Plagiarism Plagiarism What It Is and How to Avoid It

Plagiarism is “the presentation of someone else’s ideas or words as your own” (Fowler and Aaron 630).

To avoid plagiarizing, you must Give credit to the original writer, speaker, or thinker both in the text of your essay and on your works cited page. Note that the examples in this presentation follow MLA Citation Style. Check with your instructor to determine which style he or she prefers that you use.

Here’s an example of how to give credit within the text of your essay: Literary critic Theodore Ziolkowski writes that societies attracted by the Prometheus myth “see themselves as engaged in a heroic struggle against social and political oppression, whether against feudal lords, East German despots, or modern capitalists” (190). Parenthetical citation Identify your source.

And here’s how we give credit at the end of our work: Works Cited Ziolkowski, Theodore. The Sin of Knowledge: Ancient Themes and Modern Variations. Princeton: Princeton UP, Print. The full bibliographical citation enables readers to find your source.

They work together... Literary critic Theodore Ziolkowski writes that societies attracted by the Prometheus myth “see themselves as engaged in a heroic struggle against social and political oppression, whether against feudal lords, East German despots, or modern capitalists” (190). Ziolkowski, Theodore. The Sin of Knowledge: Ancient Themes and Modern Variations. Princeton: Princeton UP, Print. The in-text citation must match the bibliographical citation on the works cited page.

You need both! The in-text citation and the works cited page at the end of your paper work together to provide all the information a reader would need to find that specific idea or quote in its original source.

All you have to do is give credit... And you may use the ideas and words of other people to prove, support, advance, explain, and embellish your own ideas.

This simple process of citing sources...  Enables scholars to share ideas and build on each other’s ideas to advance knowledge.  Opens learning up to everyone. Students and scholars don’t have to pay a fee every time they use someone else’s words and ideas.

The general rule: Cite your source whenever you use another person’s WORDS or IDEAS.

Here are some specific examples of things you must cite:  Exact words and sentence structure from a source  Exact words and sentence structure from a source  A paraphrase or a summary  An idea you gained from research but put completely in your own words  Words and ideas from your textbook  A phrase from an article the whole class is writing about  A phrase from an article the whole class is writing about  Statistics from a research study  Statistics from a research study  Statistics or information from a government website  Statistics or information from a government website  A picture or chart from the Internet  A quote from an Internet source that does not identify an author

You don’t have to cite common knowledge You don’t have to cite information that is common knowledge. Common knowledge is information that meets ALL of the following criteria:  1. You know it without looking it up.  2. The information can be found in several sources, and those sources don’t cite it.  3. The information is known by your audience. If you’re not sure, go ahead and cite.

These mistakes in citing sources are considered plagiarism:  Buying a paper from an Internet site and turning it in as your own work.  Buying a paper from an Internet site and turning it in as your own work.  Turning in a paper that someone else has written.  Turning in a paper that someone else has written.  Copying a paragraph from an Internet site.  Copying a paragraph from an Internet site.  Using an idea and/or words you got from a speech or television program without citing the source in the text of your paper or including that source on your works cited page.  Using an idea and/or words you got from a speech or television program without citing the source in the text of your paper or including that source on your works cited page.  Combining ideas from a few websites into your own sentences/paragraphs without giving correctly documented credit to the real sources.  Combining ideas from a few websites into your own sentences/paragraphs without giving correctly documented credit to the real sources.

More mistakes in citing sources that are considered plagiarism:  Copying the abstract to an article obtained on NC Live into your annotated bibliography.  Copying the abstract to an article obtained on NC Live into your annotated bibliography.  Using statistics from a government website without citing the source.  Using statistics from a government website without citing the source.  Using ideas from a website without citing the source.  Using ideas from a website without citing the source.  Putting a quote into your own words by changing every third word, even if you cite the source.  Using a quote in your essay without quotation marks around it, even if you cite it in parentheses and/or include the source on the works cited page.  Using translation software to translate a passage in a foreign language course.

How to avoid plagiarizing  Stay away from websites that sell papers.  Stay away from websites that sell papers.  Document sources found on the World Wide Web as carefully as you would print sources.  Document sources found on the World Wide Web as carefully as you would print sources.  Change the color or font of passages you add electronically to your essay so that you remember to cite them.  Change the color or font of passages you add electronically to your essay so that you remember to cite them.  Ask your instructor or someone who is an expert in the field for help if you are uncertain about whether an idea is common knowledge or not.

Durham Tech’s Academic Honesty Policy “Durham Technical Community College demands complete academic integrity from each student. Academic dishonesty is the participation or collaboration in specific prohibited forms of conduct. Participation or collaboration may be active (such as submitting a term paper which includes plagiarized work) or passive (such as receiving a copy of a test before class). Academic dishonesty includes the following:  Registering for a course not approved by a student advisor;  Unauthorized copying, collaboration, or use of notes, books, or other materials on examinations or other academic exercises;  Plagiarism, which is defined as the intentional representation of another person’s work, words, thoughts, or ideas, including material from the Internet, as one’s own;  Unauthorized possession of any academic material, such as tests, research papers, assignments, or similar materials; or  Furnishing false information with the intent to deceive members of the college faculty or administration who are acting in the exercise of their official duties” (Durham Tech).

Consequences of violating the Academic Honesty Policy 1.In a first offense, the student receives a zero on the plagiarized assignment. 2.For a second offense, the student receives an F in the class. 3.For a third offense, the student receives an F in the class. The chief instructional officer may recommend to the president of the college that the student be suspended for a minimum of one year. Notification of this suspension will appear on the student’s transcript (Durham Tech).

Works Cited Durham Technical Community College College Catalogue and Student Handbook Durham Technical Community College. Web. 16 Feb Fowler, H. Ramsey, and Jane E. Aaron. The Little Brown Handbook. 10 th ed. New York: Pearson-Longman, Print.