Adapted by: Mrs. Gretchen Norland

news.nationalgeographic.com/news/bigphotos/ PLAGIARISM Does it sounds like a disease? Is it a disease carried and spread by rats, that killed many people in Europe? No, that would be The Black Plague of the mid 1400's.PLAGIARISM Does it sounds like a disease? Is it a disease carried and spread by rats, that killed many people in Europe? No, that would be The Black Plague of the mid 1400's.

"Plagiarism occurs when a writer deliberately uses someone else's language, ideas or other original material without acknowledging its source." (Quinn 477.) In other words, plagiarism is copying someone else's writing, and calling it your own, without giving them credit.

SO WHAT? WHY IS PLAGIARISM WRONG? Plagiarism isn't ethical (meaning it isn't right for you to do.) It's the same thing as cheating: taking someone's answers for your own, without giving them credit! At school, you would get an F for turning in a report that was copied, or for cheating on an assignment. There might also be worse consequences. Plagiarism is against the law. (If you break the law, you pay fines and even worse.) Plagiarism violates Copyright and Fair Use policies.

HOW WILL TEACHERS KNOW I PLAGIARIZED? Teachers do know you have plagiarized, when what you have written does not sound like your natural writer's voice. Sometimes the teacher may ask you what a word or phrase means that you used in your writing, and you won't be able to explain, because you copied it from someone else ’ s writing! Teachers have ways of checking reports and papers for plagiarism. They can immediately find out the source you copied from, even if it's only parts of it. These are just two websites that help teachers find out if you've been copying.

Think of a time when a student might be a “ COPY RAT. ” Turn to your neighbor and come up with 3 or 4 examples … I copied answers from my friend. I copied from an encyclopedia for my report. I cut and pasted from the Internet for my project. I copied the teacher’s notes from the board !

OH RATS ! It seems like the easy way out is to copy someone's answers or thoughts, especially when you've put off the assignment until the last minute, and you're in a panic to get it done. It's like a rat being tempted by that piece of cheese setting in the trap, just within reach, and not having to work for it. But guess what? It's not your piece of cheese to take as your own!

OKAY, I DON'T WANT TO BE A COPY RAT! Now that you know more about plagiarism, you probably have decided it isn't the right choice to make. What you want to learn more about is PARAPHRASING which is the exact opposite of Plagiarism, and it's a valuable skill to have!

PARAPHRASE, DON'T PLAGIARIZE PARAPHRASE: Putting information you read and learn, into your own words, with your own ideas and writer's voice. It is hard work to paraphrase. Just like a sport, it takes practice. You will learn a lot about paraphrasing in all of your classes, and you will get a lot of practice. But once you master the skill, you will feel good about yourself and your accomplishments.

HOW DO I PARAPHRASE? Try taking notes by hand, on note cards or paper. Don't write down phrases or sentences word for word. Look for basic information and a few facts to jot down. This will help you understand what you just read. Don't copy down words that you aren't familiar with and would not come naturally in your writing."If you can't understand it, don't include it in your notes." Don't just use one source for your information. Look up and read from several reference books or websites. Never cut and paste from the computer. Shuffling words around is not the same thing as paraphrasing.

AND FINALLY…. Get the original material out of sight. Close down the computer; shut the reference book. You're on your own now with your notes and brain. Using your notes, explain aloud the information you have gathered to an adult or teacher. Do you understand it? Is the information clear? Do you need to go back and do more research? When your notes and information finally sound right, write down what you have said. It ’ s your ideas that count! Mauro, Terri. "How to Teach Your Child to Paraphrase, Not Plagiarize." 2008.

USING OTHERS' IDEAS: If you want to copy a sentence or two in the writer's exact words, be sure you put quotations marks around the sentences. If you use pieces of someone's writing, or some of their ideas, and even parapharase them, you still need to acknowledge the writer or source. Even photos that you copy from the Internet should give credit to the source, by including the website. "The key point is you need to give credit, where the credit is due. Name the author, the name of article or book, and tell when it was written. ” You can still use other writers' words and ideas if you learn the proper way to "cite" or give that person the credit: Schwartau, Winn. Internet and Computer Ethics for Kids

ON MY OWN The quicker you learn to rely on your own brain, and your own writing skills, the better you will be. You kids better copy down the teacher’s notes!

Mauro, Terri. "How to Teach Your Child to Paraphrase, Not Plagiarize." 21 Jun 2008 Schwartau, Winn.,Internet and Computer Ethics for Kids. Winn Schwartau and Interpact, Inc., Quinn, Michael J., Ethics for the Information Age.3rd ed. Seattle University: Pearson Education, Inc., Pictures/Rat%20cartoon.jpg CLICK for fun ending: