PLAGIARISMWhat it is

& how to avoid it…

Simply put, plagiarism is cheating.

It is using someone else’s work

without giving them credit.

Why do people plagiarize?Not enough time to do the workPressure to get good grades, to get into

college, to please parents & teachersEasy to do Illusion that they won’t get caughtAnd sometimes, plagiarism is unintentional

Academic PlagiarismPlagiarism is generally considered a

problem seen at the high school and college level.

Schools often develop Honor Codes or Academic Honesty Policies that spell out the consequences of plagiarism.

Academic Consequences

Consequences vary from school to school, but some include: Zero on the plagiarized paper Failing the course Suspension for the semester Expulsion from the school

Copying or sharing another student’s work (homework, paper, exam or in class work)

“Cutting & pasting” from the internet (with no sources cited)

Failure to produce works cited list for sources (including images, media or sounds)

Submitting another student’s assignment/work as your own

Purchasing term papers

Examples of academic dishonesty:

Examples of academic dishonesty:Using another person’s ideas without

citing them as a sourceUsing online translators to complete

foreign language work/homeworkAltering student recordsTaking exam materials from teachers’

desks

While we often think of plagiarism occurring in schools, there are cases of plagiarism in the ‘real world’ as well…

Forbes 27 Feb. 2002Plagiarism Controversy:

Doris Kearns Goodwin And The Credibility Gap by Mark Lewis

Well known historian acknowledged multiple instances of plagiarism in one of her books about the Kennedys

Slate 11 Jan. 2002The Plagiarist : Why Stephen

Ambrose is a vampire.Chronicles the number of times the

popular historian plagiarized from other sources for his books

How do I avoid Plagiarism?QuoteParaphraseCite sources

Quote If you copy anything directly from a

source, put it in quotation marks.

Example: “Your detention will take place at eleven o’clock tonight. Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall.” (Rowling 247)

Paraphrase

While occasional quotes from a source are fine, most of your paper should be in your own words. Paraphrasing means putting the information you gather from your sources into your own words.

How do I Paraphrase? Read and reread the information until you fully

understand it. Put the source away and write your own

understanding of the information. Compare your version with the original. If you use any unique phrase or word from the

original, put it in quotation marks. Be sure to write your source on a note card so

you can give credit to the source. (“Paraphrase: Write it in Your Own Words”)

Original

“When Mr. And Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work, and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair.” (Rowling 2)

Paraphrase

The story of Harry Potter begins, for the Dursley family, like any other uneventful day. The normal activities of a father getting ready for work while the mother attempts to feed her baby give no indication as to what the day has in store.

Cite Sources When you use a direct quote

When you paraphrase information from a source! Even if you have written a passage of text in your own words, you still must acknowledge the source of those ideas.

When in doubt – cite!!!

Citing Source for Images

Words and information are not the only things which must be cited from the Internet

You always must cite the source of graphics, sounds recordings or any other media that you use in your paper or presentation.

Top 5 Tips for Avoiding Plagiarism

Understand that research takes time and plan accordingly.

Find the best sources available.

Take good notes and SAVE them in multiple places. Always BACKUP your files.

Keep a working bibliography and use organizational tools while you search.

When in doubt, CITE YOUR SOURCE.

PLAGIARISM…It’s easy to do…

It’s easy to get caught…

And it’s easy to avoid…

PLAGIARISM…

It’s just not worth it…

Bibliography“Information Literacy Tutorial” http://www.lib.umb.edu/webtutorial/

module6/Module6-1a.html (07 Jan. 2004)

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. New York: Scholastic Press, 1997.

“Paraphrase: Write it in Your Own Words” http://owl.english.

purdue.edu/handouts/print/research/r_paraphr.html (07 Jan. 2004)