I asked ChatGPT to put together an explanation of paraphrasing in research papers and how to synthesize information and use it to support your own thoughts, opinions, and conclusions. It's not perfect, but here it is along with a link to another page and one to my page.
1. What is Paraphrasing?
Paraphrasing is when you take information you’ve read and put it into your own words while keeping the original meaning.
How to Paraphrase:
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Read the information carefully.
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Close the source so you’re not tempted to copy.
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Ask yourself, “What does this mean?”
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Write it in your own words as if you’re explaining it to a friend.
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Example:
Original Text: "Polar bears are excellent swimmers and can travel long distances in search of food."
Paraphrased: "Polar bears are strong swimmers and can cover great distances to find something to eat" (Source 1).
2. What is Summarizing?
Summarizing is when you take the main ideas from a larger piece of text and write them in a shorter, simpler way.
How to Summarize:
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Focus on the most important points (ignore extra details).
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Use your own words to explain the big idea.
Example:
Original Text:"Polar bears are excellent swimmers and can travel long distances in search of food. They mainly eat seals, which they hunt on the ice, but melting ice due to climate change makes hunting more difficult."
Summary: "Polar bears swim far to hunt seals, but climate change is making it harder for them to find food" (Source 1).
3. What is Synthesizing?
Synthesizing is when you take ideas from different sources and combine them with your own thoughts to create something new.
How to Synthesize:
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Read information from several sources.
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Think: “How do these ideas connect?” or “What’s my opinion on this?”
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Write about what you learned AND what you think about it.
Example:
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Source 1: "Polar bears need ice to hunt seals."
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Source 2: "Climate change is causing ice to melt faster every year."
Synthesis: "Polar bears are struggling to find food because climate change is melting the ice they need to hunt seals. This shows how important it is to address global warming" (Source 1; Source 2).
4. How to Blend Their Thoughts with Research
To blend their ideas with research, they should:
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Start with their own opinion or observation.
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Use research to back it up.
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Explain how the research connects to their thoughts.
Example:
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Student’s Thought: "I think polar bears are an example of how climate change hurts animals."
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Research: "According to the WWF, polar bears rely on sea ice to hunt seals, and the melting ice makes hunting harder."
Blended Response: "I think polar bears are an example of how climate change hurts animals. The WWF explains that polar bears need sea ice to hunt, but because the ice is melting, they are struggling to survive. This shows how global warming is impacting wildlife" (Source 1).
5. Avoiding Plagiarism
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Don’t copy-paste! Instead, try paraphrasing or summarizing.
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Cite your source. (Example: "According to National Geographic...")
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Changing one word in a sentence doesn’t make it yours—rewrite the idea completely.
Example:
Copied Sentence: "Polar bears are excellent swimmers and can travel long distances in search of food."
Wrong: "Polar bears are amazing swimmers and can go long distances looking for food."
Right: "Polar bears swim far to hunt for food, which helps them survive in their cold environment."
Practice Activity with Parenthetical Citations
1. Paraphrase This Sentence (add a parenthetical citation):
"Elephants use their trunks for many purposes, such as drinking water, picking up objects, and even greeting other elephants."
Example Answer: "Elephants use their trunks in a variety of ways, including drinking, grabbing items, and interacting with each other" (Source 1).
2. Summarize This Paragraph (add a parenthetical citation):
"Tigers are the largest wild cats in the world. They are known for their powerful bodies and striped fur, which helps them camouflage in forests and grasslands. Sadly, tigers are endangered due to habitat loss and poaching."
Example Answer: "Tigers, the largest wild cats, are endangered because of poaching and losing their habitats" (Source 2).
3. Combine These Two Facts and Share Your Opinion (with citations):
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"Honeybees pollinate about 80% of flowering plants" (Source 1).
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"Without pollination, many fruits and vegetables would not grow" (Source 2).
Example Answer: "Honeybees play a vital role in pollinating the majority of plants. Without them, important crops like fruits and vegetables could not grow, which makes protecting bees essential" (Source 1; Source 2).