Bijgewerkt 2026-07-22
Paraphrasing vs. Plagiarism
Where legitimate paraphrasing ends and plagiarism begins, including patchwriting, attribution, and disclosure expectations.
Definition
Paraphrasing restates a source's ideas in new wording and structure with attribution; plagiarism presents another's words, ideas, or structure as one's own, including unattributed paraphrase.
Why it matters
The boundary cases — patchwriting, uncited paraphrase, machine-assisted rewording — are where most academic-integrity disputes arise, so clear definitions protect both writers and reviewers.
Related terms
See citation integrity, verbatim quotation, and academic integrity: quotation handles exact wording, citation integrity keeps attribution verifiable, and policy decides what assistance must be disclosed.
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What separates paraphrasing from plagiarism?
Legitimate paraphrasing restates a source's ideas in genuinely new wording and sentence structure, with a citation attributing the idea to its source. Plagiarism presents someone else's words, ideas, or structure as one's own — which includes an accurate paraphrase that omits the citation, because the idea is still borrowed even when the wording is new.
What is patchwriting and how is it treated?
Patchwriting swaps synonyms into a source's sentences while keeping their structure and sequence. With no citation it is plagiarism; even with a citation, most academic-integrity guidance treats it as improper paraphrase because the linguistic form remains the source's. Writing programs usually respond with instruction on genuine restating rather than misconduct charges alone.
How do AI paraphrasing tools change the analysis?
A tool can change wording, but it cannot supply attribution or understanding. Machine-paraphrasing a source without citation is still plagiarism of the idea, and machine-paraphrasing one's own AI-generated draft raises a disclosure question instead. Institutional policies increasingly ask what was borrowed and what was disclosed, not only how different the words are.
FAQ
Does citing a source make any paraphrase acceptable?
Not entirely. Citation resolves attribution, but patchwriting that mirrors the source's structure is still considered improper paraphrase in most guidance.
Is paraphrasing my own earlier work plagiarism?
Reusing your own submitted work without disclosure is usually classed as self-plagiarism and governed by the venue's or institution's policy.