If you paraphrase, summarize, or quote, tell where you got the information right then, right there. It is not enough to list the source in the bibliography or works cited page. Put the reference as close to the "borrowed" words as you can. Use the citation format your teacher requires. See the examples below in APA style.:
Original: The expedition journeyed to the North Pole with hopes of traveling where no man had ever traveled before. Their hopes, however, were dashed. Tragedy befell them at ever turn. -- from page 14, The Last Expedition by James Trophey, Jones Publishing, 1999.
Quote: According to Trophey (1999), "The expedition journeyed to the North Pole with hopes of traveling where no man had ever traveled before. Their hopes, however, were dashed" (14).
Paraphrase of the passage: Though the crew planned to blaze new trails and go where no one had before, they were unsuccessful (Trophey, 1999, 14).
Summary of the entire book: The Last Expedition relates what is known about the Merrimack Expedition to the North Pole, their hopes and plans, as well as their disasterous encounters with poor weather, inadequate supplies, and their own frailties (Trophy 1999).
Once again, it isn't enough to just credit the source near the words you paraphrased, summarized, or quoted. You must also include a detailed entry IN PROPER FORMAT (according to your teacher's desires), in alphabetical order, on a source page at the end of the report.
WRONG WAY TO PARAPHRASE: The 1929 stock market crash launched the USA into an economic depression so big it is now called The Great Depression. Real estate prices fell, the dollar lost its value, and unemployment went up as people joined soup lines (Smith, 2007, p. 12).
RIGHT WAY TO PARAPHRASE: In 1929, an unstable stock market crashed. Suddenly, property values fell. Many people lost their jobs and were forced to stand in soup lines to make ends meet. The dollar was almost worthless as well. In time, people called the era The Great Depression (Smith, 2007, p. 12).
Yeah, big word, simple meaning. A caveat is a warning. It isn't enough to change a word here and there. Paraphrasing is taking the original, dropping it into a meat grinder and watching it come out the other end. It's basically the same stuff, but you wouldn't see too much similarity between a hamburger and a steak, would you? The paraphrase needs to sound like you do, not like the original author. See the example at right.