1. PLAGIARIS M AVOIDING EXERCISES 1-4

2. What is Plagiarism? INTRODUCTION

3. Suppose you were really good at jokes. -- ---- ----- --- -- --- --- !

4. You didn’t just tell these jokes; you made them up yourself. -- ---- ----- --- -- --- --- !

5. Now imagine if one day, you heard someone else telling your joke… -- ---- ----- --- -- --- --- !

6. …but he never mentioned that it came from you. -- ---- ----- --- -- --- --- !

7. That’s plagiarism.

8. Borrowing someone else’s words, ideas, or creation without giving them credit for it. PLAGIARISM :

9. When you research a topic online, in a book, a magazine, or anywhere else,

10. and you use the author’s words or ideas in your own writing without giving that author credit, Yep! That’s all me!

11. That’s plagiarism.

12. It’s not good. Basically, it’s cheating.

13. And you should avoid doing it.

14. The problem is, a lot of students plagiarize without even realizing it.

15. So we’re going to practice not doing it.

16. Let’s look at some examples, shall we?

17. Recognizing Plagiarism EXERCISE 1:

18. Take a few minutes to read “The Hungry Venus Flytrap.” Then we’ll look at some different ways students have used this information in their own writing.

19. This is Joe. Joe is writing a report about the Venus flytrap for school.

20. One of his sources is the article you just read.

21. Your job is to tell Joe when he is plagiarizing. If you’re in a group, think about your answer first, then check with your group. Try to reach an agreement.

22. Ready?

23. Here’s one sentence:

24. The Venus flytrap attracts insects by displaying a red, lush-looking interior, tricking them into thinking it’s a flower. Is this plagiarism or not plagiarism?

25. The Venus flytrap attracts insects by displaying a red, lush-looking interior, tricking them into thinking it’s a flower. Is this plagiarism or not plagiarism?

26. Let’s compare Joe’s writing with the article.

27. The Venus flytrap attracts insects by displaying a red, lush-looking interior, tricking them into thinking it’s a flower. First they attract insects by displaying a red, lush-looking interior, tricking them into thinking it’s a flower.

28. Joe copied almost an entire sentence, word for word, into his own report.

29. Definitely plagiarism.

30. Let’s look at another example.

31. In “The Hungry Venus Flytrap,” Buglover explains that the Venus flytrap has a bright red center, which makes it look like a flower. This makes insects attracted to it. Plagiarism or not plagiarism?

32. In “The Hungry Venus Flytrap,” Buglover explains that the Venus flytrap has a bright red center, which makes it look like a flower. This makes insects attracted to it.

33. Joe put the information from the article into his own words. He also gave credit to the author, so this is not plagiarism. Good job, Joe.

34. Here’s another.

35. This plant happens to grow in dirt that is too low in nitrogen to meet its needs. To make up for that lack of nitrogen, it gets it by eating insects. Plagiarism or not plagiarism?

36. This plant happens to grow in dirt that is too low in nitrogen to meet its needs. To make up for that lack of nitrogen, it gets it by eating insects. Plagiarism or not plagiarism?

37. Oh Joe.

38. Venus flytraps happen to grow in soil that is too low in nitrogen to meet their needs. To make up for that lack of nitrogen, they get it by consuming insects. This plant happens to grow in dirt that is too low in nitrogen to meet its needs. To make up for that lack of nitrogen, it gets it by eating insects.

39. Just changing a few words from the original sentence, without crediting the author? Still plagiarism.

40. How about this one?

41. The Venus flytrap needs to eat insects because they contain nitrogen, which is a nutrient the plant needs and can’t get from the soil it grows in. Plagiarism or not plagiarism?

42. The Venus flytrap needs to eat insects because they contain nitrogen, which is a nutrient the plant needs and can’t get from the soil it grows in. Plagiarism or not plagiarism? …sort of

43. The Venus flytrap needs to eat insects because they contain nitrogen, which is a nutrient the plant needs and can’t get from the soil it grows in. Joe definitely used his own words this time, but he still hasn’t given the author credit for the information.

44. The Venus flytrap needs to eat insects because they contain nitrogen, which is a nutrient the plant needs and can’t get from the soil it grows in, according to Samantha Buglover. This is better.

45. OK, one more.

46. According to Samantha Buglover, “The jaws of the flytrap clamp shut in as little as one tenth of a second, trapping the insect forever.” Plagiarism or not plagiarism?

47. According to Samantha Buglover, “The jaws of the flytrap clamp shut in as little as one tenth of a second, trapping the insect forever.” Plagiarism or not plagiarism?

48. In this case, Joe used the author’s exact words, but he gave her credit for it and put quotation marks around the words that came right from her article.

49. Now that you know what plagiarism is, let’s practice some ways to avoid it.

50. Summarising EXERCISE 2:

51. Basically, there are three ways to avoid plagiarism in your own writing.

52. 1. SUMMARISING: Putting general information you learn from your sources in your OWN words, and giving the author credit. 2. PARAPHRASING: Restating more specific points in a way that’s closer to how the author wrote it, and giving the author credit. 3. DIRECT QUOTES: Copying some of the author’s exact words, but putting them in quotes and giving the author credit.

53. Let’s practice the first one: Putting things in your own words, also known as SUMMARISING.

54. Remember when Joe was writing about flytraps and soil, how at first he just copied the passage? Let’s look at that again:

55. Venus flytraps happen to grow in soil that is too low in nitrogen to meet their needs. To make up for that lack of nitrogen, they get it by consuming insects. This plant happens to grow in dirt that is too low in nitrogen to meet its needs. To make up for that lack of nitrogen, it gets it by eating insects.

56. The problem is that Joe LOOKED AT THE ARTICLE while he was writing.

57. It helps if you don’t do that.

58. Instead, he should read a section of the article first.

59. Then get the article completely out of sight.

60. Next, without looking at the article, he should think about the passage he just read. Hmmm…the plant eats bugs because it needs something that the dirt doesn’t have. Was it nitrates? Oxygen?

61. …and explain it to someone else. Okay, so Venus flytraps eat bugs, right? And they do this because they need something, I think it’s oxygen, and the dirt they grow in doesn’t have enough oxygen, and I guess bugs do? So they eat them. Fascinating.

62. THEN he should write his explanation on his own paper. The words should sound like JOE, not like the article. Venus flytraps eat bugs because they need oxygen, and the dirt they grow in doesn’t have enough of it. Eating the bugs helps them get the extra oxygen they need.

63. And ONLY after this is done, Joe can check back to the original article to make sure he got the information right. Venus flytraps eat bugs because they need oxygen, and the dirt they grow in doesn’t have enough of it. Eating the bugs helps them get the extra oxygen they need.

64. This is when he’ll realize that it’s nitrogen, not oxygen, that the flytraps need. So he can fix that. Venus flytraps eat bugs because they need oxygen, and the dirt they grow in doesn’t have enough of it. Eating the bugs helps them get the extra oxygen they need. nitrogen

65. You’re going to write your own paragraph that explains how the Venus flytrap catches its prey. The information can be found in this section.

66. Follow these steps: 1.First, read the passage carefully. Don’t take any notes; just read. 2.Look away from the text. Turn the paper over. Think about what it says, then talk through it in your own words. 3.Still looking away, draft your own paragraph. It should sound like YOU. 4.Go back to the text and check to make sure you got the facts right.

67. Read Think & Talk Draft Check Look, Ma! No article here!!

68. OK! Write that paragraph. Summarise, in your own words, how a Venus flytrap captures insects. (Just how they detect and capture them, not why or what happens next.)

69. Are you done? (If not, GO BACK!!) Now, in pairs or groups, compare your paragraphs. Check to see if anyone has plagiarized. If they have, help them revise until everyone in your group has it right.

70. One last thing before we move on…

71. Even though you have now summarised this idea, you still need to give credit to the source where you learned it.

72. Let’s see how Joe does it.

73. Venus flytraps eat bugs because they need nitrogen, and the dirt they grow in doesn’t have enough of it. Eating the bugs helps them get the extra nitrogen they need. He starts with the paragraph he just wrote.

74. In “The Hungry Venus Flytrap,” Samantha Buglover explains that Venus flytraps eat bugs because they need nitrogen, and the dirt they grow in doesn’t have enough of it. Eating the bugs helps them get the extra nitrogen they need. Then adds a few extra words to tell us where that stuff came from.

75. Venus flytraps eat bugs because they need nitrogen, and the dirt they grow in doesn’t have enough of it, according to Samantha Buglover in “The Hungry Venus Flytrap.” Eating the bugs helps them get the extra nitrogen they need. Here’s another way to do it.

76. Now, go back to your paragraph and give credit to the author.

77. This sheet will show you more ways to do this. We will use this sheet in the next few exercises, when we learn about paraphrasing and quoting.

78. When you’re done, share your paragraph with your group and make sure everyone has it right.

79. Paraphrasing EXERCISE 3:

80. Take a few minutes to read “The Daily Life of a Sumo Wrestler.”

81. Now meet Eva.

82. Eva is supposed to create a presentation about sumo wrestlers, and this article is one of her sources.

83. One of the things she wants to include is a list of things the wrestlers do in their training sessions.

84. In this article, the author has already given a good list, so she’s just going to paraphrase that.

85. So she’ll use the same idea, but she won’t use the same exact language, word-for-word, as the article.

86. The wrestlers stretch, then do hard physical training for 3-4 solid hours. Their regimen includes drills, weight lifting, and going head-to- head in their own wrestling matches. Here’s how the two compare: A typical training can last up to 4 hours and involves stretching, drills, weight lifting, and practice matches.

87. The wrestlers stretch, then do hard physical training for 3-4 solid hours. Their regimen includes drills, weight lifting, and going head- to-head in their own wrestling matches. Eva didn’t copy the exact words, but the idea is pretty much the same thing. A typical training can last up to 4 hours and involves stretching, drills, weight lifting, and practice matches.

88. Because the idea really came straight from that article, Eva should give credit to the author.

89. According to writer Jason Mori, a typical training can last up to 4 hours and involves stretching, drills, weight lifting, and practice matches.

90. OR

91. In his article “The Daily Life of a Sumo Wrestler,” Jason Mori explains that a typical training can last up to 4 hours and involves stretching, drills, weight lifting, and practice matches.

92. Now you try it. Write a sentence where you paraphrase the wrestlers’ early morning activities. Remember to give credit to the author.

93. This sheet will show you more ways to do this.

94. When you’re finished, go back to your group and compare sentences. Check to make sure everyone gave credit to the author. If they haven’t done this correctly, help them revise until everyone in your group has it right.

95. Now. What if you DO want to use the writer’s EXACT words?

96. Using Direct Quotes EXERCISE 4:

97. Eva really likes the last line of the sumo article exactly as it was written.

98. She can’t JUST copy it, though. RIGHT, EVA?

99. In other words, she can’t do this:

100. Sumo wrestlers see their work as a great honor, which is why every day they are renewing their commitment to a tradition that is anything but simple.

101. These aren’t Eva’s words. They were lovingly crafted by Jason Mori.

102. Here’s what she does instead:

103. Sumo wrestlers see their work as a great honor, which is why every day they are, in the words of writer Jason Mori, “renewing their commitment to a tradition that is anything but simple.”

104. Now, you’re going to write your own paragraph that explains why sumo wrestlers wait until noon to eat. The information can be found in this section.

105. In your paragraph, use a direct quote from the article to support your writing. This sheet will help you find more ways to do this.

106. When you’re finished, go back to your group and compare paragraphs. Check to make sure everyone gave credit to the author. If they haven’t done this correctly, help them revise until everyone in your group has it right.