Library & Learning Commons: APA Style Guide: Paraphrasing & Writing

Resources

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association provides detailed guidelines for using APA style.

The most recent edition of the manual is currently available on Reserve at the Library Help Desk.

For lists of changes found in the 7th edition of the APA manual, visit https://apastyle.apa.org/products
/publication-manual-7th-edition.

Cites & Sources is a guide to essay writing, formatting, and documenting references using APA style.

This guide can also be found on Reserve at the Library Help Desk.

How to Protect Your Academic Integrity - The Hub

How to Cite - The Learning Portal

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is when you use an idea from a piece of writing, but put it in your own words; you can change the structure and words but must stay true to the meaning of the passage. It is not necessary to provide a page number in your citation unless you think it will be difficult for the reader to locate the passage you are citing. Paraphrasing still needs to refer to the author but does not use quotation marks.

For paraphrases, it is optional to include a specific page number(s), paragraph number(s), or other location (e.g., section name) if the source work being paraphrased is long or complex. For example,

According to Smith (2017), students find it difficult to use correct APA format.

Quoting is when you take a phrase word-for-word from a body of text. You must use quotation marks and you must always reference the original writer/speaker. For example,

1. Parenthetically:
Many students believe "writing an essay with proper APA formatting can be confusing" (Smith, 2017, p.2)

2. Narratively:
Many students believe, according to Smith (2017), that “writing an essay with proper APA formatting can be confusing” (p.2).

APAStyle.APA.org

Read. Idea. Sentence. Reference. In-text citation. Repeat.
Six easy steps to writing and including citations.

How to paraphrase
Paraphrase: What is it?
Three ways to try:
* create a detailed content outline (CO)
* break & rebuild
* authentic - read, understand, write

Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing
Helps you get comfortable with the uses of and distinctions among quotations, paraphrases, and summaries. This handout compares and contrasts the three terms, gives some pointers, and includes a short excerpt that you can use to practice these skills.
Paraphrase: Write It in Your Own Words
Paraphrasing is one way to use a text in your own writing without directly quoting source material.
Sample for Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Quoting
Examples of each task are provided at the end of the essay for further reference.

Writing

Bias-free language
The American Psychological Association emphasizes the need to talk about all people with inclusivity and respect. Writers using APA Style must strive to use language that is free of bias and avoid perpetuating prejudicial beliefs or demeaning attitudes in their writing.
Inclusive Language Guide
Use this booklet to help dismantle the destructive hierarchies that have marginalized people from equitable representation and participation in society. APA remains committed to effecting true change toward achieving equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI).
Checklist for writing
Use this checklist while writing your paper to make sure it is consistent with seventh edition APA Style. This checklist corresponds to the writing and formatting guidelines described in full in the Concise Guide to APA Style (7th ed.).
Borrow the guide from the library helpdesk.
• paper elements and format in Chapter 1
• writing style and grammar in Chapter 2
• bias-free language in Chapter 3
• punctuation, lists, and italics in Chapter 4
• spelling, capitalization, and abbreviations in Chapter 5
• numbers and statistics in Chapter 6
• tables and figures in Chapter 7
• in-text citations in Chapter 8
• reference list and reference examples in Chapters 9 and 10
Grammar!
Correct grammar and usage are important to all writing, including papers written in APA Style. Incorrect grammar and careless construction of sentences distract readers, introduce ambiguity, and impede clear communication.
Contractions & possessive adjectives
Is it your or you're?!
The Apostrophe
Apostrophes are used to form plurals of letters that appear in lowercase.
For example, Its and it's are not the same thing. It's is a contraction for "it is" and its is a possessive pronoun meaning "belonging to it."
Verb tense - grammar
Verbs are direct, vigorous communicators. Use a chosen verb tense consistently throughout the same and adjacent paragraphs of a paper to ensure smooth expression.
"Tenses" can be the past or the present.
Voice - grammar
Active and Passive Voice
Voice describes the relationship between a verb and the subject and object associated with it.
* Active voice: the subject of a sentence is followed by the verb and then the object of the verb (e.g., “the children ate the cookies”).
* Passive voice: the object of the verb is followed by the verb (usually a form of “to be” + past participle + the word “by”) and then the subject (e.g., “the cookies were eaten by the children”). If the subject is omitted (e.g., “the cookies were eaten”), it may result in confusion about who performed the action (did the children eat the cookies, or was it the dog?).
Discussion Phrases Guide
Papers usually end with a concluding section, often called the “Discussion.” The Discussion is your opportunity to evaluate and interpret the results of your study or paper, draw inferences and conclusions from it, and communicate its contributions to science and/or society.
Sample papers
Shows the format that students should use to submit a paper to an instructor for a course assignment. You can download the Word files to use as templates and edit them as needed for the purposes of your own papers.
Samples include:
* literature (lit) review
* qualitative paper
* quantitative paper

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Handouts and guides

Paraphrasing - what it is

A paraphrase restates another’s idea (or your own previously published idea) in your own words.

Paraphrasing and citing

Examples of an original phrase and what its paraphrase might look like.

Style and Grammar Guidelines

This guide helps writers present their ideas in a clear, concise, and inclusive manner. When style works best, ideas flow logically, sources are credited appropriately, and papers are organized predictably. Includes: paper format, in-text citations, mechanics of style, bias-free language, tables & figures, references, and grammar.

American Psychological Association. (2023). Style grammar and guidelines. https://apastyle.apa.org/