COSC 111 : Plagiarism and Proper CitationLaksamee Putnam – Research & Instruction Librarian

First…Laksamee Putnamlputnam@towson.eduCook Library Reference:

◦410.704.2462.◦IM/email

Phone: 410.704.3746.Twitter: @CookLibraryofTUAlbert S. Cook facebook profile

On the side…

AgendaDefine plagiarism

Real world examples and discussion

Towson Policy – Academic Integrity

MLA citation style

How do you define plagiarism?

http://icanhascheezburger.com/2007/09/12/copy-cat/

How do you define plagiarism?

How do you define plagiarism?

◦Using someone’s ideas or expression of those ideas (words, pictures, music, etc)

◦Without giving proper credit

An interesting side storyA quote attributed to Martin

Luther King Jr. went viral after the death of Osama bin Laden

But part of it was never said or written by him

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/05/anatomy-of-a-fake-quotation/238257/

What’s the big deal?

It’s out there, why not reuse it?

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Gabriel, Trip. “Plagiarism Lines Blur for Students in the Digital Age.” nytimes.com. The New York Times, 1 Aug 2010. Web. 14 Feb. 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/02/education/02cheat.html>

“If you are not so worried about presenting yourself as absolutely unique, then it’s O.K. …if you say other people’s words, it’s O.K. if you say things you don’t believe, …it’s O.K. if you write papers you couldn’t care less about because they accomplish the task, which is turning something in and getting a grade… and it’s O.K. if you put words out there without getting any credit.”

~Susan D. Blum anthropologist at The University of Notre Dame, author of “My Word!: Plagiarism and College Culture” on student attitudes toward plagiarism

It’s out there, why not reuse it?Discussion on the article:• Your thoughts on plagiarism

• Why don’t some people seem to think it’s bad to copy?

• Why do people who know it’s wrong still do it?

• Does downloading music count?

• Is their plagiarism in business?

Why does it matter?

Newitz, Annalee. (2012, January 16) “You are bitching about the wrong things when you read an article about science.” i09.com. i09 blog, 16 Jan 2012. Web. 14 Feb. 2012. <http://io9.com/5873948/you-are-bitching-about-the-wrong-things-when-you-read-an-article-about-science>

“Science is designed to challenge our common sense assumptions about the world because they are often wrong. Sometimes, however, common sense turns out to be right. Which is why occasionally science seems to prove the obvious. But that's not science being useless - it's science doing what it does best, which is applying rigor and rationality to anecdote and dogma.”

Why does it matter?Discussion on the article• Why is it important to attribute information

to a source?

• Why is anecdotal information still so compelling?

• What does this have to do with you? In real life? In school?

Why does it matter?It was a dark and

stormy nightSkin cancer is

the most common form of cancer

Common Knowledge Quandary“I’ve heard that common knowledge

doesn’t have to be cited. What is common knowledge?”

Some examples:◦Waste not, want not.◦George Washington was the first president

of the US◦College students like pizza…

When in doubt, cite it.

The point is…No matter where you are, you will

constantly need to assess the information around you

In order to be an informed consumer you should know how to evaluate the information you acquire

In order to support your own arguments you should know how to research your question and cite your sources

A more serious exampleThe German Defense Minister

resigned and his PhD was taken away because it was found that his thesis was plagiarized

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12608083

Policy for Academic Integrity:◦http://www.towson.edu/studentaffairs/

policies/academicintegrity.asp

Two Strike System

100 reported cases a year

One suspension a year

What is the policy at Towson?

Why is it important to cite your sources?Poll

◦http://www.polleverywhere.com/free_text_polls/OTQ2NTA4NTAw

Allows your readers to verify and identify your information ◦Support your argument

Gives credit to the owners of the ideas◦Not plagiarizing

Get credit for your ideas!

Required for your assignment!

Why is it important to Cite your Sources?

What needs to be cited?Poll

◦http://www.polleverywhere.com/free_text_polls/LTE0ODA0NTgyNTg

What needs to be cited?BooksWeb PagesMagazine articlesGraphicsVHS,DVD, audio, etc.Government reportsStatisticsEncyclopedia articlesAny source of information!

Examples: images from

Web, statistical tables

Example A Original Don't look for one of these

tech heavyweights to knock out the other. Yet if history is any guide, Google's approach may win out over the long term. Recall that in the early 1980s Apple lost its lead in the PC market when Microsoft enlisted the aid of hordes of software developers and dozens of PC manufacturers. Now, if Google can marshal such a united front, Apple could again be swamped by the collective innovations.

Student Google's approach

may win out over the long term. In the early 1980s Apple lost its lead in the PC market as Microsoft enlisted the aid of hordes of software developers and dozens of PC manufacturers.

Example A Original Don't look for one of these

tech heavyweights to knock out the other. Yet if history is any guide, Google's approach may win out over the long term. Recall that in the early 1980s Apple lost its lead in the PC market when Microsoft enlisted the aid of hordes of software developers and dozens of PC manufacturers. Now, if Google can marshal such a united front, Apple could again be swamped by the collective innovations.

Student Google's approach

may win out over the long term. In the early 1980s Apple lost its lead in the PC market as Microsoft enlisted the aid of hordes of software developers and dozens of PC manufacturers.

Example B Original Don't look for one of these

tech heavyweights to knock out the other. Yet if history is any guide, Google's approach may win out over the long term. Recall that in the early 1980s Apple lost its lead in the PC market when Microsoft enlisted the aid of hordes of software developers and dozens of PC manufacturers. Now, if Google can marshal such a united front, Apple could again be swamped by the collective innovations.

Student History tells us that

Google's approach may be successful over the long term. In the early 1980s Apple lagged in the PC market as Microsoft collaborated with software developers and dozens of PC manufacturers. Now, if Google would only summon a united front, Apple could again be swamped by the collective innovations (Burrows).

Example B Original Don't look for one of these

tech heavyweights to knock out the other. Yet if history is any guide, Google's approach may win out over the long term. Recall that in the early 1980s Apple lost its lead in the PC market when Microsoft enlisted the aid of hordes of software developers and dozens of PC manufacturers. Now, if Google can marshal such a united front, Apple could again be swamped by the collective innovations.

Student History tells us that

Google's approach may be successful over the long term. In the early 1980s Apple lagged in the PC market as Microsoft collaborated with software developers and dozens of PC manufacturers. Now, if Google would only summon a united front, Apple could again be swamped by the collective innovations (Burrows).

Example C Original Don't look for one of these

tech heavyweights to knock out the other. Yet if history is any guide, Google's approach may win out over the long term. Recall that in the early 1980s Apple lost its lead in the PC market when Microsoft enlisted the aid of hordes of software developers and dozens of PC manufacturers. Now, if Google can marshal such a united front, Apple could again be swamped by the collective innovations.

Student Google stands a

chance of beating Apple if it can benefit from the pooled ideas of software developers and device manufacturers, following the strategy that Microsoft employed to Apple’s detriment in the early ‘80s.

Example C Original Don't look for one of these

tech heavyweights to knock out the other. Yet if history is any guide, Google's approach may win out over the long term. Recall that in the early 1980s Apple lost its lead in the PC market when Microsoft enlisted the aid of hordes of software developers and dozens of PC manufacturers. Now, if Google can marshal such a united front, Apple could again be swamped by the collective innovations.

Student Google stands a

chance of beating Apple if it can benefit from the pooled ideas of software developers and device manufacturers, following the strategy that Microsoft employed to Apple’s detriment in the early ‘80s.

Example D Original Don't look for one of these

tech heavyweights to knock out the other. Yet if history is any guide, Google's approach may win out over the long term. Recall that in the early 1980s Apple lost its lead in the PC market when Microsoft enlisted the aid of hordes of software developers and dozens of PC manufacturers. Now, if Google can marshal such a united front, Apple could again be swamped by the collective innovations.

Student It is possible that in the

battle of the “tech heavyweights” Google might eventually prevail over Apple if it follows the strategy that Microsoft employed to Apple’s detriment during the early ‘80s: collaborating, and innovating, with software developers and manufacturers (Burrows 25).

Example D Original Don't look for one of these

tech heavyweights to knock out the other. Yet if history is any guide, Google's approach may win out over the long term. Recall that in the early 1980s Apple lost its lead in the PC market when Microsoft enlisted the aid of hordes of software developers and dozens of PC manufacturers. Now, if Google can marshal such a united front, Apple could again be swamped by the collective innovations.

Student It is possible that in the

battle of the “tech heavyweights” Google might eventually prevail over Apple if it follows the strategy that Microsoft employed to Apple’s detriment during the early ‘80s: collaborating, and innovating, with software developers and manufacturers (Burrows 25).

Tips to avoid plagiarismDocumentation

- keep track of materials used for your working bibliography

Quote carefully – color code or use quotes when taking notes. Beware cutting & pasting.

Note key ideas then “Shut the book”

Try to boil down the info—summarize

Proofread!

Different disciplines use different style manuals

◦Social Sciences = American Psychological Association (APA)

◦Humanities = MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (MLA)

Style Manuals

Library Resources for MLA

1. “x”

2. In-text citation(Smith 35) or (Smith)

3. An entry in the Works Cited list (the bibliography) at the end of the paper

Citing correctly in MLA – Exact Quote

Every in-text citation should have a match in the bibliography

1. Legitimate paraphrase

2. In-text citation(Smith 35) or (Smith)

3. An entry in the Works Cited list at the end of the paper

Citing correctly in MLA - Paraphrase

Again, every in-text citation should have a match in the bibliography!

In-text:◦ Mobile devices increase access to sensitive

corporate data (Swartz 25).In-text with signal phrase:

◦ Swartz points out that mobile devices increase access to sensitive corporate data (25).

In-text Citation for an Article (HTML) from a Database (Business Source Complete)

Swartz, Nikki. “Safeguarding

Corporate Secrets.” Information

Management Journal 40.5 (2006):

24-30. Business Source Complete.

Web. 8 Feb. 2012.

Works Cited Entry for an Article (HTML) from a Database (Business Source Premier)

Some “for fun” citationsHere is an interesting fact

(Wolfensohn 25)

You may be surprised to learn this startling statistic (Association of Associations)

Here is the way that researcher Beverly Santana frames the issue (Santana 110-114)

Works Cited

Association of Associations. Surprising Statistics: A

Study. AA, 2009. Web. 9 Sept. 2011.

<http://www.theassociation.org/stats.>

Santana, Beverly. “Why Is Research So Challenging?”

Journal of Puzzling Questions 22.4(2011): 110-145.

Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Feb. 2012.

Wolfensohn, Hans David. You Will Enjoy This Book:

Read It Now. Towson, MD: Towson Press, 2011. Print.

Sample Paper in MLA styleWould you like to see how a

sample paper in MLA Style looks, headings, in-text citations, Works Cited list and all? ◦http://bit.ly/A6LUEk

If you need more than the resource guides on the library website◦Diane Hacker◦OWL

Questions?Feel free to contact me:

◦Laksamee Putnam◦ lputnam@towson.edu◦410.704.3746.◦Twitter: @CookLibraryofTU

Or any reference librarian:◦Visit Cook Library Reference Desk◦410.704.2462.◦IM – tucookchat