This paper reports a descriptive study to examine students’ academic writing performance and their perceptions about source-based writing, particularly through paraphrasing and summarizing. This paper draws on data collected as part of a larger project including questionnaire, writing tests, and interviews. The findings reveal that students perceived the role source-based academic writing plays in the English for Specific Purposes classes; however, their writing performance in paraphrasing and summarizing still remains at average levels. The qualitative analysis from interviews indicates that students held positive perceptions about the source-based writing, namely their understanding of how paraphrasing and summarizing information are integrated into their own writing to avoid plagiarism.