Proper Use of Sources

How Can Students Avoid Plagiarism? According to the University of Indiana’s online pamphlet on plagiarism, “To avoid plagiarism, you must give credit whenever you use… another person’s idea, opinion, or theory; any facts, statistics, graphs, drawings—any pieces of information—that are not common knowledge; quotations of another person’s actual spoken or written words; or paraphrase of another person’s spoken or written words.” (Writing Tutorial Services, par. 2)

What are the differences among quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing? Purdue OWL’s handout on plagiarism “Safe Practices” differentiates among the major kinds of source use: “Quotations must be identical to the original, using a narrow segment of the source. They must match the source document word for word and must be attributed to the original author. Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from source material into your own words. A paraphrase must also be attributed to the original source. Paraphrased material is usually shorter than the original passage, taking a somewhat broader segment of the source and condensing it slightly. Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including only the main point(s). Once again, it is necessary to attribute summarized ideas to the original source. Summaries are significantly shorter than the original and take a broad overview of the source material.” (Purdue OWL pars. 7-22)

How to Recognize Unacceptable and Acceptable Paraphrases Here’s the ORIGINAL text, from page 1 of Lizzie Borden: A Case Book of Family and Crime in the 1890s by Joyce Williams et al.: The rise of industry, the growth of cities, and the expansion of the population were the three great developments of late nineteenth century American history. As new, larger, steam-powered factories became a feature of the American landscape in the East, they transformed farm hands into industrial laborers, and provided jobs for a rising tide of immigrants. With industry came urbanization the growth of large cities (like Fall River, Massachusetts, where the Bordens lived) which became the centers of production as well as of commerce and trade. Here’s an UNACCEPTABLE paraphrase that is plagiarism: The increase of industry, the growth of cities, and the explosion of the population were three large factors of nineteenth century America. As steam-driven companies became more visible in the eastern part of the country, they changed farm hands into factory workers and provided jobs for the large wave of immigrants. With industry came the growth of large cities like Fall River where the Bordens lived which turned into centers of commerce and trade as well as production. What makes this passage plagiarism? The writer has only changed around a few words and phrases, or changed the order of the original’s sentences. The writer has failed to cite a source for any of the ideas or facts. (Writing Tutorial Services, par. 8-26)

How to Recognize Unacceptable and Acceptable Paraphrases Here’s the ORIGINAL text, from page 1 of Lizzie Borden: A Case Book of Family and Crime in the 1890s by Joyce Williams et al.: The rise of industry, the growth of cities, and the expansion of the population were the three great developments of late nineteenth century American history. As new, larger, steam-powered factories became a feature of the American landscape in the East, they transformed farm hands into industrial laborers, and provided jobs for a rising tide of immigrants. With industry came urbanization the growth of large cities (like Fall River, Massachusetts, where the Bordens lived) which became the centers of production as well as of commerce and trade. Here’s an ACCEPTABLE paraphrase: Fall River, where the Borden family lived, was typical of northeastern industrial cities of the nineteenth century. Steam-powered production had shifted labor from agriculture to manufacturing, and as immigrants arrived in the US, they found work in these new factories. As a result, populations grew, and large urban areas arose. Fall River was one of these manufacturing and commercial centers (Williams 1). Why is this passage acceptable? accurately relays the information in the original uses writer’s own words lets her reader know the source of her information (Writing Tutorial Services, par. 8-26)

How to Recognize Unacceptable and Acceptable Paraphrases The rise of industry, the growth of cities, and the expansion of the population were the three great developments of late nineteenth century American history. As new, larger, steam-powered factories became a feature of the American landscape in the East, they transformed farm hands into industrial laborers, and provided jobs for a rising tide of immigrants. With industry came urbanization the growth of large cities (like Fall River, Massachusetts, where the Bordens lived) which became the centers of production as well as of commerce and trade. Here’s an UNACCEPTABLE paraphrase: Fall River, where the Borden family lived, was typical of northeastern industrial cities of the nineteenth century. As steam-powered production shifted labor from agriculture to manufacturing, the demand for workers transformed farm hands into industrial laborers, and created jobs for immigrants. In turn, growing populations increased the size of urban areas. Fall River was one of these hubs which became the centers of production as well as of commerce and trade (Williams 1). Why is this passage unacceptable? The writer used these phrases or sentences in her own paper without putting quotation marks around them; she would PLAGIARIZED. Using another person’s phrases or sentences without putting quotation marks around them is considered plagiarism EVEN IF THE WRITER CITES IN HER OWN TEXT THE SOURCE OF THE PHRASES OR SENTENCES SHE HAS QUOTED. (Writing Tutorial Services, par. 8-26)

How to Recognize Unacceptable and Acceptable Paraphrases The rise of industry, the growth of cities, and the expansion of the population were the three great developments of late nineteenth century American history. As new, larger, steam-powered factories became a feature of the American landscape in the East, they transformed farm hands into industrial laborers, and provided jobs for a rising tide of immigrants. With industry came urbanization the growth of large cities (like Fall River, Massachusetts, where the Bordens lived) which became the centers of production as well as of commerce and trade. Here’s an ACCEPTABLE paraphrase with quotations, too: Fall River, where the Borden family lived, was typical of northeastern industrial cities of the nineteenth century. As steam-powered production shifted labor from agriculture to manufacturing, the demand for workers "transformed farm hands into industrial laborers," and created jobs for immigrants. In turn, growing populations increased the size of urban areas. Fall River was one of these hubs "which became the centers of production as well as of commerce and trade" (Williams 1). Why is this passage acceptable? This is acceptable paraphrasing because the writer… records the information in the original passage accurately. gives credit for the ideas in this passage. indicated which part is taken directly from her source by putting the passage in quotation marks and citing the page number. Writing Tutorial Services, par. 8-26)

Plagiarism and the World Wide Web Indiana University’s Writing Tutorial Services online pamphlet “ Plagiarism: What It is and How to Recognize and Avoid It” gives this advice about internet sources: “ The World Wide Web has become a more popular source of information for student papers, and many questions have arisen about how to avoid plagiarizing these sources. In most cases, the same rules apply as to a printed source: when a writer must refer to ideas or quote from a WWW site, she must cite that source. If a writer wants to use visual information from a WWW site, many of the same rules apply. Copying visual information or graphics from a WWW site (or from a printed source) is very similar to quoting information, and the source of the visual information or graphic must be cited. These rules also apply to other uses of textual or visual information from WWW sites; for example, if a student is constructing a web page as a class project, and copies graphics or visual information from other sites, she must also provide information about the source of this information. In this case, it might be a good idea to obtain permission from the WWW site’s owner before using the graphics.” (pars )

Strategies for Avoiding Plagiarism 1.Put in quotations everything that comes directly from the text especially when taking notes. 2. Paraphrase, but be sure you are not just rearranging or replacing a few words. Instead, read over what you want to paraphrase carefully; cover up the text with your hand, or close the text so you can’t see any of it (and so aren’t tempted to use the text as a “guide”). Write out the idea in your own words without peeking. 3. Check 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. (Writing Tutorial Services, pars )

Strategies for Avoiding Plagiarism Never insert a “disconnected” quotation. Each quotation must be introduced by a part of a sentence. Also, simply putting in-text citation does not protect you against plagiarizing. Incorrect: Students rarely use enough paraphrasing. “You should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking notes” (Lester 46-47). Incorrect:Often, rather than truly trying to understand material and reprocess it for their purposes, students throw quotations into papers. But accoding to experts like Lester, you should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking notes (Lester Correct: According to Lester, students should “strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking notes” (46-47). Correct: Often, rather than truly trying to understand material and reprocess it for their purposes, students throw quotations into papers. But accoding to experts like Lester, “you should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking notes” (46-47). (Purdue OWL)

Strategies for Avoiding Plagiarism Sources should be cited very close to where they appear in the paper. Don’t wait until the end of the paper—in the Works Cited or Bibliography--to note the source. If you use the same source for an entire paragraph, you may cite that source at the end of the paragraph. But if you use multiple sources in the paragraph, you should cite directly after you use each. If you see quotation marks with material from an outside source in a paragraph, but you do not see in-text citation at the end of the paragraph {e.g. (Lester 46-47)}, it’s plagiarism!

The situation: A student is doing a PowerPoint science report. He or she does a Google Image search to find an animated piece of clip art. The clip art appears on the title page of the presentation. Prosecute this student: Defense: Name reasons the person would think he or she HAS NOT plagiarized. Prosecutors: Name reasons why this piece could be considered plagiarism. Jury (everyone): Make two signs, one that says INNOCENT and the other that reads GUILTY. Be prepared to judge the defendant. Plagiarism Court

The original passage: Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they overuse quotations in the final [research] paper. Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript should appear as directly quoted matter. Therefore, you should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking notes. Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers. 2nd ed. (1976): Prosecute this writer: Students often use too many direct quotations when they take notes, resulting in too many of them in the final research paper. In fact, probably only about 10% of the final copy should consist of directly quoted material. So it is important to limit the amount of source material copied while taking notes. Defense: Name reasons the person would think he or she HAS NOT plagiarized. Prosecutors: Name reasons why this piece could be considered plagiarism. Jury (everyone): Make two signs, one that says INNOCENT and the other that reads GUILTY. Be prepared to judge the defendant. (Purdue OWL) Plagiarism Court

The situation: For health class, a student reads a number of internet sources about heatstroke. The student then writes a one-page summary that describes ways people can fall victim to heat stroke. The student has no exact quotations and has merely paraphrased. There is a bibliography at the end of the paper, and it notes which sites the student visited. Prosecute this student: Defense: Name reasons the person would think he or she HAS NOT plagiarized. Prosecutors: Name reasons why this piece could be considered plagiarism. Jury (everyone): Make two signs, one that says INNOCENT and the other that reads GUILTY. Be prepared to judge the defendant. Plagiarism Court

The situation: For the social studies fair, a student makes a project on diamond mining. The student likes the way two sources in particular explain the process, so the student copies and pastes the two sources. He or she makes six paragraphs out of the two sources, by writing a topic and conclusion sentence for each and by putting quotation marks around the seven or so sentences that come from the sources. At the end of each paragraph, the student cites the source from which the information came. At the end of the paper, there is a Bibliography and Works Cited. The paper contains ¾ quotations directly from the sources. Prosecute this student: Defense: Name reasons the person would think he or she HAS NOT plagiarized. Prosecutors: Name reasons why this piece could be considered plagiarism. Jury (everyone): Make two signs, one that says INNOCENT and the other that reads GUILTY. Be prepared to judge the defendant. Plagiarism Court

The original passage: Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they overuse quotations in the final [research] paper. Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript should appear as directly quoted matter. Therefore, you should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking notes. Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers. 2nd ed. (1976): Prosecute this writer: In research papers students often quote excessively, failing to keep quoted material down to a desirable level. Since the problem usually originates during note taking, it is essential to minimize the material recorded verbatim. Defense: Name reasons the person would think he or she HAS NOT plagiarized. Prosecutors: Name reasons why this piece could be considered plagiarism. Jury (everyone): Make two signs, one that says INNOCENT and the other that reads GUILTY. Be prepared to judge the defendant. Plagiarism Court

The original passage: Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they overuse quotations in the final [research] paper. Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript should appear as directly quoted matter. Therefore, you should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking notes. Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers. 2nd ed. (1976): Prosecute this writer: Students should take just a few notes in direct quotation from sources to help minimize the amount of quoted material in a research paper (Lester 46-47). Defense: Name reasons the person would think he or she HAS NOT plagiarized. Prosecutors: Name reasons why this piece could be considered plagiarism. Jury (everyone): Make two signs, one that says INNOCENT and the other that reads GUILTY. Be prepared to judge the defendant. Plagiarism Court

The original passage: "The Antarctic is the vast source of cold on our planet, just as the sun is the source of our heat, and it exerts tremendous control on our climate," [Jacques] Cousteau told the camera. "The cold ocean water around Antarctica flows north to mix with warmer water from the tropics, and its upwellings help to cool both the surface water and our atmosphere. Yet the fragility of this regulating system is now threatened by human activity." From "Captain Cousteau," Audubon (May 1990):17. Prosecute this writer: According to Jacques Cousteau, the activity of people in Antarctica is jeopardizing a delicate natural mechanism that controls the earth's climate. He fears that human activity could interfere with the balance between the sun, the source of the earth's heat, and the important source of cold from Antarctic waters that flow north and cool the oceans and atmosphere ("Captain Cousteau" 17). Defense: Name reasons the person would think he or she HAS NOT plagiarized. Prosecutors: Name reasons why this piece could be considered plagiarism. Jury (everyone): Make two signs, one that says INNOCENT and the other that reads GUILTY. Be prepared to judge the defendant. Plagiarism Court

The original passage: from page 1 of Lizzie Borden: A Case Book of Family and Crime in the 1890s by Joyce Williams et al.: The rise of industry, the growth of cities, and the expansion of the population were the three great developments of late nineteenth century American history. As new, larger, steam-powered factories became a feature of the American landscape in the East, they transformed farm hands into industrial laborers, and provided jobs for a rising tide of immigrants. With industry came urbanization the growth of large cities (like Fall River, Massachusetts, where the Bordens lived) which became the centers of production as well as of commerce and trade. Prosecute this writer: The increase of industry, the growth of cities, and the explosion of the population were three large factors of nineteenth century America. As steam-driven companies became more visible in the eastern part of the country, they changed farm hands into factory workers and provided jobs for the large wave of immigrants. With industry came the growth of large cities like Fall River where the Bordens lived which turned into centers of commerce and trade as well as production. Defense: Name reasons the person would think he or she HAS NOT plagiarized. Prosecutors: Name reasons why this piece could be considered plagiarism. Jury (everyone): Make two signs, one that says INNOCENT and the other that reads GUILTY. Be prepared to judge the defendant. Plagiarism Court

The original passage: from page 1 of Lizzie Borden: A Case Book of Family and Crime in the 1890s by Joyce Williams et al.: The rise of industry, the growth of cities, and the expansion of the population were the three great developments of late nineteenth century American history. As new, larger, steam-powered factories became a feature of the American landscape in the East, they transformed farm hands into industrial laborers, and provided jobs for a rising tide of immigrants. With industry came urbanization the growth of large cities (like Fall River, Massachusetts, where the Bordens lived) which became the centers of production as well as of commerce and trade. Prosecute this writer: Fall River, where the Borden family lived, was typical of northeastern industrial cities of the nineteenth century. As steam-powered production shifted labor from agriculture to manufacturing, the demand for workers "transformed farm hands into industrial laborers," and created jobs for immigrants. (Williams 1). Defense: Name reasons the person would think he or she HAS NOT plagiarized. Prosecutors: Name reasons why this piece could be considered plagiarism. Jury (everyone): Make two signs, one that says INNOCENT and the other that reads GUILTY. Be prepared to judge the defendant. Plagiarism Court

Plagiarism Court

Works Cited Purdue OWL. “Avoiding Plagiarism." The Online Writing Lab at Purdue. 10 May Purdue University Writing Lab. 15 June Teaching Guide for Graduate Student Instructors. “Academic Misconduct: Plagiarism Exercises." University of California at Berkley. 30 August Graduate Student Instruction Teaching and Resources. Writing Tutorial Services. “Plagiarism: What It is and How to Recognize and Avoid It." Indiana University Bloomington.Indiana University Writing Lab. 15 June