1. Plagiarism vs Paraphrasing
Avoiding Plagiarism

2. How to Avoid Plagiarism
When presenting a fact that is NOT common knowledge, always cite the source.
Example: You may have already known that most people prefer Coca-Cola to Pepsi; however, you didn’t already know that 76% of the population prefer Coca-Cola to Pepsi.
When writing about an idea, identify whose idea it is by citing the source.
Example: According to Robert Blake, 76% of Americans prefer Coca-Cola to Pepsi (37).
Example: Seventy-six percent of Americans prefer Coca- Cola to Pepsi (Blake 37).

3. How to Avoid Plagiarism
3. When using someone else’s exact words, use quotation marks, and cite the source. Example: While these two companies can be very different, “both companies have proved to shareholders that they are committed to raising dividends, both have a yield near 3%, and both have similar payout ratios” (O’Brien). 4. When paraphrasing, use completely ORIGINAL wording, and cite the source. Example of original text: By having a large social media presence and following, companies are able to obtain information about what their customers are thinking, which can give them a competitive edge. Example of paraphrased text: Through social media outlets, businesses can learn more information about potential customers, thus giving them an advantage (O’Brien).

4. What is paraphrasing?
A restatement of a text in your own words, often for purposes of clarity with an MLA citation.

5. Paraphrasing 101 Take notes and make a list of the main facts.
Read and absorb information from a credible source.
STOP after each paragraph and ask yourself, “What did I just read?”
Think about the most important ideas from the readings.
What do people really need/want to know?
Take notes and make a list of the main facts.
Write ONLY things that relate to your topic.
DON’T use full sentences.
Construct a sentence, in your own words, using the information collected; then, cite the source.
Rule of thumb: You may NOT use more than three consecutive words from a source.

6. Still struggling? Then …
Put the source away
Write about what you read in your own words.
Pretend you’re explaining to a friend.
DON’T put anything in your paper that you don’t understand.

7. Then CITE YOUR SOURCES! (This info is in your research packet)
Author and page #:
(Martinez 5)
For websites, you don’t usually have a page number:
(Martinez)
Sometimes you don’t have an author either! Use an abbreviated title of the article:
(“Pollution”)
…because the IDEA is not yours!

8. It looks like this:
Americans throw away too much trash. For example, we created 245 million tons of trash in (Parks 7). Our trash includes things like paper and food scraps that could be recycled or composted instead.
*Note: Full MLA citation will be present in the works cited page. Parenthetical or in-text citations belong inside the paragraph when paraphrasing or directly quoting information used from a source.

9. What if I want to use a quotation from a book or website?
Put “quotation marks…” around the author’s words in your paper.
And put a parenthetical (in-text) citation after it like this:
“In 2006, about 245 million tons of trash were produced in the United States” (Parks 7). Or
According to Wilson Parks, “In 2006, about 245
million tons of trash were produced in the United
States” (7) author’s last name is not needed because it was mentioned at the beginning of the sentence.

10. Then Introduce & Explain your evidence in your own words:
Americans create too much waste each year. According to the book Garbage and Recycling, “In 2006, about 245 million tons of trash were produced in the United States” (Parks 7). If we keep producing so many tons of trash each year, we will run out of space in landfills--the places where we dump our garbage.
…or “according to the Environmental Protection Agency,” or “Mike Smith of Harvard University argues that…”, etc. Give a few examples of intros

11. “Citing your sources” has 2 parts:
Works Cited
Bily, Cynthia A. The Impact of E-Waste. Chicago: Greenhaven Press, Print.
Mayo, Katie. Personal interview. 16 Oct
“Pollution.” The World Book Encyclopedia. 3rd ed Print.
A page at the end of your paper listing each source you used…

12. Parenthetical citations inside the essay: The author and page number (OR the page title if no author) right after the fact or quote:
Burrowing owls are an endangered species because of their habitat. “Burrowing owls live in underground dens that are easily threatened by construction projects” (Miller 55). Even if construction crews don’t hurt the owls, the birds may still become too afraid to lay eggs. Burrowing owl populations have gone down by 45% in the last ten years (“Threatened Bird Statistics”). Construction companies need to look for burrowing owls before they start working on a new project.

13. Plagiarism or Paraphrasing?
Original text: "Reality TV claims to feature ordinary people doing ordinary things. As a genre, the show The Biggest Loser, minimizes the distance between the audience and the actors through its emphasis on everyday life so that the viewer is invited to recognize the participant as belonging to her or his own habitus” (“The Reality Bizz”). Plagiarism or paraphrasing? The aim of reality TV is to show what truly goes on in the lives of everyday people. The show The Biggest Loser, minimizes the distance between the audience and the actors (“The Reality Bizz”).

14. Plagiarism or Paraphrasing?
Original text: "Reality TV claims to feature ordinary people doing ordinary things. As a genre, the show The Biggest Loser, minimizes the distance between the audience and the actors through its emphasis on everyday life so that the viewer is invited to recognize the participant as belonging to her or his own habitus” (“The Reality Bizz”). Plagiarism or paraphrasing? The aim of reality TV is to show what truly goes on in the lives of everyday people, the show The Biggest Loser, minimizes the distance between the audience and the actors (“The Reality Bizz”).

15. Plagiarism or Paraphrasing?
Original text: “Since the 1990s, educators have been battling an increase in hand-held technological devices in the classroom. It is disruptive and distracting to the learning environment, in most cases, and it has become difficult to manage” (“Digital Divide”). Plagiarism or paraphrasing? Although technology can be an asset to the world around us, it can also be a hindrance, especially in the classroom. Teachers have had to compete with iPhones, iPads, and hand-held gaming devices since their emergence in the 1990s (“Digital Divide”).

16. Instructions
We will read the following lines from various sources and paraphrase. Note: Try your best to absorb what is being read. I will remove it from the screen and ask you to paraphrase on the handout provided, based on what you remember!

17. MLA Citation:
Smith, Joe M. “Teen Pregnancy in America." School News. 2 Feb. 2011: 21.
1. “Twenty-five percent of adolescents who have one baby have a second baby within two years of the first baby's birth.”

18. MLA Citation:
Smith, Joe M. “Teen Pregnancy in America." School News. 2 Feb. 2011: 21.
Original text: “Twenty-five percent of adolescents who have one baby have a second baby within two years of the first baby's birth.” Paraphrased text: According to statistics, women who give birth at a young age tend to have another child soon after (Smith 21).

20. MLA Citation:
“Homeless in America." WebMD. WebMD, 25 September Web. 6 July 2015.
2. A local newspaper claims that 75% of all homeless people do not like homeless shelters and prefer to live as they live now.

22. MLA Citation:
“Technology Today." Reader’s Digest, 11 December Web. 5 August 2015.
3.However, college students today are the first groups of students to need the Internet for most of their schoolwork.

24. MLA Citation:
Lane, Jerry. “Teen Internet Craze." School News. 2 Mar. 2011: 7.
4.Researchers have found a strong association between computer and Internet use in adolescents and engagement in multiple-risk behaviors (MRB), including illicit drug use, drunkenness, and unprotected sex.

26. MLA Citation:
Garcia, Amber. “The Golden Era of Technology." School News. 2 Mar. 2010: 27.
5.The 1970s was one of tech's golden eras, marking the dawn of personal computing and video games. From gadgets like the first digital watch to the classic Atari 2600 game system, there was no better time to hit up the arcade or plop down on the couch for a friendly round of Pong.

28. MLA Citation:
Reed, Jerry. “How Much is Too Much?" School News. 2 Mar. 2005: 31.
6. Dylan William, a professor of educational assessment at the University of London, studies testing. "At the age of 16, almost every child in England will take probably about 15 or 20 substantial examinations," William says. They are all part of one test. And how well kids do helps determine whether they finish high school. Not college. High school. Talk about high-stakes testing. For those who do well and go on, they get two more years of high school. And each of those years ends with another big round of tests, saving the worst for last. "And your grades on those examinations will determine which universities you're offered places at," William says. As Testing Season Opens In Schools, Some Ask: How Much Is Too Much? Unlike in the U.S., grade-point average won't save an English student who has a bad test day. GPA just doesn't matter.