To paraphrase means to put all the author's words and ideas into your own wording, keeping the same emphasis and order of ideas.
http://www.answers.com/topic/paraphrase
http://www.google.com/search?aq=1&oq=how+to+para&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=how+to+paraphrase
There are some really good ideas and directions in these websites.
What does it mean when asked to paraphrase a article? Do I use my own words or the authors words?
3 answers
Using your own words to express the author's ideas (paraphrasing) indicates that you really understand what the author was saying. It requires more effort than quoting, but it increases your understanding.
Paraphrasing means putting it into your own words.