PLAGIARISM! What is it? How do I avoid it?

What is Plagiarism? Dictionary.com defines plagiarism as “an act or instance of using or closely imitating the language and thoughts of another author without authorization and the representation of that author’s work as one’s own, as by not crediting the original author” (http://www.dictionary.com/browse/plagiarism?s=t).

In short, plagiarism means stealing words or ideas and claiming them as your own.

How do I avoid plagiarizing? Three items to remember before paraphrasing without citing: 1. The information has to be common knowledge. Ask yourself: Would I find this information in an encyclopedia, textbook, or in multiple sources? 2. Your paraphrase cannot use the same words as the original, even if they are in a different order. 3. The syntax (word order) cannot imitate the original. (Myers 35)

When to Cite When in doubt, CITE! When quoting word for word (remember to use quotation marks!) When referring to another’s original idea, even if paraphrasing or summarizing. When in doubt, CITE! (Meyers 35-36)

Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing

Quoting Quotations must be identical to the original, using a small segment of the source. They must match the source document word for word and must be attributed to the original author.

Paraphrasing 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.

Paraphrasing Write the ideas using different wording and grammar. 2. Always cite paraphrases!

Paraphrasing Example Original sentence: PayLess is closed because of the bad weather conditions. Poor paraphrase:  PayLess is closed because of the bad weather. Problem:  Repeated words, similar structure.

Paraphrasing Example Original sentence: PayLess is closed because of the bad weather conditions. Proper paraphrase:  Since the weather is terrible, the shoe store is not open Solution:  Different wording, new structure.

Paraphrasing Example Original sentence: Some argue that the approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States ought to receive a path to US citizenship, while others claim that these immigrants need to be deported back to their home countries. Poor paraphrase:  Some say that the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States ought to receive a way for citizenship, while other people say that the immigrants should go back to their countries. Problem:  Several similar words, similar structure. Simply deleting words from the original is not sufficient.

Paraphrasing Example Original sentence: Some argue that the approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States ought to receive a path to US citizenship, while others claim that these immigrants need to be deported back to their home countries. Proper paraphrase:  Although some individuals maintain that undocumented immigrants should go back to their countries, others defend these immigrants’ right for a path to citizenship. Solution:  Different sentence structure, most words are different.

Summarizing A summary should be a short version of a longer original source. Its main goal is to present a large amount of information in a short and concise text that includes only the most important ideas of the original text.

Summarized example Original sentence: “The movement toward education by computer is developing fast. Massive Open Online Courses, called MOOCs, are changing how people learn in many places. For years, people could receive study materials from colleges or universities and take part in online classes. But such classes were not designed for many thousands of students at one time, as MOOCs are.” (MOOCS Are Moving Forward , Voice of America, learningenglish.voanews.com) Poor summary: Voice of America website: “Computer education is growing fast. MOOCs are influencing how we study. People received materials from universities for a long time to be able to take classes online. MOOCs are the only ones thousands can take at a time.” Problem: Almost as long as the original text. Consolidate!

Summarized example Original sentence: “The movement toward education by computer is developing fast. Massive Open Online Courses, called MOOCs, are changing how people learn in many places. For years, people could receive study materials from colleges or universities and take part in online classes. But such classes were not designed for many thousands of students at one time, as MOOCs are.” (MOOCS Are Moving Forward , Voice of America, learningenglish.voanews.com) Proper summary: According to a Voice of America article, a fast-growing MOOCs movement allows thousands to take online classes at once, changing how we learn. Solution: Keep only the main idea.

How to Paraphrase/Summarize Read the original more than once. As you read, think about the key points. Set the original aside. In your own words either- 1. Summarize the main main idea(s) 2. Paraphrase important supporting points Check your rendition with the original to make sure that your version accurately expresses all the essential information in a new form. Properly cite your summary or paraphrase!

Let’s practice 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): 46-47.

You try it!! – Paraphrase

Let’s practice 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): 46-47.

Acceptable paraphrase: 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 (Lester 46-47).

You try it!! – summarize

Let’s practice 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): 46-47.

Acceptable summary: 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).

Original Passage: Summary: 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): 46-47. Paraphrase: 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 (Lester 46-47). Summary: 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).

You try it!! – Why is this plagiarism???

Plagiarized version: 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.

A Comparison: Original Passage: Plagiarized version: 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): 46-47. Plagiarized version: 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.

Works cited The Purdue OWL Family of Sites. The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue U, 2008. Web. 8 Feb. 2010. Myers, Lesha. Writing Research Papers: The Essential Tools. First edition, Institute for Excellence in Writing, 2012.