Plagiarism:Defining it; avoiding it

Brenda WhiteJoplin High School, Joplin MO

June 2009

OrHow to get through a research paper

without going to jail

VocabularyAttribute - give credit; tell where

information is fromEthics – doing what is right because it is the

right thing to do; respectability; trust of othersSources - books, interviews, magazines,

etc.; anyplace where writers get information on research topics

Cite; Works cited - To cite means to give credit to a source. Works cited refers to the list of sources that were used on a specific research paper.

VocabularyCheating - refers to a multitude of activities

where students take credit for someone else’s work, either with or without that person’s knowledge.

Academic - refers to anything having to do with school or education or to those who contribute to the body of knowledge used there; scholarly

Verbatim - word for word, like a quote

VocabularyParaphrase - refers to taking someone

else’s ideas and putting them into your own words. Using a paraphrase DOES NOT get you off the hook when it comes to citing a source. The idea is what counts, and someone else’s idea is what you are using in your paraphrase. It must be cited. Changing one word or two or three DOES NOT get you off the hook.

VocabularySummarize - give the gist of an idea without

using all the words in the original. Take out unnecessary words or phrases and cut to the chase, leaving the central idea. Summarizing DOES NOT get you off the hook for attribution. Again, it is the idea that counts, and if it is someone else’s idea you must say so.

VocabularyIntellectual Property / Intellectual Idea -

When someone has an idea, whether they write it down or whether they say it aloud, it belongs to them. Whether it’s a song or a novel, it belongs to them. If you take their intellectual property or idea without giving them credit, you are stealing, which amounts to plagiarism if you do it in a paper. Always give credit. It doesn’t cost any more, and it’s much safer.

VocabularyCommon knowledge - refers to information

that can be found in multiple reliable sources, such as encyclopedias, or is a commonly known fact or phrase. If you’re uncomfortable not citing it, however, cite any one of the sources in your paper where you find the information or quote.å

What exactly is Plagiarism& how will I know I’ve done it?

Plagiarism occurs when a writer deliberately uses someone else’s language, ideas, or other original material without acknowledging its source.

“deliberately uses”When using material from another source,

you must be very careful to attribute or give credit to the person whose idea it

is. If it is a quote, attribute it. If it is an idea, attribute it.

If it is verbatim from a source, attribute it.

If you do not attribute information by either If you do not attribute information by either saying the name of the source or by more saying the name of the source or by more

formally citing it, you have deliberately formally citing it, you have deliberately used it without proper attribution and have used it without proper attribution and have

plagiarized.plagiarized.

“language, ideas,other original information”

When someone writes or says something original, it belongs to them. Ethics (and the

law) dictates that it should not be passed off as being originated by another person.

If you do not attribute information by If you do not attribute information by either saying the name of the source or either saying the name of the source or

by citing it, you have used language, by citing it, you have used language, ideas, or other original information ideas, or other original information without proper attribution and have without proper attribution and have

plagiarized.plagiarized.

How to not plagiarize

It’s easy.

Give credit.There is more than one way to

accomplish this. Read on.

Introduce the SourceIn the body of your paper when you are

ready to use the information that you got from someone else’s brain, simply say: “According to Lucinda Matlock in Taming Ostriches, …”

Or, “In Bones of our Ancestors, Cliff Clavin makes the point that …”

You get the idea. Introduce the quote or idea with the name of the person who thought it up.

Cite the SourceThere are several styles, and each of them

uses a slightly different format for internal (inside the research paper) documentation (citation). You will be using MLA (Modern Language Association) format.

Parenthetical documentation is used after the quote or idea is expressed. Consult the style guide, but generally parenthetical documentation from a book looks like this with the last name of the author and the page number (White 23).

ConsequencesPlagiarism, Ethics, Law

There’s no doubt,the consequences get more

and more serious.

When you’re in high school …

The consequences might seem harsh, but they are usually only a zero on your paper that can’t be made up, calling your parents, and possible ISD.

Sounds pretty bad, huh? Just you wait.

When you’re in college …

Besides the zero, you will almost certainly be brought in front of a disciplinary board, who will not look kindly upon a cheater in their midst.

It is likely that you will lose your happy college home, and it will be on your academic record why you were dismissed from college.

When you’re at work …Taking someone’s ideas can be pretty serious

here. Depending on your work, it can be serious enough for you to lose your job, be sued for everything you do and do not have, or even be sent to jail.

If, for instance, you steal an idea for a new procedure and are found out, you will be looked down upon by your peers, and it is likely you will lose your job. If you’re lucky, the person whose idea it really was won’t sue you.

When you’re at work … (cont.)

If you happen to be in a creative market, such as music, and you steal someone’s song idea or even the melody of their song, expect to be sued and possibly go to jail. Intellectual property is protected by law. That’s why we have copyright laws and trademarks.

Just cite it. Plagiarism