Paraphrasing, plagiarism and scholarly writing
The failure this discussion is aimed at is not copying. It is patchwriting — changing enough words to feel safe while keeping the original's structure — which is plagiarism even with a citation attached.
Editorial process
Last reviewed · August 15, 2026
Paraphrase is not synonym substitution
Get the definition right before anything else, because most posts define paraphrasing as putting it in your own words and that definition is what produces the problem. Substituting synonyms while keeping the original's sentence structure is patchwriting, and it is plagiarism even when a citation is attached, because the structure of the argument is still the source's. A genuine paraphrase restates the idea in your own syntax at your own level of detail, usually shorter than the original, and it is written after you have understood the point rather than while looking at the sentence. The practical test most students find useful is to read the passage, close it, write what it said from memory, then reopen it to check accuracy — a method that makes patchwriting almost impossible because you are working from the meaning rather than from the words, which is where the difference lies.
Then distinguish the three things that get conflated. Quotation reproduces words exactly, in quotation marks, with a page number, and should be rare in nursing writing — reserved for a definition or a phrase whose exact wording matters. Paraphrase restates a specific passage and still needs a citation. Summary compresses a longer argument and needs one too. The citation requirement is what surprises people: it applies to ideas, not only to words, so a perfect paraphrase with no attribution is still plagiarism. Add the case most students have never considered — self-plagiarism, reusing your own previous submission without declaring it, which counts. For the personal half of the discussion, say what your own practice actually is and what you will change, since the assignment is about developing the skill rather than describing it. Cite APA's own guidance and your programme's policy rather than a study-skills website, because on this topic the authoritative source is the one you will be held to.
Likely learning objectives
Inferred from the brief — check these against your own rubric.
- 01Define paraphrasing by syntax and understanding rather than by word substitution.
- 02Identify patchwriting as plagiarism even when cited.
- 03Distinguish quotation, paraphrase and summary and their citation requirements.
- 04Recognise that attribution applies to ideas, and that self-plagiarism counts.
Read the full question
Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.
Course-wide instructions that accompany this question
Important information for writing discussion questions and participation Hi Class, Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts. Contact me if you have any questions. Important information on Writing a Discussion Question Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references) There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article. Include in-text citations in your response Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information Follow APA-7th edition Points will be deducted if the above is not followed Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week. Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references) Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count. Follow APA 7th edition Points will be deducted if the above is not followed Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points. Here are some helpful links Student paper example Citing Sources The Writing Center is a great resource Welcome to class Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to. I strongly encourage that you do not wait until the very last minute to complete your assignments. Your assignments in weeks 4 and 5 require early planning as you would need to present a teaching plan and interview a community health provider. I advise you look at the requirements for these assignments at the beginning of the course and plan accordingly. I have posted the YouTube link that explains all the class assignments in detail. It is required that you watch this 32-minute video as the assignments from week 3 through 5 require that you follow the instructions to the letter to succeed. Failure to complete these assignments according to instructions might lead to a zero. After watching the video, please schedule a one-on-one with me to discuss your topic for your project by the second week of class. Use this link to schedule a 15-minute session. Please, call me at the time of your appointment on my number. Please note that I will NOT call you. Please, be advised I do NOT accept any assignments by email. If you are having technical issues with uploading an assignment, contact the technical department and inform me of the issue. If you have any issues that would prevent you from getting your assignments to me by the deadline, please inform me to request a possible extension. Note that working fulltime or overtime is no excuse for late assignments. There is a 5%-point deduction for every day your assignment is late. This only applies to approved extensions. Late assignments will not be accepted. If you think you would be needing accommodations due to any reasons, please contact the appropriate department to request accommodations. Plagiarism is highly prohibited. Please ensure you are citing your sources correctly using APA 7th edition. All assignments including discussion posts should be formatted in APA with the appropriate spacing, font, margin, and indents. Any papers not well formatted would be returned back to you, hence, I advise you review APA formatting style. I have attached a sample paper in APA format and will also post sample discussion responses in subsequent announcements. Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week. I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course!
Turn the brief into deliverables
- 01An accurate definition of paraphrasing.
- 02An explanation of patchwriting and why it is plagiarism.
- 03The distinction between quotation, paraphrase and summary.
- 04A statement of your own practice and what you will change.
- 05APA-formatted citations to authoritative sources.
The distinction, then your own practice
What paraphrasing actually is
Define it by restatement in your own syntax after understanding.
Patchwriting
Explain synonym substitution with retained structure and why it fails.
Quotation, paraphrase and summary
Distinguish the three and state each one's citation requirement.
Ideas and self-plagiarism
Establish that attribution covers ideas and that reuse of your own work counts.
Your own practice
Say what you currently do and what will change.
Authoritative sources on paraphrasing
Recommended databases
- APA Style guidance
- Your programme's academic integrity policy
- Purdue OWL
- This week's Learning Resources
Search sequence
- 1.Read APA's own definition of plagiarism rather than a summary of it.
- 2.Find your programme's policy, since that is the standard you will actually be held to.
- 3.Look up patchwriting specifically, since it is the failure mode the discussion targets.
- 4.Check what your institution says about reusing your own prior work.
Reference shortlist
These are authoritative starting points, not a ready-made bibliography. A qualified reviewer must confirm that each source fits the assignment and supports the claim beside which it is cited.
Nothing here is cleared for citation until you have read it.
- 01
Plagiarism
APA Style, American Psychological Association · 2024
The style authority's own definition, including self-plagiarism, which is the case most students miss.
- 02
Plagiarism Overview - Purdue OWL
Purdue University · 2024
Separates deliberate copying from patchwriting and faulty paraphrase, which is the distinction the post needs.
- 03
Definition of Research Misconduct
Office of Research Integrity, US Department of Health and Human Services · 2024
The research-integrity framing, which shows why this matters beyond a course grade.
- 04
2025 Code of Ethics for Nurses
American Nurses Association · 2025
The professional honesty obligation that academic integrity is an early instance of.
Review before submission
Common mistakes
- Defining paraphrase as using your own words, which licenses patchwriting.
- Assuming a citation makes any degree of similarity acceptable.
- Treating plagiarism as a matter of words rather than of ideas.
- Omitting self-plagiarism, which most students do not know counts.
- Citing a commercial study-skills site rather than APA or your programme's policy.
Submission checklist
- Does your definition address sentence structure, not just vocabulary?
- Have you named patchwriting explicitly?
- Are quotation, paraphrase and summary distinguished?
- Did you address citation of ideas as well as words?
- Have you said what you will change in your own practice?
Use this guide to plan and review your own work. Follow your institution's rules and read our academic-integrity policy.

Written by
Aaron Bishop
MA, Education
assignment interpretation and research-methods coaching across disciplines
Aaron leads the EssayCrackers editorial desk. He works on how assignment briefs are read — what a rubric is actually asking for, and where students most often answer a different question than the one set.

Reviewed by
Dr. Nathan Cole
PhD, Rhetoric & Composition
Argumentation and thesis development
Nathan teaches first-year composition and directs a university writing center. He reviews EssayCrackers guides for argumentative soundness and citation accuracy.