1. (and why you should care)
What is Plagiarism?
(and why you should care)
Adapted by Ms. Prestileo from MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Seventh edition & Springfield Township High School Publication “What is plagiarism? (and why you should care)”

2. Definition:
Derived from the Latin word plagiarius (“kidnapper”), to plagiarize means “to commit literary theft” and to “present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source” (Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary [11th ed.; 2003; print]).
Plagiarism involves two kinds of wrongs.
Using another person’s ideas, information, or expressions without acknowledging that person’s work constitutes intellectual theft.
Passing off another person’s ideas, information, or expressions as your own to get a better grade or gain some other advantage constitutes fraud.

3. Simply Put:
Plagiarism is the act of presenting the words, ideas, images, sounds, or the creative expression of others as your own.

4. How serious is the problem?
“A study of almost 4,500 students at 25 schools, suggests cheating is a significant problem in high school - 74% of the respondents admitted to one or more instances of serious test cheating and 72% admitted to serious cheating on written assignments. Over half of the students admitted they have engaged in some level of plagiarism on written assignments using the Internet.”
Based on the research of Donald L. McCabe, Rutgers University
Source: “CIA Research.” Center for Academic Integrity, Duke University, <

5. Students-- If: You have probably plagiarized!
you have included the words, ideas, or structures of others in your work that you neglected to cite,
you have had help you wouldn’t want your teacher to know about,

6. Two types of plagiarism:
Intentional
Copying a friend’s work
Buying or borrowing papers
Cutting and pasting blocks of text from electronic sources without documenting
Media “borrowing”without documentation
Web publishing without permissions of creators
Unintentional
Careless paraphrasing
Poor documentation
Quoting excessively
Repeating structure
Failure to use your own “voice”

7. Either Way…
Whether you bought a paper on the internet, or made a mistake in your information gathering process that resulted in unintentional plagiarism, it doesn’t matter. If you thought the information was there for you to use and you didn’t cite it…
You have plagiarized.
It doesn’t matter if you meant to or not. The work you submit as your own must actually be your own. The onus is on you.

8. A closer look at unintentional plagiarism
The purpose of a research paper is to synthesize previous research and scholarship with your ideas on the subject. Therefore, you should feel free to use other persons’ words, facts, and thoughts in your research paper, but the material you borrow must not be presented as if it were your own creation. When you write your research paper, remember that you must document everything that you borrow—not only direct quotations and paraphrases but also information and ideas.

9. A closer look at unintentional plagiarism
Often plagiarism in student writing is unintentional, as when an elementary school pupil, assigned to do a report on a certain topic, copies down, word for word, everything on the subject in an encyclopedia. Unfortunately, some students continue to take this approach in high school and even in college, not realizing that it constitutes plagiarism.

10. One Reason Kids Cheat…
It’s so easy. Let’s take a look at information sharing in the 21st century.
Innumerable documents on a host of subjects are posted on the Web apparently for the purpose of being shared. The availability of research materials and the ease of transmitting, modifying, and using them have influenced the culture of the Internet, where the free exchange of information is an ideal. In this sea of materials, some students may question the need to acknowledge the authorship of individual documents.
In the culture of the academy, too, the free exchange of information is a long-standing ideal. Under certain circumstances, this ideal is described as academic freedom. But nothing about academic freedom or the free exchange of information implies ignoring authorship. Academic standards require all writers to acknowledge the authors whose work they use when preparing papers and other kinds of studies and reports.

11. Information Sharing (cont.)
New technologies have made information easier to locate and obtain, but research projects only begin with identifying and collecting source material. The essential intellectual tasks of a research project have not changed. These tasks call for a student to understand the published facts, ideas, and insights about a subject and to integrate them with the student’s own views on the topic. To achieve this goal, student writers must rigorously distinguish between what they borrow and what they create.

12. (Job, big game, too much homework!)
Excuses
Everyone does it!
It’s okay if
I don’t get caught!
I was too busy to
write that paper!
(Job, big game, too much homework!)
This assignment
was BORING!
I’ve got to get
into
??? U.!
My teachers
expect
too much!
My parents
expect “A”s!

13. Rationale for academic integrity (as if it were necessary!)
Is your academic
reputation valuable
to you?
When you copy you cheat yourself. You limit your own learning.
The consequences are not worth the risks!
It is only right to give credit to authors whose ideas you use
Citing gives authority to the information you present
Citing makes it possible for your readers to locate your source
Education is not an “us vs. them” game! It’s about learning to learn!
Cheating is unethical behavior

14. Real life consequences:
Damaged the reputation of two prominent historians, Stephen Ambrose and Doris Kearns Goodwin,
Kearns left television position and stepped down as Pulitzer Prize judge for “lifting” 50 passages for her 1987 book The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys (Lewis)
Senator Joseph Biden dropped his 1987 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. (Sabato)
Copied in law school and borrowed from campaign speeches of Robert Kennedy
Boston Globe journalist Mike Barnicle forced to resign for plagiarism in his columns (“Boston Columnist . . .”)
Probe of plagiarism at UVA--45 students dismissed, 3 graduate degrees revoked
CNN Article AP. 26 Nov. 2001
Channel One Article AP. 27 Nov. 2002

15. Consequences (cont’d)
New York Times senior reporter Jayson Blair forced to resign after being accused of plagiarism and fraud.
“The newspaper said at least 36 of the 73 articles he had written had problems with accuracy, calling the deception a "low point" in the newspaper's history.”
“New York Times Exposes Fraud of Own Reporter.” ABC News Online. 12 May, 2003.

16. Consequences (cont’d)
Controversial New Jersey valedictorian denied her seat as a Harvard freshman when it discovered she plagiarized in a local newspaper.

17. Possible school consequences:
“0” on the assignment
Parent notification
Referral to administrators
Suspension or dismissal from school activities--sports and extracurricular
Note on student record
Loss of reputation among the school community
Is it worth
the risk?

18. What are the consequences at GHS?
Zero on the assignment
Notification to student and parents
Notification to administrators
Notification to NHS Faculty Counsel (dismissal is likely for current members; future members may be barred)

19. It’s in the handbook… What is the policy on Plagiarism at GHS?
Let’s take a look at page 15 of the handbook.
CHEATING AND PLAGIARISM
Our school promotes an environment where honesty is valued. Students who cheat compromise that environment. Cheating is defined as obtaining information for the purpose of presenting it as your own, or providing information to others who have not acquired it through work of their own. This includes, but is not limited to, copying homework, stealing a test, looking on other student tests/quizzes, utilizing cheat sheets, or using camera phones or text messaging of test/quiz answers.
Plagiarism is the willful use of material without documentation with the intent to deceive. This includes copying of papers, paragraphs, ideas, or even words and sentences, and calling the work your own. Paraphrasing without acknowledging the original source falls into the same category.

20. GHS policy (cont.)
Both cheating and plagiarism are unacceptable and dishonest and will not be tolerated. Any student caught cheating or plagiarizing will receive a zero for that assignment after notification to the parent/guardian by the teacher. A meeting with the student will be arranged with an administrator to discuss the matter. Additionally, a student who is a member of National Honor Society will jeopardize his/her standing with probable dismissal.
Further, an assignment completed for one class should not be recycled and used for another class. For example, using the same essay for both an English and History assignment will not be allowed. In addition, submitting a paper from one academic year and again during another school year is not acceptable. You may not recycle your own work.

21. Is this important? What if:
Your architect cheated his way through math class. Will your new home be safe?
Your lawyer paid for a copy of the bar exam to study. Will the contract she wrote for you stand up in court?
The accountant who does your taxes hired someone to write his papers and paid a stand-in to take his major tests? Does he know enough to complete your tax forms properly?
(Lathrop and Foss 87)

22. I get it, I get it… But I have a question… Do I have to cite
everything?

23. Nope! Facts that are widely known, or
Information or judgments considered “common knowledge”
Do NOT have to be documented.
Hooray for
common
knowledge!

24. Examples of common knowledge
John Adams was our second president
The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941
If you see a fact in three or more sources, and you are fairly certain your readers already know this information, it is likely to be “common knowledge.” If you had to look up information, you must cite it.
Rule of Thumb: When in doubt, cite!

25. No need to document when:
You are discussing your own experiences, observations, or reactions
Compiling the results of original research, from science experiments, etc.
You are using common knowledge

26. original ideas without few words, I’m okay, right?
What’s the big deal?
Wrong! Paraphrasing
original ideas without
documenting
your source,
is plagiarism too!
If I change a
few words, I’m okay, right?

27. You can use source material in your work
Implement these three strategies….
Quoting
Paraphrasing
Summarizing
To blend source materials in with your own, making sure your own voice is heard.

28. Quoting
Quotations are the exact words of an author, copied directly from a source, word for word. Quotations must be cited!
Use quotations when:
You want to add the power of an author’s words to support your argument
You want to disagree with an author’s argument
You want to highlight particularly eloquent or powerful phrases or passages
You are comparing and contrasting specific points of view
You want to note the important research that precedes your own
Carol Rohrbach and Joyce Valenza

29. Paraphrasing Carol Rohrbach and Joyce Valenza
Paraphrasing means rephrasing the words of an author, putting his/her thoughts in your own words. When you paraphrase, you rework the source’s ideas, words, phrases, and sentence structures with your own. Like quotations, paraphrased material must be followed with in-text documentation and cited on your Works-Cited page.
Paraphrase when:
You plan to use information on your note cards and wish to avoid plagiarizing
You want to avoid overusing quotations
You want to use your own voice to present information
Carol Rohrbach and Joyce Valenza

30. Summarizing
Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) of one or several writers into your own words, including only the main point(s). Summaries are significantly shorter than the original and take a broad overview of the source material. Again, it is necessary to attribute summarized ideas to their original sources.
Summarize when:
You want to establish background or offer an overview of a topic
You want to describe knowledge (from several sources) about a topic
You want to determine the main ideas of a single source
Carol Rohrbach and Joyce Valenza

31. As you take notes:
Include any direct quotes or unique phrases in quotation marks or mark with a big Q and make sure the speaker’s /writer’s name is identified.
Make sure you note a paraphrase with the writer’s name and mark it with a big P
Include page numbers and source references so you can go back and check for accuracy as you write.

32. In-text / in-project MLA documentation
Purpose--to give immediate source information without interrupting the flow of paper or project.
The academic world takes in-text documentation seriously.
Inaccurate documentation is as serious as having no documentation at all.
Brief information in in-text documentation should match full source information in Works Cited

33. Use in-text / in-project documentation when:
You use an original idea from one of your sources, whether you quote or paraphrase it
You summarize original ideas from one of your sources
You use factual information that is not common knowledge (Cite to be safe.)
You quote directly from a source
You use a date or fact that might be disputed

34. How do I cite using MLA style?
Parenthetical citations are usually placed at the end of a sentence, before the period, but they may be placed in the middle of sentence if a natural pause occurs
Cite the author's last name and the page number (Smith 4)
In the absence of an author, cite the title and the page number
If you identify the author and title in the text, just list the page number

35. Typical example:
“Slightly more than 73% of Happy High School students reported plagiarizing papers sometime in their high school careers” (Smith 203).

36. Summing up… You have plagiarized if
you took notes that did not distinguish summary and paraphrase from quotation and then you presented wording from the notes as if it were all your own.
while browsing the Web, you copied text and pasted it into your paper without quotation marks or without citing the source.
you repeated or paraphrased someone’s wording without acknowledgment.
you took someone’s unique or particularly apt phrase without acknowledgment.
you paraphrased someone’s argument or presented someone’s line of thought without acknowledgment.
you bought or otherwise acquired a research paper and handed in part or all of it as your own.

37. Summing up… (cont.) You can avoid plagiarism by
making a list of the writers and viewpoints you discovered in your research and using this list to double-check the presentation of material in your paper.
keeping the following three categories distinct in your notes: your ideas, your summaries of others’ material, and exact wording you copy.
identifying the sources of all material you borrow—exact wording, paraphrases, ideas, arguments, and facts.
checking with your instructor when you are uncertain about your use of sources.

38. Summing up (cont.)
To guard against the possibility of unintentional plagiarism during research and writing,
keep careful notes that always distinguish among three types of material: your ideas, your summaries and paraphrases of others’ ideas and facts, and exact wording you copy from sources.
record only quotations. It is the most reliable method of note-taking in substantial research projects, especially for beginning students. It is the surest way, when you work with notes, to avoid unintentional plagiarism. Similar problems can occur in notes kept electronically. When you copy and paste passages, make sure that you add quotation marks around them.

39. Works Cited
“Boston Columnist Resigns Amid New Plagiarism Charges.” CNN.com 19 Aug March <
Fain, Margaret. “Internet Paper Mills.” Kimbal Library. 12 Feb
Grafton Memorial Senior High School. Student/Parent/Guardian Handbook. Grafton, MA edition. Print.
Lathrop, Ann and Kathleen Foss. Student Cheating and Plagiarism in the Internet Era. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 2000.
Lewis, Mark. “Doris Kearns Goodwin And The Credibility Gap.” Forbes.com 2 Feb <
“New York Times Exposes Fraud of own Reporter.” ABC News Online. 12 May,
“Plagiarism and Academic Integrity.” MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th ed Print.
Sabato, Larry J. “Joseph Biden's Plagiarism; Michael Dukakis's 'Attack Video' – ” Washington Post Online March
Valenza, Joyce, Ph.D. “What is Plagiarism (and why you should care).” Springfield Township Public Library, Springfield Township, PA. March 5, PowerPoint Presentation.