Writing a thesis is difficult from various other kinds of writing. Many writers and scholars claim that it is the trickiest form of writing. The real issue with thesis writing is that it requires students to follow every rule and regulation set by the institutions.
Otherwise, students may not get the required grades. Their thesis may get rejected as well.
Moreover, maintaining academic integrity is also essential in a thesis. When students maintain it, they acknowledge others’ work and don’t steal any ideas or words from others. Academic integrity forces students to mention the authors’ names when they get thoughts or words from their work.
There are two different ways of writing others’ work in a thesis. Both of them are entirely ethical and legal. The first method is paraphrasing. And the second one is using direct quotes.
The question is, when is it better to use the paraphrasing method and when to use direct quotes? This article will answer the question!
When to Use a Paraphrasing Method?
Paraphrasing is essential in thesis writing as you cannot use direct quotes whenever you mention the work of any other researcher or scholar. So let’s see in which circumstances you should use the paraphrasing method in a thesis.
To Elaborate
You don’t need to quote the other authors directly when elaborating on different things in your research.
For example, in the introduction or literature review, you build a base for your articles and explore different ideas.
In these two sections, students usually paraphrase to co-relate others’ ideas with their work.
Moreover, they also tell what different scholars think about a particular phenomenon and how their work relates to their study.
In this case, they don’t particularly need to quote them; just citing them and paraphrasing their work is enough.
To Summarize
Most research articles or books from where the students get data for their thesis usually have one point they want to prove. So, mentioning every line of those books or articles can destroy academic integrity or ruin the beauty of a thesis.
That’s why students and scholars don’t mention every statement but summarize the overall study.
When summarizing, the students have to get assistance from the paraphrasing method. This method allows them to show their creativity and summarize the whole discussion in a few words.
To Validate Your Arguments
Lastly, paraphrasing is used to validate your arguments with other scholars’ work. For example, after writing a sentence, you cite different authors who share the same opinion. You can use this method in the methodology section.
For example, you can justify the selection of a specific methodology or data collection method by referring to other authors and what they say about that particular methodology or approach.
Additionally, the paraphrasing method can be used when you have to validate your arguments with previous research.
How to Paraphrase?
To perfectly paraphrase a text, you have two different options. First, do it manually. However, manual paraphrasing is a complicated task requiring skills and time. The second option is to use a paraphrasing tool. Online paraphrasers like https://plagiarismdetector.net/paraphrasing-tool are pretty efficient and fast in work.
They can paraphrase the text, make it unique, maintain its context, and improve its language. That’s why many students prefer online rewrite tools over manual paraphrasing.
When to Use Direct Quotes?
Direct quotes are also an integral part of a thesis. They are frequently used in a thesis for different reasons. Here are the most common reasons for using direct quotes over paraphrasing.
To Statistically Prove Your Argument
You should prefer the direct quote method when proving your arguments statistically. Using this method, you can indicate what other authors are saying about that particular thing and how their views are the same as yours.
Moreover, it could be helpful if you don’t change any single word in statistical data. Paraphrasing the statistical or numerical data can also affect other values that may ruin the conclusion.
To Define a Phenomenon
In the thesis, students must define various variables, phenomena, and many other things for clarity. Without defining them, it could be more challenging for students to convey a message precisely. When defining anything, it is better to use direct quotes.
The paraphrasing may ruin the beauty of that definition. That’s why using the direct quote method for definitions is suggested for students.
To Classify Your Research Point of View
While writing a thesis, students must prove their point of view concerning a specific theory. In the thesis, students create a particular chapter for it.
That chapter is usually called the “theoretical framework.” When you have to classify your research point of view, direct quotations can help you more than paraphrasing.
How to Use Direct Quotes?
Using direct quotes isn’t difficult. Copy the text you want to quote and paste it into your file. However, it can help if you use the proper formatting suggested by your university or discipline. There are different ways of using direct quotes in all the formatting styles, including APA, Chicago, MLA, etc. Therefore, as a student, you need to check and follow the format guidelines.
