Paraphrase in the Sciences
Paraphrase is an important skill in science writing. In addition to basic paraphrase you've done for other classes, you may find that you're drawing the same conclusions from multiple sources and citing them together, as in the example below.
Example: "Exotic and invasive plants are increasingly recognized as responsible for worldwide habitat degradation (Gurevitch and Padilla 2004; Didham et al. 2007)."
To effectively paraphrase technical language, it is helpful to look at charts and graphs in your sources and interpret them yourself, rather than relying on the authors' interpretations. Similarly, read closely and interpret the results yourself, rather than relying on the discussion sections from your sources. This will help you blend the information you're taking from your sources into your own understanding and language.
Help with Paraphrasing
These two excellent tutorials from other universities allow you to test your understanding of how to properly paraphrase sources.
- Paraphrasing Activity
This interactive tutorial from the Online Writing Lab at Excelsior College provides guided practice on distinguishing acceptable paraphrasing from plagiarism. - Avoiding Plagiarism--Paraphrasing
This paraphrasing guide comes from the Academic Integrity handbook at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).