Here's a breakdown:
What makes it unacceptable?
* Plagiarism: You are essentially presenting someone else's ideas as your own. This is a serious academic and ethical offense.
* Lack of attribution: Failing to properly credit the original source makes it impossible for your readers to verify your information and understand where the ideas came from.
* Misrepresenting the original source: Sometimes, paraphrasing can subtly change the meaning of the source material, even if unintentionally.
Examples of Unacceptable Paraphrasing:
Original Source: "The rapid growth of technology has led to a significant increase in the use of social media, impacting how people communicate and share information."
Unacceptable Paraphrasing: "Social media is used more often than ever before because technology is developing quickly, which changes how people share information."
Why it's unacceptable: While the wording is different, the sentence structure and core meaning remain virtually unchanged.
How to avoid unacceptable paraphrasing:
* Understand the original source: Read the passage carefully and make sure you understand the main points and arguments.
* Use your own words: Reword the information in your own style and vocabulary, focusing on conveying the main ideas.
* Change the sentence structure: Use different sentence structures to avoid simply swapping out words.
* Cite the original source: Use proper citation methods (e.g., footnotes, endnotes, in-text citations) to give credit to the original author.
Key takeaway: Paraphrasing is a valuable tool for incorporating information from other sources, but it's crucial to do it ethically and responsibly.
Always remember to cite your sources, use your own language, and avoid simply rearranging the original author's words.