How to paraphrase properly (without accidentally plagiarising)

The most common accidental plagiarism is patchwriting: keeping the original sentence and changing a few words. Even with a citation, that's still too close to the source.

The reliable method is to read the passage, close the source, and write the idea from memory in your own words and structure. Then reopen the source to check you've kept the meaning but not the phrasing — and cite it.

If a phrase is so specific that you can't reword it, quote it directly instead. Paraphrasing is about ideas; quoting is for exact words.