Part 1 of 1 Paraphrasing pitfalls Remember: Even when you paraphrase, you must reference the original. A paraphrase requires you to rewrite the original in your own words. If you quote the original directly (i.e. copy word for word), you must use quotation marks to set off the original words. Pay attention to these potential pitfalls when replacing a few words with synonyms: Only using synonyms does not automatically result in a paraphrase The synonyms must be appropriate to the original context so that the meaning does not change Avoid an over-dependence on synonyms. In some cases synonyms are readily available. In other cases, you cannot use synonyms: There no synonyms available (this rarely happens) The available synonyms are inaccurate or inappropriate for the context The synonyms are too informal and not appropriate for an academic text Subject-specific terminology should not be replaced with synonyms when changing sentence structure and word order: Be careful not to change the meaning of the text. Make sure that you understand the original and that the original intention and message is conveyed accurately Keep the above in mind when doing this quiz. Read this extract from the original text: “The main image in Othello is that of animals in action, preying upon one another, mischievous, lascivious, cruel or suffering, and through these, the general sense of pain and unpleasantness is much increased and kept constantly before us. More than half the animal images in the play are Iago's, and all these are contemptuous or repellent: a plague of flies, a quarrelsome dog, the recurrent image of bird-snaring, leading asses by the nose, a spider catching a fly, beating an offenceless dog, wild cats, wolves, goats and monkeys” (Spurgeon, 1935:335). Students have attempted to paraphrase the above extract from Spurgeon (1935:335).Student B’s paraphrase: I believe that the main image in Shakespeare's tragedy, Othello, is that of animals. These creatures are constantly in action, preying upon one another, and they are depicted as mischievous, wanton, cruel or suffering. By Shakespeare's ingenious use of these animal images, the general sense of pain and unpleasantness that pervades the entire story is much increased and kept constantly before the reader. What type of plagiarism is being committed? A. Unacknowledged verbatim quotation B. Mixing paraphrase and unacknowledged quotation C. Unacknowledged paraphrase and/or use of ideas