The document discusses paraphrasing as a way to avoid plagiarism by expressing an author's ideas in your own words. Paraphrasing differs from direct quoting or summarizing as it uses the original text's ideas without copying its exact words or structure. Proper paraphrasing demonstrates understanding while allowing you to support points and perspectives with citations. Students should rephrase texts in their own words, cite sources, and avoid minimal word changes or copying structure from the original version. Examples are provided for students to practice paraphrasing.