What should you do before you put information into your own words for a project?

Before putting information into your own words for a project, it is important to understand the information fully. Here are a few steps you should take:

1. Read and comprehend the information: Make sure you fully understand the content you are going to paraphrase. Read the text carefully and take note of the main ideas, supporting details, and any important facts or figures.

2. Take notes: Jot down the main points or key ideas of the information in your own words. Avoid copying word-for-word and instead focus on summarizing or rephrasing the content.

3. Organize your thoughts: After reading and taking notes, organize your thoughts and the structure of your project. Think about how the paraphrased information will fit into your project and how it relates to other ideas or arguments.

4. Analyze and interpret the information: Reflect on the meaning and implications of the information. Consider any potential biases, assumptions, or logical fallacies present in the original text.

5. Reference the original source: Note down the source of the information, including the author, title, publication or website, and date. This is crucial for providing proper attribution and avoiding plagiarism.

6. Paraphrase effectively: Finally, start putting the information into your own words. However, remember not to simply replace a few words with synonyms. Instead, try to restructure the sentence or paragraph, use different sentence patterns, and add your own analysis or commentary.

By following these steps, you will ensure that you understand the information thoroughly and can effectively communicate it in your own words while giving proper credit to the original source.