The ability to paraphrase effectively is one of the fundamental skills required for effective academic writing. Paraphrasing shows you understand the source language and can restate it in your own words. Paraphrasing also helps you ensure originality in your writing.

To prepare for this Discussion:

Review the Week 3 Resources. Pay special attention to the webinars on paraphrasing and quoting. Also, study the noted sections of the APA manual so you can learn how to format citations properly.

By Day 3

Post a paraphrase of the following passage from Walden’s Code of Conduct. Include a proper in-text citation in your paraphrase. Make sure to use your own words while preserving the meaning of the original passage. Your paraphrase should ideally be the same length or shorter than the original passage. In addition to paraphrasing the passage, explain in one paragraph the strategy you used to paraphrase effectively.

“As an institution fundamentally  concerned with the free exchange of ideas, the university depends on the  academic integrity of each of its members. In the spirit of this free exchange,  students and instructors of Walden recognize the necessity and accept the  responsibility for academic integrity. A student who enrolls at the university  thereby agrees to respect and acknowledge the research and ideas of others in  his or her work and to abide by those regulations governing work stipulated by  the academic unit or academic program, and, in turn, the instructor” (Walden University, 2016.  para. 8).

Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings.

By Day 5

Respond to at least two of your colleagues’ postings in one of the following ways:

• Ask a probing question.
• Share an insight from having read your colleague’s posting.
• Offer and support an opinion.
• Validate an idea with your own experience.
• Make a suggestion.
• Expand on your colleague’s posting.