What is the difference between paraphrasing and summarizing?

Paraphrasing is when writers take a short paragraph or passage and break it down into their own words, and summarizing is breaking down the main points of a story or article. Both paraphrasing and summarizing require that the writer attribute the ideas to the original source.

The main difference is that summarizing should include only the main points or main idea, while paraphrasing can refer to any part of a story or article. Neither need to include quotations to be effective.

Paraphrasing and summarizing are used in writing to prove a point, to support statements or to add depth to the writing.