What is plagiarism?

(And why you should care!)

(Walrath)

Plagiarism Trying to claim credit for

something that is not your

work.

What Is Plagiarism?

What Is Plagiarism?

Synonyms include piracy and theft

3 (Dictionary.com)

What Is Plagiarism?

Applies to:

• Words

• Ideas

• Images

• Sounds

• Any form of creative expression

4

You Should Know

• Materials found on the Internet are subject to copyright law

• Do not use without giving appropriate credit

5 Image from Microsoft Clip Art

You Should Know

6 (Valenza)

So, if:

• You have included

the words, music,

images, and/or ideas

of others in your

work that you

neglected to cite …

• You have had help

you wouldn’t want

your teacher to

know about …

7 (Valenza)

Excuses

It’s okay if

I don’t get caught!

I was too busy to write that paper!

(Job, big game, too much homework!)

My teachers expect

too much!

I’ve got to get into

??? U.!

My parents expect “A”s!

This assignment

was BORING!

Everyone does it!

8 (Valenza)

How Serious Is The

Problem?

• Very Serious

• Study of @ 4,500 students at 25 schools

• 72% admitted to serious cheating on written assignments

• Over 50% admitted to 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, 2003 <http://academicintegrity.org/cai_research.asp>.

9 (Valenza)

It’s Illegal

10 Image from communication.utexas.edu

It’s Unethical

You are

• Lying

• Cheating

• Stealing

• Deceiving others (and yourself)

11

(Walrath)

Catching The Plagiarist

• The Internet makes plagiarism easier (e.g., access to term paper mills, etc.)

• But … websites have been developed which help teachers analyze papers and develop strategies to prevent plagiarism

Some sites are:

http://www.turnitin.com/

http://www.millikin.edu/wcenter/plagiarism3.html

12

("File: Turnitin")

Catching The Plagiarist

13

Real Life Consequences

• Sound familiar??

14 Image from Microsoft Clip Art, and video from youtube.com.

Real Life Consequences

• Result: Vanilla Ice was sued by David Bowie and Queen, and settled for an undisclosed sum of money

15 Image from Microsoft Clip Art.

And More …

Damaged reputation of prominent historian,

Doris Kearns Goodwin when she lifted 50 passages for 1987 book The Fitzgeralds and

The Kennedys (Lewis)

New York Times senior reporter,

Jayson Blair, forced to resign after being

accused of plagiarism and fraud (“New York Times …”)

45 UVA students dismissed and 3

graduate degrees revoked in plagiarism probe (CNN Article AP, 26 Nov. 2001; Channel One Article

AP, 27 Nov. 2002)

16

Boston Globe journalist,

Mike Barnicle, forced to resign for plagiarism in his

columns (“Boston Columnist …”)

Controversial New Jersey valedictorian denied her seat as a Harvard freshman when it was discovered she plagiarized in a local newspaper*

(Valenza) *Harvard article from New York Times July 14, 2003.

Is This Important?

• What if they cheated their way through medical school?

17 Image from Microsoft Clip Art.

(Walrath)

Guidelines For Avoiding

Plagiarism

Use your own words and ideas

Give credit for copied, adapted, or paraphrased material

Avoid using others' work with minor "cosmetic" changes

There are no "freebies"

Beware of "common knowledge"

18

(Walrath)

Guidelines For Avoiding

Plagiarism

Use your own words and ideas

• This is a skill that improves

with practice

• It requires an understanding of the topic

• It requires that you give yourself credit for your own abilities

19

(Walrath)

Guidelines For Avoiding

Plagiarism

Give credit for copied, adapted, or paraphrased material

• If you repeat another's exact words, you MUST use quotation marks and cite the source

• If paraphrase, you must still cite

• Paraphrase means that you restate the author's ideas, meaning, and information in your own words

WHEN IN DOUBT, CITE

20

(Walrath)

Guidelines For Avoiding

Plagiarism

Avoid using others' work

with minor "cosmetic"

changes.

Examples: using "less" for

"fewer," reversing the order

of a sentence, or altering a

spread sheet layout. If the

work is essentially the

same, give credit.

WHEN IN DOUBT, CITE

21

(Walrath)

Guidelines For Avoiding

Plagiarism

There are no "freebies"

ALWAYS cite words, information, and ideas you use if they

are new to you (learned in your research)

No matter where you find it – even in an encyclopedia or on the Internet – you cite it

WHEN IN DOUBT, CITE

22

(Walrath)

Guidelines For Avoiding

Plagiarism

Beware of "common knowledge"

You don't have to cite "common knowledge," BUT the fact must really be commonly known.

That George Washington was the first U.S. president is

common knowledge

That George Washington was an expert dancer is not common knowledge

WHEN IN DOUBT, CITE

23

Guidelines For Avoiding

Plagiarism

BOTTOM LINE: WHEN DOING A SCHOOL PROJECT, IT’S

NOT THAT YOU CANNOT USE SOMEONE ELSE’S WORDS OR WORK, IT’S JUST THAT YOU HAVE TO GIVE THEM CREDIT IN THE RIGHT WAY

24

Guidelines for Avoiding

Plagiarism

25

The Right Way To Cite

• In-text (parenthetical) AND Works Cited at the end

• Brief information in-text should match full source information in Works Cited

• MLA (Modern Language Association) format used in Milford

26

In-text Citation

• Parenthetical citations usually placed at end of sentence, before the period

• Cite author's last name and page number

• Example: Prior to the beginning of the Civil War, over “90% of the nation’s firearms were produced in the North" (DeFord 17).

27

In-text Citation

• If you identify the author/title in the text, just list the page number

• Example: DeFord noted that, prior to the beginning of the Civil War, over “90% of the nation’s firearms were produced in the North" (17).

28

In-Text Citation – Web

Resources

• When citing a Web source in-text, you are not

likely to have page numbers

• Just include the first part of the entry

(Smith)

or

(“Plagiarism and the Web”)

29

Works Cited

• A listing at the end of your work of all the

sources you used in your project

• Like in-text citations, there is a format to

follow

• Format depends on the type of source you

used

30

Works Cited

• Sample for book with one author

• DeFord, Deborah. The Civil War. Milwaukee,

WI: World Almanac Library, 2007. Print.

• Sample for professional website

• "Crater Lake." National Park Service. National

Park Service, 2 Sept. 2011. Web. 26 Sept.

2011. <http://www.nps.gov/crla/>.

31

Works Cited

• Let’s look at my Works Cited list

• Would typically be at the very end of the

presentation

• Note: new MLA rules allow omission of

URLs in citations

32

Works Cited

“Boston Columnist Resigns Amid New Plagiarism Charges.” CNN.com. CNN,

19 Aug. 1998. Web. 23 Sept. 2011.

“Creating Note Cards: What did I find?.” Fairfieldschools.org. Fairfield Warde

High School, n.d. Web. 6 Oct. 2011.

“File: Turnitin sample report.png." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.

Wikimedia Foundation, Inc,. 30 Sept. 2006. Web. 6 Oct. 2011.

Lewis, Mark. “Doris Kearns Goodwin and the Credibility Gap.”

Forbes.com. Forbes, 2 Feb. 2002. Web. 22 Sept. 2011.

33

Works Cited

“New York Times Exposes Fraud of Own Reporter.” ABC News Online. ABC,

12 May 2003. Web. 23 Sept. 2011.

“Plagiarism.” Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2011.

Skppy1225. “’Under Pressure’ and ‘Ice Ice Baby’ Similarity.” YouTube.

YouTube, 27 Apr. 2007. Web. 22 Sept. 2011.

Valenza, Joyce. “What is Plagiarism? (And Why You Should Care!).” Web. 22

Sept. 2011.

Walrath, Sheila. “Plagiarism – Don’t Do It!!!.” Powerpoint Presentation of the

MdN LRTC. Web. 22 Sept. 2011.

34

Works Cited

Help is available:

http://easybib.com/

35 Image from Microsoft Clip Art

Quick How Tos

• If you are directly quoting someone,

make sure to include quotation marks

for the entire quote

• Make sure you use the exact words

• Use in-text citation format

• Include in Works Cited list

36

Quick How Tos

• Example

• “...(in organized sports) children may be

subject to intense emotional stress

caused by fear and anxiety ... concern

about physical safety, and doubts about

performance and outcome; this anxiety

may emerge if children are ignored,

chastised, or made to feel that they are

no good” (Leonard 140).

37

Quick How Tos

• Paraphrasing

• It’s more than just changing a few words

• Remember: Avoid using others' work

with minor "cosmetic" changes

• Use your voice, not another’s

38

Quick How Tos

Original Text

“...(in organized sports)

children may be subject to

intense emotional stress

caused by fear and anxiety

...concern about physical

safety, and doubts about

performance and outcome.

This anxiety may emerge if

children are ignored,

chastised, or made to feel that

they are no good.”

Example #1

In organized sports, kids can

be stressed out for many

reasons. These reasons

include fear, physical safety

concerns, and anxiety about

both how they play and

whether they win or lose. If

children are not paid attention

to, are yelled at, or are made

to feel that they are not good

enough, stress may develop.

39 ("Creating Note Cards")

Quick How Tos

Original Text

“...(in organized sports)

children may be subject to

intense emotional stress

caused by fear and anxiety

...concern about physical

safety, and doubts about

performance and outcome.

This anxiety may emerge if

children are ignored,

chastised, or made to feel that

they are no good.”

Example #2

Stress and anxiety on the

playing field can result in

children backing away from

participating in sports because

they fear rejection if they

perform poorly. This anxiety

and stress is a result of the

child’s fears of being hurt or

not being good enough.

40 ("Creating Note Cards")

Quick How Tos

• Which Example is better -- #1 or #2?

• Is this plagiarism?

• Stress and anxiety on the playing field

can result in children backing away from

participating in sports because they fear

rejection if they perform poorly.

41

Quick How Tos

• What do I need to do to make sure I

am not plagiarizing?

• Example: • Stress and anxiety on the playing field can

result in children backing away from

participating in sports because they fear

rejection if they perform poorly (Leonard 140).

• Also include source in Works Cited

42

Where Do I Start?

• The Media Center website is a great

resource

http://www.milforded.org/admin.cfm?t

ab=0

43 Image from Microsoft Clip Art