The Art of Paraphrasing: Effectively Borrowing Ideas in Academic Writing

This paraphrasing workshop translates key outcomes from the ReadiBuddy research-particularly scaffolded literacy, culturally responsive pedagogy, and strategies for meaning-making into a practical academic skill for tertiary students. The workshop enhances reading–writing connection, echoing the research’s emphasis on scaffolded language development, motivation, and accessible literacy practices.

This Knowledge Transfer Programme (KTP) involved a large-scale online academic paraphrasing workshop conducted through Google Meet for more than 373 UiTM students and lecturers from UiTM Seremban and UiTM Melaka. The workshop aimed to enhance students’ academic writing and literacy abilities by teaching paraphrasing strategies grounded in evidence-based approaches.
Given the common challenges faced by university students, difficulty expressing ideas in their own words, risk of unintentional plagiarism, and limited vocabulary, the workshop addressed an urgent academic need. Students learned how to apply paraphrasing techniques such as synonym substitution, structural changes, clause reordering, and connector transformation.
Interactive digital tools such as Google Forms, live polls, and real-time Padlet submissions allowed students to apply the techniques immediately, providing opportunities for personalised feedback even in a large-group setting.
Overall, participants reported increased confidence in academic writing, improved understanding of paraphrasing concepts, and greater awareness of how to maintain meaning while avoiding plagiarism. The online modality enabled equal access across campuses, aligning with the ReadiBuddy project’s aim of reducing inequalities and widening literacy support for diverse Malaysian learners.