In academic writing, paraphrasing requires which element?

• A. Quoting text exactly without citation
• B. Restating ideas in your own words with proper citation
• C. Summarizing in one sentence with no citation
• D. Rewriting to avoid plagiarism

Answer: (B)

Paraphrasing in academic writing means restating someone else’s ideas in your own words and providing a proper citation. This shows you understood the source and can integrate its meaning into your argument while giving credit to the original author. The best description is restating ideas in your own words with proper citation, because it combines faithful reexpression with attribution. Quoting exactly without citation isn’t paraphrasing—it’s a direct quote that still needs a source. Summarizing in one sentence with no citation omits attribution and is a different practice. Rewriting to avoid plagiarism implies deception and neglects proper citation and fidelity to the original meaning.