Avoiding Plagiarism

What is Plagiarism?•Passing off another’s ideas as one's own

Which of the Following are Plagiarism?• Turning in someone else’s work as your own

• Copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit

• Paraphrasing a source without giving credit

• Failing to put another author’s exact words in quotation marks

• Giving incorrect information about a source

• Turning in work you’ve already written for another assignment/class

What Are the Consequences?

•Rewriting the assignment

•“F” on the assignment

•“F” in the class

•Expulsion from the college

What determines the severity of the consequences?

How Can You Avoid Plagiarism?1. Be informed:

Know what needs to be cited.

Know how to cite it (MLA format).

2. Prevent (through note-taking)

3. Edit

WHEN IN DOUBT, CITE!!

What should you cite?Avoiding plagiarism…

What Information from Sources Do You ALWAYS Have to Cite?

•Exact words from a source▫Use “quotation marks”

•Opinions of others (that you did not hold before reading the source)

•Specific information from a source▫If you want to cite specific information from

memory, find a reliable source to credit it to.

What Information from Sources Do You NOT Have to Cite?Don’t cite:

Common knowledge.

Problems with “common knowledge?”

• Vague• Can change depending on:

▫The author (you)▫The field/topic▫The instructor▫The university

What is “Common Knowledge?”Most Common Perspective

Cite almost everything rule:▫ Don’t Cite: very general facts, ideas, and

observations that are known by most people (e.g., proverbs, social norms/truisms, very common and undisputed facts/rules, etc.)

▫ Always Cite: somewhat specific and undisputed facts, statistics, disputed facts, others’ opinions

Common knowledge is not the same as: “I already knew this,” or “Most people know this.”

What to Cite Overview…

What to Cite Overview…

A Note about Undisputed Facts•Example of an undisputed fact: Alfred

Hitchcock directed Notorious in 1946.

•Caution: sometimes people assume that experts agree on a “fact,” when they actually don’t.▫Example: Betsy Ross created the first flag

of the United States of America. Very disputed Therefore, it’s very important to cite a

reliable source.

Remember, you always need to cite…

•Exact words from a source

•Opinions of others (that you did not hold before reading the source)

•Specific information

How do you cite sources?Citing in MLA format…

What are Citations?Citations tell the reader that:

• An idea is from an outside source,• Which source it’s from, and• Where in the source we can find the information.

For Example:In “Public Education,” the author argues that “the budget crisis has severely damaged our public education system” (Johnson 132). In-text citation

Johnson, Ben. “Public Education.” Sociology of Education 80.3 (2007): 112-142. JSTOR. Web. 23 Apr. 2012. Works cited

In-Text Citations• Include:

▫ The first part of the works cited entry Usually the author Could be the organization (as author) Could be a shortened version of the title

▫ Page number if there is one

• If something’s missing, you skip it.

For Example:In “Public Education,” the author argues that “the budget crisis has severely damaged our public education system” (Johnson 132). In-text citation

Johnson, Ben. “Public Education.” Sociology of Education 80.3 (2007): 112-142. JSTOR. Web. 23 Apr. 2012. Works cited

Works Cited Entries•What to include:

▫Authors’ full names (or organization as author)

▫Titles of the source▫Publication information

•Typical format:

Author Last, First. “Title of Short Work.” Larger Source Title. Publication information. Medium.

How Can You Avoid Plagiarism?1. Be informed:

Know what needs to be cited.

Know how to cite it (MLA format).

2. Prevent:

Take careful notes while researching (including the author’s “exact

words” in quotation marks, source info, and page numbers).

3. Edit:

Meticulously edit for MLA.

Use Turnitin.com to help!

WHEN IN DOUBT, CITE!!

Avoiding Plagiarism Game!1. Decide whether or not the following

information from outside sources should be cited. (Hint: There is not always one right answer. Answers will depend on different factors.)

2. Explain your answers (using the chart to give specific reasons).

3. The first team to answer them all correctly wins!

Avoiding Plagiarism Game: ExampleEach of the following pieces of information was taken from an outside source. For each item, (1) state whether or not it would need to be cited (Y/N) and (2) explain (using the chart).

1. “John Adams was the second President of the United States of America” (Encyclopedia Britannica).

Each of the following pieces of information was taken from an outside source. For each item, (1) state whether or not it would need to be cited (Y/N) and (2) explain (using the chart).

1.“George Washington was born in 1732” (MSN Encarta). Y/N (explain)

2.The city Kolkata (Calcutta) was founded on August 24, 1690 (Kolkata.org). Y/N (explain)

3.“A penny saved is a penny earned” (Ben Franklin). Y/N (explain)

4.Kobe Bryant’s number is 24 (Chicago Tribune). Y/N (explain) 

5.Kobe Bryant scored 1,970 points last season, averaging 27 points per game (Smith 4). Y/N (explain)

6.The Hornets’ biggest mistake was letting Kobe Bryant leave (Smith). Y/N (explain)

7.According to Freud, the id, the ego, and the super-ego are the three parts of a person’s psyche (112). Y/N (explain)