Paraphrasing and Plagiarism How to conduct honest research

What is plagiarism? Plagiarism is using another writer’s words and not giving them credit.

Examples of plagiarism  Copying text from a source on the internet, pasting it in a Word document, and presenting it as your own  Changing the name on a relative or friend’s report and presenting it as your own  Copying or purchasing a report found on the internet

Plagiarism and Consequences  All schools have policies about ethics or academic honesty, and consequences for cheating.  Be aware that teachers work in departments and compare student work.  Be aware that many schools use plagiarism detection services such as Turn It In.  Universities in particular have sophisticated methods of finding plagiarism, and they apply harsh consequences.  Practice conducting honest research NOW so that college is easier for you.

Plagiarism Some students plagiarize without intending to. It is also considered plagiarism when you try to put another writer’s ideas into your own words, but do not succeed in doing so.

How do I avoid plagiarism?  Take notes properly  Credit the original author when you use direct quotations  Summarize correctly  Paraphrase correctly

Remember CHoMP when taking notes  Print or photocopy your source material  Cross out grammatical words (a, an, the, conjunctions, prepositions)  Highlight important information  Make notes that are NOT in complete sentences  Put the notes in your own words Gilmore, Barry. Plagiarism: A How-Not-To Guide for Students. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, Print.

CHoMP example Prepare detailed storyboards showing sequence and timing of story development for television production. -make storyboards -show story order + time -TV One of the responsibilities of an art director is making storyboards that show the order of events for a TV show.

Direct Quotations  It is acceptable to copy lines from the original source material IF you credit the source in the text of your report, in a parenthetical citation.  Use quotations sparingly. They may be used when the original material contains unforgettable language, when a paraphrase would be too complicated or awkward, or when you want to emphasize a very important idea.

Example Quotation There should be plenty of opportunities in the future because “jobs for registered nurses will grow much faster than the average for all occupations through 2018.” (Levine.)

Parenthetical Citations  When you cite a source, you name or identify it.  Parenthetical citations appear in parentheses inside the body of a report.

Parenthetical Citations There should be plenty of opportunities in the future because “jobs for registered nurses will grow much faster than the average for all occupations through 2018.” (Levine.)

Summarizing  A summary is a shortened, simplified version of a longer piece of source material. To summarize you must put the original ideas in your own words.

Example Summary ORIGINAL SOURCE Most electricians start by becoming apprentices. As apprentices, they learn on the job by watching and listening to experienced workers. They also take classes about electricity. They get paid while they learn. After 3 to 5 years, they are fully trained and can work on their own. Apprentices start with easy tasks like drilling holes. Later, they learn to connect wires and draw electrical diagrams. After they finish an apprenticeship, many electricians take more classes. They might learn more about telephone lines, computer lines, and other kinds of special wiring. Most electricians also need a license from the county where they work. To become an apprentice, most people need a high school diploma or a G.E.D. They also need to pass a skills test about math and science. To get ready for the test, it helps to take high school classes in science, shop, and technical drawing. Math classes, like algebra, are also very important. After high school, people can get training in technical schools, community colleges, and the U.S. Armed Forces. SUMMARY If you want to be an electrician you need to have a high school diploma and pass a skills test. You should make sure to work especially hard in your math and science classes. Electricians get most of their training as apprentices, by watching and imitating electricians who have been on the job already for many years. They also take classes to learn special skills at community colleges or technical schools. (Levine.)

Paraphrasing  A paraphrase is a restatement of a short passage or line of original source material. To paraphrase you must put the original ideas in your own words.

Example Paraphrase ORIGINAL The rest of the flight can be fairly easy if the weather is good because planes have computers and other gauges to tell pilots if their trip is going according to plan. PARAPHRASE When there are no storms or strong winds, pilots have easy flights because of all the computers and gauges in modern airplanes.

Putting it in your own words  A true paraphrase only reuses a few key words from the original source.  Your goal should be to only reuse 3-5 words from the original.  Use synonyms to change all the other words.  Changing word order may be helpful.  Combining ideas from more than one sentence may be helpful.

Using synonyms ORIGINAL The rest of the flight can be fairly easy if the weather is good because planes have computers and other gauges to tell pilots if their trip is going according to plan. weather = conditions, sun, rain, storms, wind

Changing word order ORIGINAL The rest of the flight can be fairly easy if the weather is good because planes have computers and other gauges to tell pilots if their trip is going according to plan. PARAPHRASE When there are no storms or strong winds, pilots have easy flights because of all the computers and gauges in modern airplanes.

Combining ideas ORIGINAL Takeoff and landing are often challenging and require a great deal of piloting skill. As a result, pilots must be especially careful during those times. The rest of the flight can be fairly easy if the weather is good because planes have computers and other gauges to tell pilots if their trip is going according to plan. PARAPHRASE While takeoff and landing demand a lot of talent, being in the air is less difficult because of the computers in modern planes.

Works Cited  This is a listing of the resources you used in your research, (encyclopedias, magazines or journals, web sites, interviews, etc.)  Information goes in a VERY strict format so that anyone could find your original sources.  Use the first word of your Works Cited entries for your parenthetical citations. EXAMPLE Levine, Chester. BLS Career Information. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Web. 28 Apr