How to cite a paraphrase from a website

I want to paraphrase an article in my paper, but the paraphrase is a paragraph long. How do I cite the paraphrase in my paper?

To paraphrase correctly:

• Sum up the main idea(s) of the author's argument using your own words and sentence structure.
• Simply including one citation at the end of a paragraph is NOT APA compliant.
• The reader cannot know with one citation which ideas are yours and which are from the article.

When you add sources to a paper:

• Make it clear which words are your ideas and which are from the article's author.
• Use sentence structure to signal what is from someone else AND include the citation information.

EXAMPLE 1: To paraphrase the article "How to write a great paper" by J. Smith (2019).

The paragraph might look like this:

     According to J. Smith's ideas of paper writing in the essay, "How to write a great paper" the important parts are choosing a great topic, knowing a lot about the topic and being able to synthesize the information learned about the topic (Smith, 2019).  Smith also has some ideas about ... (Smith, 2019). In the article, J. Smith gives advice about ... (Smith, 2019). At the end put the citation at the end of the section (Smith, 2019).        

Putting the citation (Smith, 2019) after EVERY sentence in the above example is part of paraphrasing.

• You cannot just put one at the end of the paragraph, which is plagiarism.
• Please read this article for an additional breakdown of why.

Ideally, you would not need to have an entire paragraph that is a paraphrase of someone's ideas. 

• A better way is to intersperse your ideas with J. Smith's ideas.
• This shows how each of the ideas is important and relevant to the paper.

EXAMPLE 2:

Ideally, the paragraph would look more like this:

     According to J. Smith's ideas of paper writing in the essay, "How to write a great paper" the important parts are choosing a great topic, knowing the topic well, and being able to synthesize research about the topic (Smith, 2019). These points are important because (insert your own opinion about why this stuff is important). Smith also thinks that X is a useful skill to have when working on A, B, and C (Smith, 2019). This is clearly true because (here is what I think about this issue).

In this way, you are still paraphrasing Smith in a paragraph, but you are also letting your reader know which parts are Smith's ideas and which parts are your ideas, and most importantly why you think Smith is useful for your argument.

To cite quotations correctly:

• See the Citing Sources in the Text (In-Text Citations) 6th edition
• Visit the APA Help guide.

Thank you for using ASK US. For more information, please contact your Baker librarians. 

A paraphrase restates another’s idea (or your own previously published idea) in your own words. Paraphrasing allows you to summarize and synthesize information from one or more sources, focus on significant information, and compare and contrast relevant details.

Published authors paraphrase their sources most of the time, rather than directly quoting the sources; student authors should emulate this practice by paraphrasing more than directly quoting.

When you paraphrase, cite the original work using either the narrative or parenthetical citation format.

Although it is not required to provide a page or paragraph number in the citation, you may include one (in addition to the author and year) when it would help interested readers locate the relevant passage within a long or complex work (e.g., a book).

Webster-Stratton (2016) described a case example of a 4-year-old girl who showed an insecure attachment to her mother; in working with the family dyad, the therapist focused on increasing the mother’s empathy for her child (pp. 152–153).

These guidelines pertain to when you read a primary source and paraphrase it yourself. If you read a paraphrase of a primary source in a published work and want to cite that source, it is best to read and cite the primary source directly if possible; if not, use a secondary source citation.

This guidance has been expanded from the 6th edition. 

Long paraphrases

A paraphrase may continue for several sentences. In such cases, cite the work being paraphrased on first mention. Once the work has been cited, it is not necessary to repeat the citation as long as the context of the writing makes it clear that the same work continues to be paraphrased.

Velez et al. (2018) found that for women of color, sexism and racism in the workplace were associated with poor work and mental health outcomes, including job-related burnout, turnover intentions, and psychological distress. However, self-esteem, person–organization fit, and perceived organizational support mediated these effects. Additionally, stronger womanist attitudes—which acknowledge the unique challenges faced by women of color in a sexist and racist society—weakened the association of workplace discrimination with psychological distress. These findings underscore the importance of considering multiple forms of workplace discrimination in clinical practice and research with women of color, along with efforts to challenge and reduce such discrimination.

If the paraphrase continues into a new paragraph, reintroduce the citation. If the paraphrase incorporates multiple sources or switches among sources, repeat the citation so the source is clear. Read your sentences carefully to ensure you have cited sources appropriately.

Play therapists can experience many symptoms of impaired wellness, including emotional exhaustion or reduced ability to empathize with others (Elwood et al., 2011; Figley, 2002), disruption in personal relationships (Elwood et al., 2011; Robinson-Keilig, 2014), decreased satisfaction with work (Elwood et al., 2011), avoidance of particular situations (Figley, 2002; O’Halloran & Linton, 2000), and feelings or thoughts of helplessness (Elwood et al., 2011; Figley, 2002; O’Halloran & Linton, 2000).

Last updated: July 2022Date created: September 2019

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