely removed from its servers.

How Do You Paraphrase Correctly?

The paraphrasing process requires discrete attention to individual sentences and words used in a text. If done incorrectly, it won’t allow you to maintain the original meaning of the text or get rid of plagiarism. Therefore, to avoid this nuisance, you can get your hands on a reliable paraphrasing tool. It can paraphrase any text correctly on your behalf and provide you with effective results.

What is the Difference Between Free and Paid Paraphraser?

The free paraphraser provides you with modes that replace words with their suitable synonyms and offer suggestions as well.

On the other hand, the paid paraphraser allows the users to get their hands on AI-based paraphrasing, which completely revamps the entire text and makes it look unique.

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8 Best Paraphrasing Tools to Avoid Plagiarism (Free & Online)

When you are writing content on the internet either for your blog , your business website or for academic purposes, delivering unique and plagiarism-free content is important.

Copying and pasting content from another online source without a reference can get you in legal trouble. You can also get your blog or website blacklisted from Google which can cripple your SEO ranking.

No matter how well you try to write original content, there is a slight chance that you may have accidentally mirrored content from another person's work in your article at one point or the other.

How do you ensure that your website content is unique and original? Using a plagiarism tool can help you spot plagiarized content, but you still need to change the content to make it unique.

Paraphrasing can be hard when you have a lot of words or sentences to change. However, you can use paraphrasing tools to avoid plagiarism and save you the stress and time of having to do it on your own.

There are so many paraphrasing tools in the market. Comparing them all can take forever to accomplish.

In this article, you will learn about 8 of the best paraphrasing tools (free and online).

Let's get started.

1. Grammarly

Best paraphrasing writing tool in the market.

Grammarly is one of the best writing tools in the market. It offers you way more than paraphrasing capabilities.

With properly integrated tools that complement each other, Grammarly serves as a one-stop writing tool helping you with your spelling, grammar, punctuation, word choice, formality, fluency, and even tone adjustment, among a whole lot of other capabilities.

With its free version, you enjoy accurate writing assistance limited to spelling, grammar, punctuation, and single sentence paraphrasing.

Grammarly's premium version offers you access to more features. With the premium version, all your sentences are reviewed by the tool, you identify more spelling and grammar issues, and also receive tips to improve your writing style including feedback or context behind your mistakes.

The paraphrasing tool offers integrations with Google Chrome, Google Docs, and a multitude of websites. You can also download its keyboard app for mobile phones to help you check your spelling and grammar mistakes while working on your phone.

Grammarly comes with three different plans: free, premium, and business . The free plan offers basic writing features while the premium plan offers more comprehensive and advanced features.

The business plan offers additional support, account management capabilities, and analytics, among other features. With the business plan, you can set style guides for your team.

2. Paraphraser

Best paraphrasing tool with multi-language support.

Paraphrase is a free, AI-powered, and easy-to-use online paraphrasing tool based on NLP (Neuro-linguistic Programming) that offers you numerous features and options for your writing needs.

Acting as one of the best word changers and sentence paraphrasers in the market, the paraphrasing tool serves as a sufficient solution for rewriting your essays. It also helps you avoid plagiarism, and generally reword your articles and write-ups.

With Paraphraser, you enjoy human-level paraphrasing which makes your results very readable, sensible, and plagiarism-free. The tool helps you paraphrase sentences and complete articles while accurately maintaining the original meaning of the whole text.

Paraphrase is compatible with any device, including Android & IOS. It is available in French, Spanish, Indonesian, German, and Turkish.

The paraphrasing tool offers different output options. Depending on how you want your result to come out, Paraphraser allows you to set your output to either fluency, standard, or creative.

You have a 1,000 word limit on the number of words you paste in it. The paraphrasing tools paraphrase the words you put and remove duplicate content.

You get to use Paraphraser’s tools for free.

3. IvyPanda

Best paraphrasing tool for setting the level of change you want.

Ivy Panda is an educational platform and blog that offers you a variety of educational services and tools. It focuses majorly on providing academic essay writing services.

The online platform has a free and easy-to-use paraphrasing tool available for users. To paraphrase, you simply paste your text just like most paraphrasing tools. However, you are limited to 5,500 characters.

You can set the paraphrasing tool to process words with a capital letter. This setting helps the tool avoid replacing important proper nouns and maintains the whole originality and essence of the text.

The ratio of words you wish to replace can also be set. You can set the amount of replaced words to be either 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, or 100% of the text.

IvyPanda’s paraphrasing tool is available to you for free.

4. QuillBot

Best ad-free paraphrasing tool with multitudes of modes and options.

QuillBot is an ad-free online tool that offers you a comprehensive list of writing features useful for students, bloggers, and professional writers.

The paraphrasing tool makes three free paraphrasing modes available to you. These modes determine how your paraphrasing result comes out, they include a standard, fluency, and creative mode.

The first two modes (standard and fluency) are presented to all website visitors without registration while the last requires you to open an account with the platform.

Additionally, the paraphrasing tool presents you with four different premium paraphrasing modes: Formal (for you to appear more professional, Creative+ (an improvement on the free Creative mode), Shorten mode (to keep your text short), and an expand mode (to make your text longer). These modes give you greater options and range.

Without an account, the texts you get to paraphrase are limited to 500 characters. When you register for a free plan, you enjoy paraphrasing texts of up to 700 characters.

QuillBot's premium plan allows you to paraphrase texts of up to 10,000 characters. With the premium plan, you enjoy additional features such as integrations with Google Chrome, Google Docs, and MS Word with a 10,000 characters limit, and a 25,000 Summarizer character limit.

The premium plan also provides you with unlimited freeze words and phrases and allows you to compare modes on the Desktop. QuillBot also supports text import from clipboard as well as the import of .DOC, .DOCX, .TXT, and .PDF files. Results can be copied to the clipboard or exported to DOCX format.

QuillBot’s paraphrasing tool is available to you through two plans: free and premium. With the paid premium plan, you enjoy a 3-day money-back guarantee.

5. PREPOSTSEO

Best paraphrasing tool with google chrome integration and support for up to 14 languages.

PREPOSTSEO is another paraphrasing tool that offers you multiple modes for your result. It gives you advanced features to take care of your need to produce plagiarism-free content.

Serving as a great choice for students, writers, and SEO experts, the online paraphrasing tool presents you with multiple AI-powered modes. They include a fluency mode that fixes grammar errors, a standard mode that rewrites sentence structure and makes the text easy to read and a creative mode that completely paraphrases the whole content.

These three modes have a 5,000 character limit. An advanced mode that allows you to directly add your own words is also available to you with no character limit.

To paraphrase your text, you either copy and paste it or upload a DOC, DOCX, PPT, or TXT file to the website. The tool works with 14 different languages. You can upload documents from your Google or Microsoft cloud storage.

PREPOSTSEO offers web extension with Google Chrome. It also offers other tools such as a Plagiarism Checker, Grammar Checker, Word Counter, and Text Summarizer.

Prepostseo is available to you for free.

Best Paraphrasing Tool with Support for Up to 17 Languages

Editpad is an online platform that offers bloggers, freelance writers, students, and researchers a wide variety of writing tools. They include an online notepad, invisible character, text summarizer, plagiarism checker, and small text generator alongside its paraphrasing tool and many more.

The paraphrasing tool is easy to use. You have the option of either pasting your text into the textbox or uploading a file directly from your device. The word limit is placed at 1,000 and the paraphrasing tool is available for use in up to 17 languages.

Editpad serves as a basic paraphrasing tool that offers you multiple language options and complementary tools for your writing needs.

Editpad’s paraphrasing tool is available to you for free.

7. SmallSEOTools

Best paraphrasing tool with complementary tools for seo.

SmallSEOTools is a website that presents you with a comprehensive list of tools aimed at improving your SEO . In addition to its paraphrasing tool, the website comes with an improved keyword position tool, an SEO checker, a domain authority checker, and a backlink checker.

For your paraphrasing needs, you are allowed to paste text within a 2,000-word limit into the text box . Another option is to import a file from your Google Drive.

Text from .tex, .txt, .doc, .docx, .odt, .pdf, or .rtf files are allowed to be imported and exported as .DOC, .TXT, .PDF files. The paraphrasing tool offers support for up to 9 different languages .

The paraphrasing tool is available to you for free.

8. Check Plagiarism

Best paraphrasing tools with advanced artificial intelligence (ai) mode.

Check Plagiarism is a free online paraphrasing tool that provides you with two modes for paraphrasing your text. They include a simple mode without any limits to the number of words and an advanced AI mode for better-looking content with a 500-word limit.

The paraphrasing tool allows you to both paste text or upload a .doc, .docx, .pdf, or .txt file. It comes with complementary tools to perfect your writing and content. These tools include a plagiarism checker, an article rewriter (which also works as a paraphrasing tool), a grammar checker, and a text summarizer. The paraphrasing tool supports up to 13 different languages.

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Anastasia has been a professional blogger and researcher since 2014. She loves to perform in-depth software reviews to help software buyers make informed decisions when choosing project management software, CRM tools, website builders, and everything around growing a startup business.

Anastasia worked in management consulting and tech startups, so she has lots of experience in helping professionals choosing the right business software.

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• Knowledge Base
• Types of plagiarism and how to recognize them

The 5 Types of Plagiarism | Explanations & Examples

Published on January 10, 2022 by Raimo Streefkerk . Revised on November 21, 2023 by Jack Caulfield.

Plagiarism comes in many forms, some more severe than others—from rephrasing someone’s ideas without acknowledgement to stealing a whole essay. These are the five most common types of plagiarism:

• Global plagiarism means passing off an entire text by someone else as your own work.
• Verbatim plagiarism means directly copying someone else’s words.
• Paraphrasing plagiarism means rephrasing someone else’s ideas to present them as your own.
• Patchwork plagiarism means stitching together parts of different sources to create your text.
• Self-plagiarism means recycling your own past work.

Except for global plagiarism, these types of plagiarism are often accidental, resulting from failure to understand how to properly quote, paraphrase, and cite your sources. If you’re concerned about accidental plagiarism, a plagiarism checker , like the one from Scribbr, can help.

Table of contents

Global plagiarism: plagiarizing an entire text, verbatim plagiarism: copying words directly, paraphrasing plagiarism: rephrasing ideas, patchwork plagiarism: stitching together sources, self-plagiarism: plagiarizing your own work, frequently asked questions about plagiarism.

Global plagiarism means taking an entire text by someone else and passing it off as your own.

For example, if you get someone else to write an essay or assignment for you, or if you find a text online and submit it as your own work, you are committing global plagiarism.

Because it involves deliberately and directly lying about the authorship of a work, this is the most serious type of plagiarism, and it can have severe consequences .

Avoiding this kind of plagiarism is straightforward: just write your own essays!

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

Verbatim plagiarism, also called direct plagiarism, means copying and pasting someone else’s words into your own work without attribution.

This could be text that’s completely identical to the original or slightly altered. If the structure and the majority of the words are the same as in the original, this counts as verbatim plagiarism, even if you delete or change a couple of words.

In academic writing, you can and should refer to the words of others. To avoid verbatim plagiarism, you just need to quote the original source by putting the copied text in quotation marks and including an in-text citation . You can use the free Scribbr Citation Generator to create correctly formatted citations in MLA or APA Style .

Generate accurate citations with Scribbr

Most plagiarism checkers can easily detect verbatim plagiarism.

Example of verbatim plagiarism

Paraphrasing means putting a piece of text into your own words. Paraphrasing without citation is the most common type of plagiarism.

Paraphrasing, like quoting, is a legitimate way to incorporate the ideas of others into your writing. It only becomes plagiarism when you rewrite a source’s points as if they were your own. To avoid plagiarism when paraphrasing, cite your sources just as you would when quoting.

If you translate a piece of text from another language without citation, this is also a type of paraphrasing plagiarism. Translated text should always be cited; you’re still using someone else’s ideas, even if they’re in a different language.

Example of paraphrasing

Patchwork plagiarism, also called mosaic plagiarism, means copying phrases, passages, and ideas from different sources and putting them together to create a new text.

This can involve slightly rephrasing passages while keeping many of the same words and the same basic structure as the original, and inserting your own words here and there to stitch the plagiarized text together. Make sure to cite your sources whenever you quote or paraphrase to avoid plagiarism.

This type of plagiarism requires more effort and is more insidious than just copying and pasting from one source, but plagiarism checkers like Turnitin can still easily detect it.

Example of patchwork plagiarism

Self-plagiarism means reusing work that you’ve previously submitted or published. It amounts to academic dishonesty to present a paper or a piece of data as brand new when you’ve already gotten credit for the work.

The most serious form of self-plagiarism is to turn in a paper you already submitted for a grade to another class. Unless you have explicit permission to do so, this is always considered self-plagiarism.

Self-plagiarism can also occur when you reuse ideas, phrases or data from your previous assignments. Reworking old ideas and passages is not plagiarism as long as you have permission to do so and you cite your previous work to make their origins clear.

Scribbr’s Self-Plagiarism Checker

Online plagiarism scanners don’t have access to internal university databases and therefore can’t check your document for self-plagiarism.

Using Scribbr’s Self-Plagiarism Checker , you can upload your previous work and compare it to your current document. The checker will scan the texts for similarities and flag any passages where you might have self-plagiarized.

Global plagiarism means taking an entire work written by someone else and passing it off as your own. This can mean getting someone else to write an essay or assignment for you, or submitting a text you found online as your own work.

Global plagiarism is the most serious type of plagiarism because it involves deliberately and directly lying about the authorship of a work. It can have severe consequences .

To ensure you aren’t accidentally plagiarizing, consider running your work through plagiarism checker tool prior to submission. These tools work by using advanced database software to scan for matches between your text and existing texts.

Scribbr’s Plagiarism Checker takes less than 10 minutes and can help you turn in your paper with confidence.

Verbatim plagiarism means copying text from a source and pasting it directly into your own document without giving proper credit.

Even if you delete a few words or replace them with synonyms, it still counts as verbatim plagiarism.

To use an author’s exact words, quote the original source by putting the copied text in quotation marks and including an in-text citation .

If you’re worried about plagiarism, consider running your work through a plagiarism checker tool prior to submission, which work by using advanced database software to scan for matches between your text and existing texts.

Paraphrasing without crediting the original author is a form of plagiarism , because you’re presenting someone else’s ideas as if they were your own.

However, paraphrasing is not plagiarism if you correctly cite the source . This means including an in-text citation and a full reference, formatted according to your required citation style .

As well as citing, make sure that any paraphrased text is completely rewritten in your own words.

Patchwork plagiarism (aka mosaic plagiarism) means copying phrases, passages, or ideas from various existing sources and combining them to create a new text. While this type of plagiarism is more insidious than simply copy-pasting directly from a source, plagiarism checkers like Turnitin’s can still easily detect it.

To avoid plagiarism in any form, remember to cite your sources . Also consider running your work through a plagiarism checker tool prior to submission, which work by using advanced database software to scan for matches between your text and existing texts.

Yes, reusing your own work without acknowledgment is considered self-plagiarism . This can range from re-submitting an entire assignment to reusing passages or data from something you’ve turned in previously without citing them.

Self-plagiarism often has the same consequences as other types of plagiarism . If you want to reuse content you wrote in the past, make sure to check your university’s policy or consult your professor.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Streefkerk, R. (2023, November 21). The 5 Types of Plagiarism | Explanations & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved September 14, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/plagiarism/types-of-plagiarism/

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Raimo Streefkerk

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