A Handout on Proper Citation and Plagiarism



POL 580 Theories/ Approaches to IR Fall 2011

POL 581 American Foreign Policy

Dr. Ivan Dinev Ivanov

Proper Citation and Plagiarism

My experience at several different institutions in the past three years indicates that there is a growing concern about the various forms of academic dishonesty taking place on our campus. While the modern technology has been able to provide access to multiple resources and ample research opportunities, it has also facilitated the use of these resources inappropriately that in certain occasions constitutes academic dishonesty including plagiarism. Therefore, I would like to remind you that the UC student code of conduct defines plagiarism as:

Submitting another’s published or unpublished work in whole, in part or in paraphrase, as one’s own without fully and properly crediting the author with footnotes, quotation marks, citations, or bibliographical reference.

Submitting as one’s own original work, material obtained from an individual or agency without reference to the person or agency as the source of the material.

Submitting as one’s own original work material that has been produced through unacknowledged collaboration with others without release in writing from collaborators.[1]

Stealing other people’s ideas is as bad as stealing other people’s property or shoplifting at the store. In cases of alleged plagiarism or other violation of the Georgetown College Technology Ethics Policy, the students will be referred to the Vice President for Student Life. The complaint will be adjudicated through the disciplinary procedures outlined in the Student Handbook. Students who are found in violation of the policy will be subject to disciplinary sanctions that may include suspension from Georgetown College.

I understand that sometimes students do not realize that their activity constitutes plagiarism. In order to avoid any such confusion, however, it is necessary to review some of the basic rules about referencing other people’s thoughts in your papers. First, whether we use specific words or just ideas from any source, (author, secondary source, government document, web page, personal blog, etc), we always need to refer to this source. Lack of any reference automatically establishes an assumption that these thoughts and ideas are ours, thus constituting a case of dishonesty. Keep in mind that it is quite easy for an instructor to distinguish between the original student’s thoughts and such that have been taken from an outside source. Consider the following two examples:

Example One:

In his seminal work, “The Tragedy of Great Power Politics” John Mearsheimer argues that states operate in a self-help system and that the best way for states “to ensure their survival is to be the most powerful state in the system” (Mearsheimer 2001: 33). Furthermore, given the difficulty of determining how much power is enough for today and tomorrow, great powers recognize that the best way to ensure their security is to achieve hegemony now, thus eliminating any possibility of a challenge by another great power. It seems that Mearsheimer’s theory of "offensive realism" is closer to Nicholas Spykman, who emphasized the anarchical state of international relations and the never-ending struggle among nation-states for global domination and survival.

Example Two:

In his seminal work, “The Tragedy of Great Power Politics” John Mearsheimer argues that states operate in a self-help system and that the best way for states “to ensure their survival is to be the most powerful state in the system.”[2] Furthermore, given the difficulty of determining how much power is enough, great powers “recognize that the best way to ensure their security is to achieve hegemony now, thus eliminating any possibility of a challenge by another great power.”[3] Francis P. Sempa notes that Mearsheimer’s theory is closer to Nicholas Spykman, who emphasizes “the anarchical state of international relations and the never-ending struggle among nation-states for global domination and survival.”[4]

Second, what is the best way to cite references? The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Writing Center has created a useful online Handbook on citing references. They have listed several different ways, but essentially the two most common forms are parenthetical (a.k.a. MLA) citation or footnotes (a.k.a. Chicago/Turabian). For further information, check their website:

.

I personally do not have any special preferences about the form of citation since both MLA and Chicago/Turabian are quite popular in political science and international relations research. However, I would expect that once students choose their most preferred style, there should be consistency throughout their work.

Third, should students paraphrase or quote? There is no universal answer to that question and it depends on the particular context. Nonetheless, if there is an opportunity to use direct quote, I will always encourage my students to do so. Direct quotes present certain ideas that strengthen the argument of the author or set up a position to critique. Also, direct quotes save time and space and avoid the risk of an imprecise reference. If you are not able to quote, however, then you have the option to paraphrase.[5] Nonetheless, the students need to make sure that that the quotes or paraphrased texts are consistent with the rest of the argument that they present in their analysis and interpretation.

Lastly feel free to use the ample online resources on writing assignments and references available online such as the aforementioned Handbook of the UWM’s Writing Center []. If you have any further questions and concerns, do not hesitate to contact me or raise them during our class.

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[1] The University of Cincinnati Student Code of Conduct, Last revised on 4/29/04. Also available on the Internet: , accessed on 06/23/2007.

[2] John J Mearsheimer, “The Tragedy of Great Power Politics,” WW Norton, 2001, p. 33.

[3] Offensive Realism from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia; also available on the Internet: , accessed on 06/25/2007.

[4] Francis P. Sempa, “Offensive Realism": The "Never-Ending Struggle for Power," Book Review on Mearsheimer’s “The Tragedy of Great Power Politics,” American Diplomacy Publishers, Chapel Hill, NC, 2002. Also available on the Internet: , accessed on 06/24/2007.

[5] For further details see “Quoting and paraphrasing Sources” from the Writer’s Handbook of the University of Wisconsin – Madison’s Writing Center; also available on the on the Internet, , accessed on 06/25/2007.

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