Read the source you'll be citing carefully. If necessary, make notes on what the source says and how it relates to what you're writing. If needed, reread the material.
Rewrite the source's information in your own words. Simply changing a few words is not enough -- that's plagiarism. In order to properly paraphrase a source, you must entirely rewrite the information. Try rewriting the material without looking at the original source; that way, you'll avoid copying any wording or phrasing. After writing, double-check to make sure that you haven't copied any material directly.
Choose a citation style. There are several citation styles that may be used when citing an author in a paraphrase. Popular styles include Modern Language Association (MLA), American Psychological Association (APA) and Chicago Manual of Style. If writing for an instructor or professor, she may have a preferred style. If not, choose whichever style you prefer.
Write the citation after the last word in the paraphrase. Include the full citation in the text. Repeat this any time you reference material that's not your own. If you're paraphrasing the same author again, include the entire citation, unless the citation style you're using states otherwise.
Note the following example. When paraphrasing an author with APA parenthetical style, your entry should look something like the example below. "Smith" refers to the author, "2009" refers to the date of publication and "p. 45" refers to the page from which you took the original information.
The Romans were a powerful conquering people; however, they had their limitations. These limitations were eventually made clear as the empire started to disintegrate following a series of barbarian invasions (Smith, 2009, p. 45).