How do I cite a paraphrase?
Answer
You will cite a paraphrase exactly as you would a direct quotation with an in-text citation after the paraphrase and a corresponding full citation in a bibliography at the end of the paper. The exact format of an in-text citation will depend on the style that you're using.
For example, here's a paraphrase cited in APA style along with the corresponding citation. In this example, the paraphrase is referencing a very specific piece of information, so a page number to that specific information is given. Sometimes you may not need to include the page number if your paraphrase provides more of a generalization from a source. If you're not sure whether to include a page number or not, include it.
While red squirrels mainly eat seeds from trees, they can also eat a variety of other vegetation like flowers and fungi (Thorington et al., 2012, p. 75).
Citation:
Thorington, R. W., Jr., Koprowski, J. L., Steele, M. A., & Whatton, J. F. (2012). Squirrels of the world. Johns Hopkins University Press.
Links & Files
Comments (0)
Contact Us
Research Help Desk
Winter Break
The Research Help desk will be closed during the winter break, but you can still submit questions or reach out to a librarian for help. Spring 2026 hours will start on Tuesday, January 20th.
One-On-One Consultations
Schedule an appointment using our Research Help Request form.
You can also email your subject librarian to schedule an in-person or Zoom appointment.