Which statement best explains why paraphrase should be substantially reworded?

• A. It ensures you avoid plagiarism entirely.
• B. It makes the paraphrase more complex without adding meaning.
• C. It helps demonstrate understanding and avoids copying language too closely.
• D. It discourages proper citation practices.

Answer: (D)

Paraphrase should be substantially reworded to show you understand the ideas and to express them in your own voice rather than echoing the source’s wording. By rephrasing with your own sentence structure and terminology, you preserve the meaning while signaling your grasp of the material. It also helps prevent the writing from reading like the original text too closely, reducing the risk of unintentional plagiarism. Remember, even with a well-done paraphrase, you still need to cite the source when the ideas come from someone else. Making the paraphrase more complex without adding new meaning isn’t the goal, and paraphrase doesn’t discourage proper citation practices.