Ms. Gillis & Mr. Hegerle English 9

 [from MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th Ed., New York: 2009)]  From the Latin plagiarius meaning “kidnapper”  Definition: Presenting someone else’s ideas as if they are your own; failure to cite the source of information or ideas. The Definition of Plagiarism

  Plagiarism is theft and fraud and cheating.  1. Theft: because the plagiarist is stealing someone else’s intellectual property  2. Fraud: because the plagiarist is attempting to deceive someone in order to gain something (a good grade, a reputation as a scholar, money from publication)  3. Cheating: For students, plagiarism is considered a form of cheating. The Definition of Plagiarism

  Low score or failing score on the assignment or for the entire course  Loss of good reputation  Disciplinary action (detention, removal from extracurricular organizations, suspension, etc.)  At PHS  Zero for the grade  Parents are contacted  Multiple offenses= detention/suspensions The Definition of Plagiarism

  Loss of trust between teacher and student  Damaged reputation to the school  Unfair advantage, causes peers’ grades to be lower  Denying yourself of an education and the chance to practice independent thinking Indirect Consequences of Plagiarism

  Copying a friend’s work  Copying from a published source, such as an article or essay or book or website  Copying from Internet study guides (such as SparkNotes, Cliff’s Notes, or GradeSaver) or blogs or Wikipedia  Failing to cite the source of paraphrased or directly quoted material  Submitting an unpublished paper written by someone else as one’s own Examples of Plagiarism

  Always give credit to your sources. Tell the name of the author and the publication in which the material was found.  Allow some time to pass (a day or so) before you paraphrase a source. This way, you are less likely to use the same words, but you can still capture the author’s essential idea.  Even for a well-paraphrased idea, you still must attribute it to the person who wrote it. Give their name (i.e. “According to John Smith, …etc).  When you want to use the source’s exact words, use quotation marks. How to Avoid Plagiarism

  As a general rule, use no more than two brief source references per paragraph. Your ideas should be 90% of the paper. Other’s ideas, offered as support only, should be about 10% at most.  A research paper is not a cobbled together listing of sources.  A research paper should represent YOUR ideas, YOUR analysis, YOUR thoughts—with a bit of research given here and there as support. The sources are never to substitute for your ideas. How to Avoid Plagiarism

  When the assignment does not allow outside research (such as a reading journal or book report), rely on your own ideas and interpretations.  Don’t even look at other sources, as they may influence your own original ideas. How to Avoid Plagiarism