Paraphrasing for Academic Success

1. Paraphrasing for Academic Success Avril Trudeau & Marti Sevier English Bridge Program Simon Fraser University

2. Overview 1. Warm up: Try your hand at paraphrase 2. AYK(activate your knowledge) and define paraphrase 3. Review current research on L1 & L2 paraphrasing 4. Agree on acceptable paraphrase 5. Explore L2 learner’s cultural perceptions regarding plagiarism and paraphrase 6. Share effective strategies to enable L2s to produce comprehensible paraphrase for academic success7. Q & A

3. Paraphrase in French: Putting yourself in yourstudents’ shoes * Le français québécois… On parle français à Paris et à Québec, mais avec des accents différents et certaines variations de vocabulaire et de grammaire. Les particularités du français québécois reflètent l’histoire de la région ou il s’est développé. (see handout)

4. ACTIVATE YOUR KNOWLEDGE What is Paraphrase? Definition para·phrase (par′ə frāz′) noun: • a rewording of something spoken or written, usually for the purpose of making its meaning clearer • the use of this as a literary or teaching device • an approximate rendering of a quotation, saying, etc. whose exact words cannot be cited or recalled Source:http://www.yourdictionary.com/paraphrase

5. a restatement • the same or different length as original • written with different words • often reorganized • faithful to the author’s intended meaning • reader-friendly A paraphrase is…

6. Why is paraphrase necessary? • As a learning strategy B. To demonstrate understanding of the source text …

7. C. To avoid academic dishonesty http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/417143/how_to_avoid_unintentional_plagiarism.html?cat=2

8. SFU Code of Academic Honesty Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty in which an individual submits or presents the work of another person as his or her own. Scholarship quite properly rests upon examining and referring to the thoughts and writings of others. However, when excerpts are used in paragraphs or essays, the author must be acknowledged using an accepted format for the underlying discipline. Footnotes, endnotes, references and bibliographies must be complete.

9. Plagiarism exists when all or part of an essay is copied from an author, or composed by another person, and presented as original work. Plagiarism also exists when there is inadequate recognition given to the author for phrases, sentences, or ideas of the author incorporated into an essay. Source: www.sfu.ca/policies/teaching/t10-02.htm

10. Culture and Copying Increasing number of foreign students in western universities • Chinese Students: Re-wording/paraphrase disrespectful to the ‘masters’. • Middle Eastern students confused by the Western notion that one can 'own' ideas • Japanese students: group supersedes individual effort (Sowden, 2005) Both

11. The problem of ‘acceptable’ and ‘unacceptable’ paraphrase for L2s = No standard agreement

12. CURRENT RESEARCH Keck: The Taxonomy of Paraphrase Types • Near copy = 50% or more words contained within unique links • Minimal revision = 20–49% words contained in unique links • Moderate revision = 1–19% words contained in unique links • Substantial revision = no unique links Keck, C. ( 2006). Journal of Second Language Writing

13. Example of ‘unique link’ Original: • We should never lose sight of the fact that, despite the power of culture, we are still limited by our biological structure, function and needs. [25 words] Attempted Paraphrase: • We must notlose sight of the fact that, regardless of thepower of culture, we are Ø restricted by our biological structure, function and needs. [14/25 = Near Copy] (Excerpt from ‘Exploring Content’ , Smith, 2005)

14. L1 & L2 Paraphrase • Both copy from source texts without attribution. • Bothuse approximately the same number of paraphrases but • L2s use more ‘near copying’ than L1s. ( Keck, 2006)

15. Shi: close paraphrase and total paraphrase Shi, L. (2004) Written Communication

16. The task at hand http://www.nu.edu/assets/img/NU/w3/peoGroup001.jpg

17. Ultimate goals? Beyond the concerns about plagiarism, ELTs need to focus on: • growth in language competence • increased understanding of - complex academic texts - new/unfamiliar concepts • movement towards - synthesis of information - practical skills building - application of appropriate citing practices

18. Beyond avoiding plagiarism: why cite? • To strengthen writing • To practice synthesis • To develop voice • To strengthen argument • To participate in the academy Harris, R. (2004). Anti-plagiarism strategies for research papers. Retrieved March 2009, from w w w . v i r t u a l s a l t . c o m

19. How can students prepare for paraphrase? • Read extensively (Frodesen, 2002 ) • Increase general knowledge base • Develop general & academic vocabulary • Learn and practice micro-skills of using sources (Pecorari, 1998) - quoting, citing, paraphrasing, using reporting verbs

20. How to paraphrase When paraphrasing, there are some basic steps to follow: • Underline. • Highlight. • Rephrase. • Review.

21. How to paraphrase (cont’d.) 5. Keep the meaning. 6. Re-structure. 7. Provide synonyms. 8. Always cite.

22. The English Bridge Program at SFU • +/-150 Ss/year - East Asian majority • Entry level: IELTS 5.5 – 6 • Concerns with paraphrase • Experience with plagiarism here

23. Academic Skills in the English Bridge Program Aims: • Develop academic reading skills • Teach research and citation skills • IELTS examination preparation

24. The Independent Research Project Academic Culture and Communication: 10 minute Powerpoint presentation based on IRP Academic Skills: Annotated Bibliography based on four source texts

26. Paraphrasing in Academic Skills • Stand-alone tasks • Process-based • Skills-focused • Integrated into assignments • Deconstructing texts in daily work • Summary writing • IRP support/Annotated bibliography

27. Mixed results

28. An analysis using Text-Lex Compare TOKENS Recycle Index: (18 repeated tokens : 28 tokens in new text) = 64.29 Of these, unique links (lexical words occurring only once in the original text) are highlighted in yellow, while general links (lexical words occurring more than once) are highlighted in yellow and italicized. Shared18 tokens13 types 001.  have 3002.  resource3003.  countries 2004.  as 1005.  development 1006.  east 1007.  economic 1008.  grown 1009.  of 1010.  poor 1011.  rich 1012.  such 1013.  than 1 Cobb, T. (2000) Text Lex compare, The compleat lexical tutor, http://www.lextutor.ca/text_lex_compare/

29. A way forward  Avoid penalties or develop language skills? • Make explicit academic honesty policy ** • Sequence tasks carefully • __________________________________________ • Guided  Less guided  Independence: • activities activities synthesizing • information • from sources

30. A Sequence of Paraphrase Tasks Phase 1:Deconstructing the text A. Looking at the source B. Looking at main idea and support information

31. A Sequence of Paraphrase tasks, cont’d Phase 2:Citing conventions A. Identify purpose B. Focus on reporting verbs

32. A sequence of paraphrasing tasks, cont’d Phase 3: Vocabulary: synonyms & substitutes • Identify technical terms • Underline key words or phrases C. Find synonyms/substitute words

33. A Sequence of Paraphrasing tasks, cont’d Phase 3: Vocabulary: word families

34. A sequence of paraphrasing tasks, cont’d Phase 4 : Guided rewriting: changing sentence structure Original:Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty in which an individual submits or presents the work of another person as his or her own. (has committed) Rewritten:When someone submits or presents the work of another as their own s/he has committed plagiarism.

35. Push: NO CHOICE - Avoid the risks of plagiarism Pull: COMPELLING REASONS - Build reading and writing skills - Expand critical thinking/ability to synthesize - Develop voice as a writer - Participate in academic community Conclusion : push & pull?

36. Links for Paraphrase practice Acceptable, not acceptable • Teaching Guide for graduate student instructors • Paraphrase: Write it in Your Own Words • Summarising and note-taking • University of Houston Victoria

37. Links for Citation General Academic writing: Citing sources Citation builder Son of Citation Machine The automatic bibliography and citation maker Knight Cite Citation Styles 21st Century Information fluency For Books Only Free automatic bibliography generator

38. Links to Paraphrase, Summary and Synthesis The links below offer interesting interactive exercises to try out with students during lab time or for online HW… Reporting - paraphrase, summary & synthesis More resources for you and your students: Paraphrase and Summary Paraphrase: Write it in Your Own Words Reporting Verbs

39. REFERENCES Angélil-Carter, S. (2000). Stolen Language? Plagiarism in Writing. Essex: Pearson Education Limited. Chandrasoma, R., Thompson, C., & Pennycook, A. (2004). Beyond plagiarism: Transgressive and non-transgressiveintertextuality. Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 3(3). Retrieved February 20, 2009, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15327701jlie0303_1 Flowerdew, J. & Li, Y. (2007). Plagiarism and second language writing in an electronic age. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 27 Frodesen, J. (n.d.). Developing paraphrasing skills: A pre-paraphrasing mini-lesson. Retrieved March 10, 2009 from www.ucop.edu/dws/lounge/dws_ml_pre_paraphrasing.pdf. Frodesen, J. (2004). Developing paraphrasing skills through vocabulary knowledge and control

40. References, cont’d Introna, L., Hayes, N. , Blair, L. & Wood, E. (2003). Cultural attitudes towards plagiarism. Lancaster University. Retrieved February 2009, from www.plagiarismadvice.org/images/bin/lancsplagiarismreport.pdf Keck, C. (2006). The use of paraphrase in summary writing: A comparison of L1 and L2 writers. Journal of Second Language Writing, 15. Retrieved February 22, 2009, from www.sciencedirect.com Pecorari, D. (1998). Process citing: avoiding plagiarism in student writing Retrieved March 12, 2009, from www.brookes.ac.uk/schools/education/ eal/jl-archive/jl-bestof/31.pdf Pecorari, D. (2003). Good and original. Plagiarism and patch-writing in second language writing. Journal of Second Language Writing, 12(4) 317- 345. Retrieved March 12, 2009 from www.sciencedirect.com Pennycook, A . (1996). Borrowing others' words: Text, ownership, memory, and plagiarism. TESOL Quarterly, 30(2). Retrieved March 14, 2009, fromhttp://www.ingentaconnect.com.proxy.lib.sfu.ca/content/tesol/tq/1996

41. References, cont’d Phan Le Ha, (2006). Plagiarism and overseas students: stereotypes again?English Language Teaching Journal, 60(1). Retrieved March 15, 2009 from http://eltj.oxfordjournals.org Pincas, A. (2001). Culture, cognition and communication in global education. Distance Education, 22(1). Retrieved February 2009, from http://www.informaworld.com Liu, D. (2005). Plagiarism in ESOL students: is cultural conditioning truly the major culprit? English Language Teaching Journal, 59(3), 234-241. Retrieved March 15, 2009 from  http://eltj.oxfordjournals.org Shi, L. (2004). Textual borrowing in second-language writing. Written Communication, 21(2). Retrieved February 2009, from http://wcx.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/21/2/171 Shi, L. (2006). Cultural backgrounds and textual appropriation. Language Awareness, 15 (4). Retrieved February 2009, from www.informaworld.com

42. References, cont’d Shi, L. (2008). Textual appropriation and citing behaviors of university undergraduates. Applied Linguistics 1 (24). Retrieved January 2009,from Oxford University Press 2008 . Shirley, S. (2004). The art of paraphrase. Teaching English in the Two Year College, 32(2), 186-188. Retrieved March 2009, from www.ncte.org Sowden, C. (2005). Plagiarism and the culture of multilingual students in higher education abroad . English Language Teaching Journal, 59(3)226-233. Retrieved March 15, 2009, from http://eltj.oxfordjournals.org