PLAGIARISM What it is & how to avoid it… Reprinted with permission from Minerva DeLand School, Fairport, NY

Simply put, plagiarism is cheating. It is using someone else’s work without giving them credit.

Why do people plagiarize?  Not enough time to do the work  Pressure to get good grades, to get into college, to please parents & teachers  Easy to do  Illusion that they won’t get caught  And sometimes, plagiarism is unintentional

Academic Plagiarism  Plagiarism is generally considered a problem seen at the high school and college level.  Schools often develop Honor Codes or Academic Honesty Policies that spell out the consequences of plagiarism.  Notre Dame’s Academic Integrity policy:

Academic Consequences Consequences vary from school to school, but some include:  Zero on the plagiarized paper  Failing the course  Suspension for the semester  Expulsion from the school

While we often think of plagiarism occurring in schools, there are cases of plagiarism in the ‘real world’ as well…

“PAPER DISMISSES REPORTER FOR PLAGIARISM” Look at this headline, taken from The Quill, July 2001 v89 i6 p44

“Veteran high school sports writer and columnist Ed Glennon was dismissed from the Rockford (Ill.) Register Star on May 25 after Glennon admitted to lifting quotes from a story in the Minneapolis Star Tribune without giving proper attribution.” (“Information Literacy Tutorial”) And the article reads, in part…

Did you notice that I cited my source?

“Veteran high school sports writer and columnist Ed Glennon was dismissed from the Rockford (Ill.) Register Star on May 25 after Glennon admitted to lifting quotes from a story in the Minneapolis Star Tribune without giving proper attribution.” (“Information Literacy Tutorial”)

Another Example:  Harvard University undergraduate and writer Kaavya Viswanathan, 19, had her recently published book (How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild and Got a Life ) recalled after it was determined that she plagiarized from two earlier novels.  Viswanathan admitted copying but added that it was “unintentional and unconscious.”  Publisher Little, Brown & Co. will not allow a revised edition and have scraped a previously-contracted second novel. (People in the News)

Citing Source for Images  Words and information are not the only things which must be cited from the Internet  You always must cite the source of graphics, sounds recordings or any other media that you use in your paper or presentation.

How do I avoid Plagiarism?  Quote  Paraphrase  Summarize  For all of the above, you Cite sources

Quote  If you copy anything directly from a source, put it in quotation marks. Example: “Your detention will take place at eleven o’clock tonight. Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall.” (Rowling 247)

Paraphrase While occasional quotes from a source are fine, most of your paper should be in your own words. Paraphrasing means putting the information you gather from your sources into your own words.

How do I Paraphrase?  Read and reread the information until you fully understand it.  Put the source away and write your own understanding of the information.  Compare your version with the original.  If you use any unique phrase or word from the original, put it in quotation marks.  Be sure to write your source on a note card so you can give credit to the source. (“Paraphrase: Write it in Your Own Words”)

Paraphrase example : Original Text: Major depressive episodes occur twice as often in women as in men, but the reason for this is not known. Between 10 and 25 percent of all adult women have had at least one major depressive episode. Paraphrase: Women are two times more likely than men to experience depression, according to Dr. David D. Burns (1999, p. 57). Between one in four and one in ten women become depressed; there’s no conclusive evidence as to why this is so (p. 57).

Summary  A summary restates a longer portion of text in a shortened form.  A summary should bring out the main ideas of the passage, but it does not need to follow the same order as the original text.  Summaries are usually much shorter then original version and not as detailed  Must be accompanied by a citation.

Summary example:  Original Text: Major depressive episodes occur twice as often in women as in men, but the reason for this is not known. Between 10 and 25 percent of all adult women have had at least one major depressive episode.  Summary: Depression seems to be more common amongst women than men (Burns, 1999, p. 57).

Difference between paraphrase and summary: **A summary may condense a paragraph or even a page or two from a source into just a few sentences (broad restatement) while a paraphrase is a more detailed restatement of a smaller portion of text.  Summarize in your own words what the single main idea of the essay is.  Paraphrase important supporting points that come up in the essay.

Important….  Don’t get too caught up in determining if information is paraphrased or summarized.  Both are cited the same way.

Cite Sources When you use a direct quote When you paraphrase information from a source.* When you summarize information from a source.* *Even if rewritten in your own words you must still must acknowledge the source of those ideas. When in doubt – cite!!!

 Write what you know…..  Know what you write …..

PLAGIARISM… It’s easy to do… It’s easy to get caught… And it’s easy to avoid…

PLAGIARISM… It’s just not worth it…

Bibliography “How to Avoid Plagiarism: The Basics.” Effective Writing Center U. of Maryland U. Coll. 5 Feb “Information Literacy Tutorial” module6/Module6-1a.html (07 Jan. 2004) “Paraphrase: Write it in Your Own Words” purdue.edu/handouts/print/research/r_paraphr.html (07 Jan. 2004) "People in the News." Facts On File World News Digest 4 May World News Digest. Facts On File News Services. 3 Feb Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. New York: Scholastic Press, 1997.