Paraphrasing means rewriting a specific passage from a source in your own words while retaining its original meaning and level of detail. Summarizing means condensing a larger piece of text—such as a section, chapter, or entire document—into its most essential points, intentionally leaving out supporting details.
When using paraphrasing or summarizing techniques, you should always use your own words and cite the original source. The key difference is the level of detail: a paraphrase is generally similar in length to the original passage, while a summary is significantly shorter. In academic writing, paraphrasing is used to discuss specific information, whereas summarizing is used to present the main ideas of a source. Our guide on accidental plagiarism and how to avoid it covers proper paraphrasing techniques. Quetext's AI Summarizer helps you condense long sources quickly.