CIVT 3401K: Highway and Transportion Engineering

From the University of Bergen in Norway. Turn on the subtitles by clicking the "CC" button. 

Steps for Paraphrasing

1. Read your passage until you understand its full meaning. As you read, jot down bullet points on the facts or opinions presented, but do not copy "word for word" without using quotation marks. 
2. Put your passage aside, and write out your paraphrase in full sentences, referring to the bullet points and using your own words. Act like you are describing the passage to a friend.
3. Check your version with the original to ensure accuracy. Make any corrections about facts or details. 
4. If you used any words directly from the source, revise the paraphrase by going back to steps 1 and 2. 
5. Record the source and page number so that you can refer back to it later when creating your citations.

Adapted from the Purdue Online Writing Lab's Guide to Paraphrasing.

Note that this video says 2/3 of the words should be your words (paraphrasing) and no more than 1/3 should be the author's words (direct quotations.) In some fields like science and social sciences, even less than 1/3 should be in the author's words. Direct quotations should be used sparingly and only when you have a good reason to use the exact words of the author (for example, they are uniquely descriptive.)