To cite paraphrased information, name the original writer and give a year or page number right after the restated idea, in the in-text format your instructor requires (APA, MLA, or Chicago). This guide covers exactly how to cite paraphrased information in all three formats, since restating a passage in your own words does not remove the need for credit. Skipping that credit is one of the most common challenges students face, and it’s an easy way to commit plagiarism by accident, even when every word in the sentence is their own.
Below, we break down how to cite paraphrased information manual by manual, with a quick comparison table and the mistakes that most often turn honest paraphrasing into an academic-integrity problem.
What Counts as Paraphrasing (and How It Differs From a Direct Quote)
Paraphrasing restates someone else’s point in new wording and a new sentence structure, while keeping the meaning intact. A direct quote, by contrast, copies the exact wording inside quotation marks. Both need credit, but the in-text mechanics differ slightly. If you’re still sorting out the difference, see our guide on how to introduce quotations for the direct-quote side, or our step-by-step paraphrasing walkthrough for help rewriting a passage before you credit it.
The one rule that never changes across formats: if the concept, data, or argument came from somewhere else, it needs credit, even without quotation marks or any quoting at all.
How to Cite a Paraphrase in APA Style
APA Style, published in the American Psychological Association’s Publication Manual, asks for the writer’s last name and the publication year every time you restate their point. A page number isn’t required, but APA recommends adding one (or a paragraph number for sources without pages) when it helps a reader locate the passage in a longer work.
Narrative citation: Thompson (2021) found that early feedback improves student writing outcomes.
Parenthetical citation: Early feedback has been shown to improve student writing outcomes (Thompson, 2021).
With an optional page number: Early feedback has been shown to improve student writing outcomes (Thompson, 2021, p. 45).
When a work has no listed writer, use a shortened title instead of a last name. When a work has two writers, name both every time. When a work has three or more contributors, name only the first one followed by “et al.”, starting with the very first mention.
How to Cite a Paraphrase in MLA Style
MLA style asks for the writer’s last name and a page number, without a year, in the parenthetical citation that follows a restated idea.
Parenthetical form: Early feedback improves student writing outcomes (Thompson 45).
Narrative citation: Thompson claims that early feedback improves student writing outcomes (45).
When a work has no page numbers, such as most websites, MLA allows you to drop the number entirely or point to a paragraph, section, or timestamp if the work labels one. Every restated point mentioned in the text must also appear on the Works Cited page at the end of the paper, with a full entry for each source.
How to Cite a Paraphrase in Chicago Style
Chicago style, from the Chicago Manual of Style, supports two separate systems, and which one you use depends on your field and your instructor’s instructions. Notes-Bibliography is common when citing a printed book in history or the humanities.
Notes-Bibliography (footnote): Early feedback improves student writing outcomes.1
Author-Date (in-text): Early feedback improves student writing outcomes (Thompson 2021, 45).
Notes-Bibliography places a superscript number after the restated point and a matching footnote with the full work details. Author-Date, common in the sciences and social sciences, uses a parenthetical citation similar to the APA system, paired with a reference list. Our Chicago citation generator can build the full reference-list entry for either system once you know which one your course uses.
Citing a Paraphrase From Several Authors or an Unnamed Source
Each of the three major style manuals, the American Psychological Association’s APA Style, the Modern Language Association’s MLA Handbook, and the Chicago Manual of Style, gives a slightly different rule for naming two or more writers in one in-text citation. Here’s how each handles several contributors and sources with no named writer at all.
- Two or more authors (APA): both are named every time. Three or more use the first person’s name plus “et al.” from the first mention onward.
- Two or more authors (MLA): up to two writers are named directly. Three or more use the first person’s name plus “et al.”
- Two or more authors (Chicago): up to three writers are named directly. Four or more may be shortened to the first name plus “et al.,” depending on the reference-list entry.
- No named writer: use a short version of the work’s title in place of a name. Organizations, a government agency or a company, can usually stand in as the writer instead.
This rule applies whether you’re restating a single sentence or pulling ideas from several places in one paragraph. If you’re combining points from more than one work, cite each one separately rather than folding them into a single unclear reference. The same logic applies to another source type entirely, such as an article. See our guide on how to cite an article in an essay for that format specifically, or browse our full citation generator hub for every source type we support.
APA vs. MLA vs. Chicago: Quick Comparison
| Style | What Goes In-Text | Page Number | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| APA | Writer, year | Recommended, not required | (Thompson, 2021, p. 45) |
| MLA | Writer, page | Required when available | (Thompson 45) |
| Chicago (Notes) | Superscript number + footnote | Included in the footnote | Thompson1 |
| Chicago (Author-Date) | Writer, year, page | Included when available | (Thompson 2021, 45) |
Common Mistakes That Turn Paraphrasing Into Plagiarism
Leaving out that credit is still considered plagiarism, even if you never copy the exact wording or use any quotes at all. The most common mistake is patchwriting, swapping out a few words in the original sentence while keeping its structure intact, then presenting it as your own point without giving credit.
Patchwriting (avoid): Original passage: “Early feedback significantly improves student writing outcomes.” Patchwrite: “Early feedback greatly improves the writing outcomes of students.” (no credit given, structure barely changed)
True paraphrase with credit: Students tend to write better when they receive feedback early in the drafting process (Thompson, 2021).
A quick test: cover the passage and try to restate the point from memory, in your own words, instead of quoting it directly. If you can, and you still add credit, you’ve paraphrased correctly rather than patchwritten it. Review each restated passage against its source one more time before you submit, to confirm the wording and structure are genuinely your own.
Worked Example: From Passage to Credited Paraphrase
Original passage: “Students who receive feedback within 48 hours of submitting a draft revise more thoroughly than students who wait a week or longer for comments.”
Restated and credited (APA): Students revise more thoroughly when feedback arrives within two days of submitting a draft, compared to those who wait a week or more (Thompson, 2021, p. 12).
Notice the wording, structure, and order of ideas have all changed, while the meaning is preserved and the writer is credited. That combination, new wording plus credit, is what separates a proper paraphrase from patchwriting, and it’s also what most instructors are checking for directly when they grade a paper’s use of sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to cite paraphrased information if I don’t reuse any of the original wording?
Yes. Credit belongs to the idea, not just the exact words. Even a fully reworded passage needs in-text credit pointing back to the work it came from, with a matching entry in your references or Works Cited list.
Does a paraphrase need a page number?
It depends on the style manual. MLA requires a page number when the source has one. APA recommends but doesn’t require one. Chicago includes it in the footnote or the author-date citation when it’s available.
How is citing a paraphrase different from citing a direct quote?
Both need an in-text reference with the writer and a year or page number. A direct quote also needs quotation marks around the exact wording, while a paraphrase doesn’t, since the words are your own.
What if my source lists no writer at all?
Use a shortened version of the title in place of a name, in quotation marks for APA or italics for MLA and Chicago, depending on the source type.
Once you know which format your assignment calls for, building the full reference-list entry is the next step. Our APA citation generator and MLA citation generator can build that entry to match the in-text examples covered above, or browse our full citation guide library for other source types.
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Terry is a Chicago-based writer and editor who creates practical, student-friendly guides on essay writing, research, and citation styles (APA, MLA, and Chicago). He’s spent 15+ years editing educational content and building clear examples that help readers apply rules without guessing. When he’s not revising drafts, he’s usually turning messy notes into clean outlines and hunting down the one detail everyone skips.