Plagiarism occurs when one steals or uses the ideas or ...



Plagiarism occurs when one steals or uses the ideas or writings of another and presents these writings or ideas as his or her own.

Stephen Wilhoit’s article titled "Helping Students Avoid Plagiarism" in College Teaching (Fall 1994, pages161-164) lists the following types of plagiarism:

• "Buying a paper for a research service or term paper mill.

• Turning in another student's work without that student's knowledge.

• Turning in a paper a peer has written for the student.

• Copying a paper from a source text without proper acknowledgment.

• Copying materials from a source text, supplying proper documentation, but leaving out quotation marks.

• Paraphrasing materials from a source text without appropriate documentation."

And, now with the Internet, we need to add another type of plagiarism:

• Turning in a paper from a "free term paper" website.

The web sites listed here will further define plagiarism and will offer the tips to students on how to avoid plagiarism.

WHAT IS PLAGIARISM?

Plagiarism is presenting someone else's words or ideas as your own. The following are all examples of plagiarism:

• Quoting or paraphrasing material without citing the source of that material. Sources can include Web sites, magazines, newspapers, textbooks, journals, TV and radio programs, movies and videos, photographs and drawings, charts and graphs; any information or ideas that are not your own.

• Quoting a source without using quotation marks -- even if you do cite it.

• Buying a paper online or downloading a paper from a free site.

• Copying or using work done by another student.

• Citing sources you didn't use.

• Turning in the same paper for more than one class without the permission of both teachers.

NOTE TAKING

The best way to avoid plagiarism is to take careful notes. When taking notes, always do the following:

• First, read the entire text and summarize it in your own words. Then paraphrase important points and copy usable quotes. Enclose quotes in quotation marks.

• Carefully distinguish between material that is quoted, material that is paraphrased, material that is summarized, and your own words and ideas. Consider using different colored ink for each type of source.

• Include in your notes all the information you will need to cite your sources.

• Copy all source information into your working bibliography using the format your teacher has provided.

• Print any Web pages you use. Write the URL and the date on the Web page if it isn't included on the printout.

• Save all your notes and printouts until you receive your final grade.

CITING SOURCES

You must cite the source of every quote, every paraphrased passage, and every summarized idea you use in a research paper. Commonly known facts, such as dates or definitions, do not need to be cited unless you take those facts directly from a specific reference source, such as an encyclopedia. If you're not sure whether a source should be cited, include it just in case.

Sources must be cited both in the body of the paper and in the bibliography. In the body of the paper, you must do the following:

• Copy quoted material exactly, enclose it in quotations marks, and name the author immediately before or after the quote. Use the same procedure for summarized or paraphrased material, but omit the quotation marks.

• Cite the source information (title, publisher, date, and so on) for the quote or paraphrased or summarized information either in parentheses within the text or in a footnote.

• List on a reference page at the end of your paper the information for all the sources you have cited. (This is not the same as the bibliography.)

The bibliography is a list of all the sources you used -- both those you cited and those you used for research, but did not cite directly. The bibliography should follow the format your teacher has provided.

WRITING THE PAPER

The following tips on the writing process also will help you avoid plagiarism.

• Read your notes carefully and make sure you understand the material before you begin to write.

• Write a preliminary draft without looking at your notes. Leave spaces where you think you'll want to include quotes or supporting material.

• Use your own words as much as possible. No one expects you to write like an expert or a professional writer. You should, however, write like a serious, intelligent student.

• Cite all sources as you write your rough draft.

• Read through your final draft and make sure all uncited ideas are your own.

© 2002 by Education World®. Education World grants educators permission to reproduce this page for classroom use.

From OWL

Is It Plagiarism Yet?

There are some actions that can almost unquestionably be labeled plagiarism. Some of these include buying, stealing, or borrowing a paper (including, of course, copying an entire paper or article from the Web); hiring someone to write your paper for you; and copying large sections of text from a source without quotation marks or proper citation.

But then there are actions that are usually in more of a gray area. Some of these include using the words of a source too closely when paraphrasing (where quotation marks should have been used) or building on someone's ideas without citing their spoken or written work. Sometimes teachers suspecting students of plagiarism will consider the students' intent, and whether it appeared the student was deliberately trying to make ideas of others appear to be his or her own.

However, other teachers and administrators may not distinguish between deliberate and accidental plagiarism. So let's look at some strategies for avoiding even suspicion of plagiarism in the first place

When Do We Give Credit?

The key to avoiding plagiarism is to make sure you give credit where it is due. This may be credit for something somebody said, wrote, emailed, drew, or implied. Many professional organizations, including the Modern Language Association and the American Psychological Association, have lengthy guidelines for citing sources. However, students are often so busy trying to learn the rules of MLA format and style or APA format and style that they sometimes forget exactly what needs to be credited. Here, then, is a brief list of what needs to be credited or documented:

• Words or ideas presented in a magazine, book, newspaper, song, TV program, movie, Web page, computer program, letter, advertisement, or any other medium

• Information you gain through interviewing or conversing with another person, face to face, over the phone, or in writing

• When you copy the exact words or a unique phrase

• When you reprint any diagrams, illustrations, charts, pictures, or other visual materials

• When you reuse or repost any electronically-available media, including images, audio, video, or other media

Bottom line, document any words, ideas, or other productions that originate somewhere outside of you.

There are, of course, certain things that do not need documentation or credit, including:

• Writing your own lived experiences, your own observations and insights, your own thoughts, and your own conclusions about a subject

• When you are writing up your own results obtained through lab or field experiments

• When you use your own artwork, digital photographs, video, audio, etc.

• When you are using "common knowledge," things like folklore, common sense observations, myths, urban legends, and historical events (but not historical documents)

• When you are using generally-accepted facts, e.g., pollution is bad for the environment, including facts that are accepted within particular discourse communities, e.g., in the field of composition studies, "writing is a process" is a generally-accepted fact.

Deciding if Something is "Common Knowledge"

Generally speaking, you can regard something as common knowledge if you find the same information undocumented in at least five credible sources. Additionally, it might be common knowledge if you think the information you're presenting is something your readers will already know, or something that a person could easily find in general reference sources. But when in doubt, cite; if the citation turns out to be unnecessary, your teacher or editor will tell you.

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