Plagiarism removers and paraphrasing tools both work very similarly, which can confuse writers and students as to which tool they should use.
Both a plagiarism remover and a paraphrasing tool rewrite text to change its wording, but the two types of tools have slightly different purposes and uses. So, which one should you use if you have a piece of text and want to paraphrase it?
It comes down to what you want to do. Let’s take a look at how both types of tools differ and which one you should use when.
What is a Paraphrasing Tool?
A paraphrasing tool rewrites your input text to improve the text’s flow, tone, or clarity. Most tools offer different modes that allow you to choose what to do to the text, such as:
Improve its flow or readability
Adjust or change its tone
Make it concise
Paraphrasing tools offer versatility in their output. Advanced ones can tweak the text in many different ways, which gives users control over the output and lets them decide how the text is rewritten.
How Do Paraphrasing Tools Work?
Paraphrasing tools work by swapping the text’s words with synonyms and restructuring its sentences to give it a new look while keeping the original meaning intact.
A modern paraphrasing tool uses AI technologies like NLP, semantic analysis, and n-gram methods to understand and paraphrase the text accurately without compromising its quality or meaning. It swaps synonyms and restructures sentences as required by the mode or goal.
What Paraphrasing Tools Are Best For?
Paraphrasing tools are good for rewriting text in general, but they’re best for:
Changing the Tone: Most paraphrasing tools allow you to change the text’s tone. You can choose from some designated options, such as formal, academic, or informal.
Finding New Ways to Express an Idea: Paraphrasing tools can be used to find new ways to express an idea. This is helpful when you’re struggling to rewrite a piece of text or want to explore alternative wording and compare which one works best. Some tools allow generating one version per submission while others allow generating multiple variants at the same time.
Reducing Wordiness: Some paraphrasing tools offer special modes that work to make the text concise and less wordier. They’re useful when you want to improve the text’s clarity or make it tighter, such as meta descriptions or conclusion sections.
What is a Plagiarism Remover Tool?
A plagiarism remover is an AI-powered tool that works to make your text unique. It focuses on making the text different from its original version rather than strictly improving its flow or readability like a paraphrasing tool.
Plagiarism removers have become common among students and content writers because they offer a quick solution to erasing similarities, which can save them from unintentional plagiarism.
And although you can try to avoid plagiarism manually, many prefer to do it via tools because they’re very quick and can save a lot of time.
How Do Plagiarism Removers Work?
Plagiarism remover tools work using AI technologies, including NLP (natural language processing) and ML (machine language). They change the text drastically so that it no longer overlaps the original version and trigger similarity hits in plagiarism detection tools like Turnitin.
A plagiarism remover focuses on minimizing wording overlap by flipping sentence structures where possible and swapping words, unlike paraphrasing tools that tailor text according to a specific requirement.
What Plagiarism Removers Are Best for?
Plagiarism removers are best for removing plagiarism in general. They can be used when you want to:
Ensure the summarized notes don’t overlap textbook
Clean up accidental plagiarism where the wording is close to its source version
Avoid loosely paraphrasing the text manually where the sentence structure still resembles the original version
Do note that plagiarism removers tend to have less cleaner output than paraphrasing tools, because of their rigorous paraphrasing, so it’s best if you review their output and edit it before use.
Which One Should You Use?
Both plagiarism removers and paraphrasing tools have their purposes. Using a plagiarism remover tool when you need a paraphraser won’t give you the best results. So it’s best to use them for their designated purposes.
Use a paraphrasing tool if you want to improve the text, such as when:
Improving its flow
Adjust its tone
Making it clearer or more concise
Use a plagiarism remover if you want to make the text unique, such as when:
It’s plagiarized and needs a thorough rewrite
It has yet to be altered to avoid similarities
It’s edited but not thoroughly
The ideal tool depends on the situation at hand.
Best Practices When Using Both Tools
Follow these best practices to make the most out of these tools:
When using paraphrasing tools:
Review the Output: Always review the output text. Paraphrasing tools don’t always generate what you’d expect.
Choose the Right Mode: Remember to select the right mode before you begin. Stick to the default mode if you’re unsure or just want to rewrite.
Input Enough Text: Paraphrasing tools work best when they’re given enough output to properly make sense of the text’s meaning and context.
When using plagiarism remover tools:
Review the Output: Read the text at least once to see if it needs any adjustments.
Check Plagiarism Afterwards: Use a plagiarism detector to check if the plagiarism removal was successful or not.
Input Enough Text: Again, make sure you’re giving the tool enough text to work with. Avoid inputting a couple of sentences alone.
Avoid cycling the same text repeatedly using either of the tools. Repeated rewriting can lead to small deviations which can add up and eventually result in a text that’s entirely different from the one you input.
Conclusion
Plagiarism remover and paraphrasing tools have different purposes, though both tools help improve or edit your text. Paraphrasing tools focus on improving the text, such as improving its flow or adjusting its tone, while plagiarism removers mainly work to make it distinct from the original one to minimize its similarities. So, which tool you should use exactly comes down to your exact goal, as to whether you want to sound better or sound different.
