Paraphrasing

Melanie Brown, PhD

Walden Writing Center Webinar

2013

Objectives

Paraphrasing: What it is and why it matters

Paraphrasing: One form of evidence

Paraphrasing: Strategies for practice

Paraphrasing: Practice exercises

Paraphrasing: Popular sourceStressful life events can cause insomnia, too. But if people become overly fixated on their inability to sleep, it leads to hours in bed trying to force sleep to come, which, in turn, causes anxiety and arousal. Over time, this pattern can become ingrained so that the insomnia persists long after the original stressor has passed. If you can’t sleep, relocate to another room to do something relaxing like reading until you feel sleepy. …

Not including over-the-counter sleeping pills, Americans received prescriptions for over 60 million hypnotic medications in 2011, according to IMS Health which tracks healthcare statistics. Side effects of these sleeping pills include next-day drowsiness, dependence, and loss of efficacy over time. … If a self-help approach does not do the trick, a sleep expert can guide you through a non-pharmacological program called cognitive behavioral therapy that studies show is as effective as prescription hypnotics in treating chronic insomnia. (Mosko, 2013, para. 9-10)

1. Read passage until you understand its meaning2. Look away from passage to write its main points.3. Cite source in your paraphrase.

Paraphrasing: Popular sourceStressful life events can cause insomnia, too. But if people become overly fixated on their inability to sleep, it leads to hours in bed trying to force sleep to come, which, in turn, causes anxiety and arousal. Over time, this pattern can become ingrained so that the insomnia persists long after the original stressor has passed. If you can’t sleep, relocate to another room to do something relaxing like reading until you feel sleepy. …

Not including over-the-counter sleeping pills, Americans received prescriptions for over 60 million hypnotic medications in 2011, according to IMS Health which tracks healthcare statistics. Side effects of these sleeping pills include next-day drowsiness, dependence, and loss of efficacy over time. … If a self-help approach does not do the trick, a sleep expert can guide you through a non-pharmacological program called cognitive behavioral therapy that studies show is as effective as prescription hypnotics in treating chronic insomnia. (Mosko, 2013, p. 31)

Paraphrase A: Insomnia can become like a habit that stays with people over time, particularly if a person continually fails to fall asleep immediately (Mosko, 2013). If a habit of insomnia does develop, people have multiple options. One option is sleeping pills, but these types of medications have various negative side effects (Mosko, 2013). A person can also pursue behavioral therapy using a sleep expert (Mosko, 2013).

Popular source: Comparing paraphrasesParaphrase AInsomnia can become like a habit that stays with people over time, particularly if a person continually fails to fall asleep immediately (Mosko, 2013). If a habit of insomnia does develop, people have multiple options. One option is sleeping pills, but these types of medications have various negative side effects (Mosko, 2013). A person can also pursue behavioral therapy using a sleep expert (Mosko, 2013).

Paraphrase BRecognizing that stress can trigger insomnia, Mosko (2013) advised against using prescription drugs to address the condition. Instead, people experiencing insomnia should make behavioral changes, such as leaving bed to read in another room or taking part in therapy programs, to return to restful sleep (para. 9-10).

Paraphrasing: Scholarly source IPrevention can be categorized into three components. Primary prevention is concerned with health promotion activities, which prevent the actual occurrence of a specific illness or disease. Secondary prevention promotes early detection or screening and treatment of disease and limitation of disability. This level of prevention is also called health maintenance. Tertiary prevention is directed at recovery or rehabilitation of a disease or conditions after the disease has developed. Physical activity, as one the most important components of cardiovascular disease prevention, has crucial roles at all three levels. Despite the strong evidence linking physical activity to cardiovascular disease risk reduction, there remains much uncertainty regarding the underlying mechanisms. (Golbidi & Laher, 2012, pp. 1-2)

1. Read passage until you understand its meaning2. Look away from passage to write its main points.3. Cite source in your paraphrase.

Paraphrasing: Scholarly source IPrevention can be categorized into three components. Primary prevention is concerned with health promotion activities, which prevent the actual occurrence of a specific illness or disease. Secondary prevention promotes early detection or screening and treatment of disease and limitation of disability. This level of prevention is also called health maintenance. Tertiary prevention is directed at recovery or rehabilitation of a disease or conditions after the disease has developed. Physical activity, as one the most important components of cardiovascular disease prevention, has crucial roles at all three levels. Despite the strong evidence linking physical activity to cardiovascular disease risk reduction, there remains much uncertainty regarding the underlying mechanisms. (Golbidi & Laher, 2012, pp. 1-2)

Paraphrase A: Prevention of cardiovascular disease can be discussed as having three facets: health promotion activities, early detection and treatment, and recovery (Golbidi & Laher, 2012). Although it is not fully understood yet, physical activity is the clearest path to prevention (Golbidi & Laher, 2012).

Scholarly source I: Comparing paraphrasesParaphrase APrevention of cardiovascular disease can be discussed as having three facets: health promotion activities, early detection and treatment, and recovery (Golbidi & Laher, 2012). Although it is not fully understood yet, physical activity is the clearest path to prevention (Golbidi & Laher, 2012).

Paraphrase BGolbidi and Laher (2012) described three approaches to preventing cardiovascular disease: (a) acting in healthy ways to prevent the disease, (b) diagnosing and managing the disease in its early stages, and (c) recovering after disease advancement. Although exercise plays an important role in these approaches, researchers do not yet know the full extent of that role.

Paraphrasing: Scholarly source IIForty-two gardeners (27 women and 15 men) self-identified themselves as leisure gardeners and participated in this study. They ranged in age from 32 to 80 years, with the majority between 45 and 65 years. Five couples participated. Fifteen of the gardeners were living with cancer (10 women, 5 men). … Although the cancer-free participants (n = 27, 17 women, 10 men) were not living with cancer, 15 were living with other challenges such as another chronic disease, disability, grief, unemployment, divorce, or supporting a spouse who was living with cancer or another chronic disease. Twelve (7 women, 5 men) of the cancer-free participants did not identify a significant health or life stress. (Unruh & Hutchinson, 2011, p. 568)

1. Read passage until you understand its meaning2. Look away from passage to write its main points.3. Cite source in your paraphrase.

Paraphrasing: Scholarly source IIForty-two gardeners (27 women and 15 men) self-identified themselves as leisure gardeners and participated in this study. They ranged in age from 32 to 80 years, with the majority between 45 and 65 years. Five couples participated. Fifteen of the gardeners were living with cancer (10 women, 5 men). … Although the cancer-free participants (n = 27, 17 women, 10 men) were not living with cancer, 15 were living with other challenges such as another chronic disease, disability, grief, unemployment, divorce, or supporting a spouse who was living with cancer or another chronic disease. Twelve (7 women, 5 men) of the cancer-free participants did not identify a significant health or life stress. (Unruh & Hutchinson, 2011, p. 568)

Paraphrase A: Unruh and Hutchinson (2011) reported that their study’s participants were mostly women between the age of 45 and 65. Most of the researchers’ participants had some sort of health challenge (i.e., cancer, another physical ailment, or emotional troubles), with only 12 participants being stress-free (Unruh & Hutchinson, 2011).

Scholarly source II: Comparing paraphrasesParaphrase AUnruh and Hutchinson (2011) reported that their study’s participants were mostly women between the age of 45 and 65. Most of the researchers’ participants had some sort of health challenge (i.e., cancer, another physical ailment, or emotional troubles), with only 12 participants being stress-free (Unruh & Hutchinson, 2011).

Paraphrase BOf the 42 gardeners who took part in Unruh and Hutchinson’s (2011) study, 15 participants had been diagnosed with cancer, 15 others experienced a different stress, and 12 indicated they were not experiencing stress at the time of the study (p. 568).

Paraphrasing: ReferencesGolbidi, S., & Laher, I. (2012). Review article: Exercise and the

cardiovascular system. Cardiology Research and Practice, 2012, 1-15. doi: 10.1155/2012/210852

Mosko, S. (2013, May/June). Beyond counting sheep: The do’s and don’ts of natural sleep. E: The Environmental Magazine, 24(3).Retrieved from http://www.emagazine.com/magazine/beyondcounting-sheep

Unruh, A., & Hutchinson, S. (2011). Embedded spirituality: Gardening in daily life and stressful life experiences. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 25, 567-574. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-6712.2010.00865.x

Paraphrasing: Walden Writing Center resources