How to Avoid Plagiarism

Plagiarism:
Is it Worth It?

Dr. Pam Dennis

Fall Semester, 2006

What is Plagiarism?

nUsing another person’s idea, opinion, or theory without giving proper credit

nEmploying any facts, statistics, graphs, drawings that are not common knowledge without giving proper credit

nQuoting another person’s actual spoken or written words without giving proper credit

nParaphrasing another person’s spoken or written words without giving proper credit

Consequences?

nRevision of paper for lower grade

nFailing grade

nFailing course

nSuspension

nDegree revocation

nFiring

nLaw suit

nImprisonment (China and South Korea)

However,

nNearly 80% of college students admit they have cheated

n36% of undergraduates admit to plagiarizing

n97.5% of high school students let others copy their work (only 58.3% in 1969)

n54% of students copy from the Internet

www.plagiarism.org/plagiarism_stats.html

Reasons Student Plagiarize

nMisunderstanding of proper citation

nBelief that writing skills are inadequate

nDesire for high grades and competition for jobs

nBelief that everyone else is doing it

nPoor time management and planning skills

nThrill of cheating and not getting caught

Can We Trust Anyone?
“Famous” Plagiarists

nBeatle George Harrison (1971)

nSen. Joseph Biden, Jr., D-Del. – presidential hopeful (1987)

nMike Barnicle – Boston Globe (1998)

nStephen Glass – The New Republic (1998)

nStephen Ambrose and Doris Kearns Goodwin – authors (2002)

nReport by British government related to weapons of mass destruction (2003)

nJayson Blair, New York Times (2003)

nLawrence H. Tribe – Harvard law prof. (2004)

Strategies for Avoiding Plagiarism

nPut in quotations everything that comes directly from the text especially when taking notes.

nParaphrase, but be sure that you are not just rearranging or replacing a few words.

nCheck your paraphrase against the original text to be sure you have not accidentally used the same phrases or words, and that the information is accurate.

What is Common Knowledge

Facts that can be found in numerous places and are likely to be known by a lot of people.

Example: John F. Kennedy was elected President of the United States in 1960. No need for citation.

Example: According to a recent biography on John F. Kennedy, he was considered the greatest President to have ever served (Author __). This is an opinion by the author and not a fact, so it must be cited

Direct Quote

•Must include quote marks or be inset and must include a citation

“While course-related library instruction is still widely practiced, librarians are moving away from talking about information sources as ends in themselves, and towards an information literacy, problem based approach to information gathering where sources have a secondary role” (Bopp and Smith 13).

While course-related library instruction is still widely

practiced, librarians are moving away from talking about

information sources as ends in themselves, and towards

an information literacy, problem based approach to

information gathering where sources have a secondary

role (Bopp and Smith 13).

Resource –

Bopp, Richard E., and Linda C. Smith. Reference and Information

Services: An Introduction. Englewood, CO: Libraries

Unlimited, 1995.

Unacceptable Paraphrase

Paraphrase

While course-related library teaching is still commonly practiced, librarians are moving away from speaking about information sources as ends, and towards . . .

Original

Why Unacceptable

nWriter changed only a few words and phrases or changed the order of the original sentences.

nWriter failed to cite a source for any of the ideas or facts.

Acceptable Paraphrase

Paraphrase

Though librarians still use course-related library instruction, there is now a move toward an “information literacy, problem based approach” with sources assuming a secondary role (Bopp and Smith 13).

Original

Why Acceptable

nRecords information in the original accurately.

nGives credit for ideas in the passage.

nIndicates which parts were taken directly from the source by putting the passage in quotation marks and citing the page number.

Using the World Wide Web
as a Source

The same rules apply for using information from the Internet in a paper. Text as well as images copied or paraphrased should include a citation.

MLA style –

Resource –

Bopp, Richard E., and Linda C. Smith. Reference and Information Services:

An Introduction. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1995.

Turabian/Chicago style –

1Richard E. Bopp and Linda C. Smith, Reference and Information Services: An Introduction (Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1995), 13.

Resource –

Bopp, Richard E., and Linda C. Smith. Reference and Information

Services: An Introduction. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1995.

APA style –

Resource –

Bopp, R.E., & Smith, L.C. (1995). Reference and Information Services: An

Introduction. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.

Resources in the Library

Go to library’s website –

www.lambuth.edu/academics/library/library.html

•Use Electronic Catalog

•Use Databases

•Use Citation Style Sheets

•Use Finding Aids

Strategies for Avoiding Plagiarism (in review)

nPut in quotations everything that comes directly from the text especially when taking notes.

nParaphrase, but be sure that you are not just rearranging or replacing a few words.

nCheck your paraphrase against the original text to be sure you have not accidentally used the same phrases or words, and that the information is accurate.

Words of Wisdom

nMake sure you know what citation style to use

nConsult the library’s web page for guidance or ask a librarian

nIf you have a question about your paper, ask your professor to look over it

nStart early on your assignment so you are not tempted to cut corners

nPick a topic about which you can enjoy writing and have fun learning about it