Paraphrasing is a way of taking information that you have found and rewording (restating) it so that it is briefly summarized and (most importantly) in your own words. This is a very important skill in writing papers and submitting assignments.
The following sample paraphrase:
* Note: this example shows the original text (as an example) with an adequate paraphrase
Example: The current constitutional debate over heavy metal rock and gangsta rap music is not just about the explicit language but also advocacy, an act of incitement to violence.
Adequate paraphrase: Lyrics in some rap and heavy metal songs that appear to promote violence, along with concerns about obscenity, have generated a constitutional debate over popular music.
For more information on paraphrasing, please use the Purdue University OWL website.
Additional tutorials and guidance on paraphrasing are available on the library's 'Writing and Citing Libguide.'