Plagiarism

Introduction

Plagiarism is an academic 'crime' which can result in you being disqualified for coursework or exams, and can potentially lead to you being dropped from a course - both here at college, and in future institutions, such as University - which may mean being excluded altogether if that is your only course! Outside of academic circles, it can lead to loss of reputation or loss of your job. So it's pretty serious stuff which you need to learn to avoid.

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This very short course will explain to you what plagiarism is and how you can best avoid it. This college, like many educational institutions, uses software to spot plagiarism in students' work, so it's even easier for teachers to notice it than you think! It's therefore time to find out how to write without plagiarism...

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What is Plagiarism?

Plagiarism is the intentional or unintentional use of another person’s ideas and/or words as your own. The consequences for those caught plagiarising can be very serious, as you saw in the introduction.

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You may be surprised to hear that there are different types of plagiarism, including:

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Intentional Plagiarism

The obvious one involves students simply copying (or copy+pasting) word-for-word what they have found in a book, or on a website. These types of students are either unwilling or unable to analyse what they have read or made notes on, and cannot redraft this work into their own words.

Lazy students might even aquire a similar essay from a friend or online and try and pass it off as their own. Sometimes this is done in a panic as deadlines approach, but it is always easy to spot when a student has handed in work which is clearly not their own. Particularly if they keep the citation numbers from Wikipedia at the end of sentences (see Patchworking below)!

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Unintentional plagiarism

This is similar to intentional plagiarism in that it is often done by students who do not know how to make good notes from lectures, books, websites, etc. If you are in that position, you may want to look at the Note-taking course in the Core Study Skills modules, or speak to someone in the Study Centre, room 235, top floor of the ILC for help and advice. Students who do this often don't even realise that what they are doing is plagiarism.

This kind of unintentional plagiarism takes a number of forms:

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Patchworking

This is when students copy (and paste) large chunks of text from another source (or a variety of different sources), building up a 'patchwork' of information. Sometimes they may change one or two words to try and make it look like their own work, but often it is very clear to see that the work has been patchworked, particularly when students leave footnote or citation numbers at the end of paragraphs. Although you may feel you have not directly copied everything - only what you think are the important sentences and paragraphs - this is still copying, and therefore still plagiarism.

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Idea Plagiarism

This is when students write about an idea or theory which belongs to someone else, e.g. the theory of evolution, and may use their own words to clearly describe that theory, but they forget to credit the original source of the theory (e.g. Charles Darwin), and instead make it look like it is their own work, even if they didn't mean to. This is perhaps a rarer thing to do at college, and tends to happen more at university, but it is important to always credit the original author of an idea or theory either within your writing, or in a footnote/citation, and definitely in a bibliography!

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Close paraphrasing/summarizing

As mentioned in patchworking above, this is when students only change a few words from the original text to make it look like their own, but still use too much of the original text, e.g.

Dinosaurs were most likely killed by an asteroid hitting the earth. = It is most likely that dinosaurs were killed by an asteroid that hit the earth.

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If you're thinking that it would be virtually impossible to avoid doing one of the above forms of plagiarism, then you do need to spend some time learning how to take better notes, including how to better read texts for extracting and summarising information. Take a look at the Note-taking (particularly the summarising pyramids) and Reading Skills courses on this Study Skills site.

You also need to know how to paraphrase and properly quote work, which we will cover in this course, and these skills will help to improve your ability to write in your own words and credit sources more accurately.

Incidentally, plagiarism also goes for graphics, so you should always make a note of where you borrowed any images from. On this site, you can click on an image, and it will take you to the original source from where it was found...

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This section is adapted from: http://www.wcu.edu/WebFiles/PDFs/Avoiding-Plagiarism-2014.pdf

Types of sources you do and do not need to acknowledge to avoid plagiarism

You do need to document:

• Any direct quotes or specific data original to another person's work  - these should always be cited. This includes statistics and study results. 
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• Direct paraphrases and summaries.
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• Concepts and theories, which should be documented carefully. Students often forget this, which is a serious error. See 'Idea Plagiarism' in the previous chapter.

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In general, then, if you use something that you did not make up or say yourself, and if what you use is not considered common knowledge, cite it. If you are unsure whether to give credit for something, it’s often best to cite it anyway, just in case.

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You do not need to document:

• Standard definitions from dictionaries or background information from encyclopaedia articles. Of course, if you quote word-for-word from the dictionary or encyclopaedia you must cite the quote, but dictionaries and encyclopaedias are usually not considered good sources for advanced research papers.
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• Facts, dates, concepts, and events over which there is no debate, such as the battle sites of the Civil War, or the fact that Renoir was a French Impressionist painter. "Common knowledge does not belong to any one writer in particular."*

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When you research a topic, you should use many kinds of sources (not just your text book, the internet or your own knowledge and class notes!). Common knowledge sources are a good starting point, but as your research becomes more specialised, you should look for credible works that make specific points and arguments about your topic. This will help to shape your own thinking. As you move from researching to writing your essay or assignment, try to develop your own point or argument, just as the writers of your sources have done.

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Documenting and using those sources in your essay or assignment which have helped shape your points and arguments demonstrates your honesty, convinces your reader that you have researched the larger discussion around your topic, and provides the details (citations) of your sources so that your reader can look them up and learn more.

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*This page has been losely adapted from: http://www.wcu.edu/WebFiles/PDFs/Avoiding-Plagiarism-2014.pdf

Citations, Footnotes and Bibliographies

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What are citations/footnotes/bibliographies?

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Citations and footnotes are very similar, and often it is best to just stick to footnotes if you are unsure.

Both of these go at the end of quotes, paraphrasing, references to theories and ideas, or sentences that include any reference to other people's work, including statistics.

A citation is generally only used to provide a link or reference to where the information came from (e.g. 'pg 29', or a website link). Take a look at this page for more information on citations.

A footnote can also be used to include a lot more information, such as follow up notes on your point which might be useful to the reader. Although the information will also be linked and (hopefully) relevant to the sentence or paragraph it follows, it does not necessarily need to be from another source. Terry Pratchett was the 'master' of using footnotes and sometimes (as a joke) used up a whole page on one! This is not recommended for your academic work! Take a look at this page for more information on footnotes.

It is very easy to insert footnotes and citations using Word (or Pages on a Mac). Just look for the 'insert footnote' or 'insert citation' button on the toolbar. Place your cursor at the end of your quote, sentence or paragraph and click the button. This will automatically create a number and move your typing cursor to the bottom of the page where you can add the related information. It automatically updates numbers for you, so if you add another footnote in above that one later on, it will renumber everything to match.

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A bibliography is a full list of all the sources, of any kind, which you used as part of your research to complete your essay or assignment, and this goes at the very end of your work. This includes all the details about that source which a reader would need to know in order to find it again, including the name(s) of the author(s), the publishers and publication date, or the website link and the date you viewed it, or the details of the production company if it's a film, etc. Take a look at this site for more information on bibliographies.

There are different ways to lay out bibliographies, so you will need to check with your teacher as to the method preferred for their subject. However, they all usually contain the same types of information.

The most common format of a bibliography is known as the Harvard layout. A very useful site to help you with this can be found by clicking here; click on the type of source you need to create a bibliography for (or scroll down the page), and then 'Click here to see examples' so that you can follow the appropriate layout.

You can also use Microsoft Word to help you build your bibliography - take a look at the video below for more information on how:

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Do I have to use them all?

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The answer to this will depend on what your subject requires, but it is a good idea to get used to using them all, particularly if you intend to continue with academic or research studies after college. At the very least, you should be using footnotes and bibliographies.

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Avoid Plagiarism with... Summarising

Summarising involves condensing (reducing) a writer’s ideas into their essence using your own words when you want to briefly discuss an extended section of a text. Summaries may vary in length, but are rarely more than twenty percent of the length of the original text.

Summaries also include abstracts, but abstracts are a different style of writing (speak to your EPQ mentor or your subject teacher if you need to complete one of these)

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How to sumarise

1. Read the section of text you want to use straight through from beginning to end. Look up unfamiliar words. Make sure you understand what you are reading. You cannot translate information you do not understand.

2. Minimize the screen or turn the text over. Without looking back at the original, write down a brief description of your understanding of the text. Do not peek back at the text as you do this, as this will force you to use your own words.

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3. Read the original text a second time to check how accurately you have interpreted it in your own rewording. Your new sentences will become the essence of your summary.

4. Using your new sentences, write a first draft of your summary.

5. Begin your summary with the original writer’s name, for example you might write: According to Deford (2000),....

6. Check your draft against the original source:

• Have you accurately communicated the main idea and supporting points?
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• Have you followed the same order or sequence of ideas that the original writer used?
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• Have you discussed the author’s most important concepts or terms in your own words?
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• Would your summary make sense to a reader other than yourself, especially one who has not read the original source but wants to understand what it says?

7. Revise and recheck against the original. Record the page number(s) in case you need them later.

Remember, a summary should be at most 20% of the original length of the text - if your summary is just as long or longer, it is not a summary!

An example of Summarising:

Sample Summary:

According to Goff (2000), there is no conclusive evidence about the relationship between athletic success and general donations to universities. Athletic success increases a university‘s exposure, which may attract general gifts, or may instead increase donations only to athletics, to the detriment of other areas. Determining the effect athletic success has on general giving has proved to be challenging and occasionally controversial. Goff explains there is no consistent method for studying this phenomenon, and that the unique variables at different schools further complicate the results of any study.

Quick activities you can now do to practice this skill:

1.  Try using the Summarising Pyramids from the note-taking module of the Core Study Skills course and upload an example.

2.  Read through this PowerPoint on summarising and practice the nursery rhyme summaries at the end to see how well you do.

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This page is reworked from:  http://www.wcu.edu/WebFiles/PDFs/Avoiding-Plagiarism-2014.pdf

Avoid Plagiarism with... Paraphrasing

How to Paraphrase

When you paraphrase effectively, you are restating the writer’s words in your own words without condensing anything. Paraphrasing works well for discussing one point from an article or book. A good paraphrase is roughly equivalent in length to the original. The following strategy will help you:

1. Read the section carefully. Look up unfamiliar words.

2. Turn the original over and write down your understanding of the whole text. Consider beginning your paraphrase with the writer’s name, for example: In Talk, Marguerite Del Guidice argues that….

3. Reread the original and check your rephrasing for accuracy. Rearranging the writer’s words or leaving out/changing a few words is not paraphrasing.

4. Record the page number(s) for your in-text citation if required.

All paraphrases must be cited.

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An example of Paraphrasing:

Sample Paraphrasing of paragraph 2 above:

Goff (2000) points out that athletic success may initiate increased giving to the university as a whole, but some benefactors may only have an allotted amount of money for such purposes. In the event that a benefactor is equally interested in the university’s athletic achievements and the university as a whole, he or she could choose to donate money in either direction. Since the athletic success highlighted the athletic department, a benefactor could naturally gravitate toward furthering the success of that department. In contrast, the athletic success also reflected well on the university as a whole, and a benefactor could therefore choose to donate money to one or more university departments. The effect athletic success has on general giving is thus highly variable and difficult to study.

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Quick activities you can now do to practice this skill:

Try practicing your paraphrasing by using the passages on this site. Once you have had a go, you can also check the suggested answers on the same site.

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This page is reworked from: http://www.wcu.edu/WebFiles/PDFs/Avoiding-Plagiarism-2014.pdf

Avoid Plagiarism with... Quoting

How to Quote

When you quote, you are transcribing (copying) the writer’s words exactly as they are written and accurately. Quoting should not be used just because you find it hard to paraphrase a writer’s material - too many quotes can be just as bad as plagiarising. Quoting does work well, however, when the writer has made his or her point so articulately that your point is strengthened by including the quotation.

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Quotations must be introduced. You can introduce your quotation by using the writer’s name, and then making sure you enclose all the quoted material (whether it's a short phase or a full sentence or more) within quotation marks. If you are including the page numbers for your quotation, they should stand outside the quotation marks but inside the full stop which follows it (or can be added as a citation).

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Here are a few examples of quoting:

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Karen Elizabeth Gordon writes in her introduction to The Well-Tempered Sentence, "However frenzied or disarrayed or complicated your thoughts may be, punctuation tempers them and sends signals to your reader about how to take them in" (ix).

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Gordon (1993) says of the exclamation point, "What a wild, reckless, willful invention! How could we possibly live without it! Who needs words when we have this flasher!" (p. 1).

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Karen Elizabeth Gordon thinks of the comma as "a delicate kink in time, a pause within a sentence, a chance to catch your breath."1

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For the third example above, you would need to include a footnote at the bottom of the page, which might look like this:

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1. Karen Elizabeth Gordon, The New Well-Tempered Sentence: A Punctuation Handbook for the Innocent, the Eager, and the Doomed (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993), 21.]

It is important to use quotes only if they help to emphasise the points you are trying to make, and never to use quotes because you are unwilling to spend a bit of time paraphrasing the material instead.

The exception for this may be if you are writing a literature paper (for English Language and/or Literature, or for Modern Foreign Language studies, for example). Here, you will be expected to include quotes in order to analyse them as part of your essay or coursework. In these cases, it is important to think carefully about the quotes you use so that you are making the most important points, rather than just filling up your essay with quotes that you then struggle to analyse and evaluate effectively. Talk to those subject teaches if you are unsure how many quotes you should be using. 

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This page is adapted from: http://www.wcu.edu/WebFiles/PDFs/Avoiding-Plagiarism-2014.pdf

Summary and Review Quiz

To sum up:

• Plagiarism is a serious issue and it is important to learn how and why to avoid it.
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• Learning the skills of summarising, paraphrasing and quoting are essential ways to avoid plagiarism - they may take a little while to learn, but they are invaluable for college and the future.
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• Always make sure you fully credit any sources you use in citations/footnotes and bibliographies - ask your subject teachers about their preferred uses and layouts.

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Review Quiz

Now that you have read through this course, complete the two review quizzes to check your learning and give feedback on this course:

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Other Resources:

Below is a list of useful sites to help expand your knowledge and skills on the subject of plagiarism. Don't forget, you can also speak to your subject teachers or visit the Study Centre, room 235, top floor of the ILC, if you need further help and advice with this.

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Plagiarism.org - a site dedicated to the subject

OWL Purdue Online Writing Lab - some useful resources and exercises

Avoiding Plagiarism - another site to help with this

Plagiarism Quiz from the University of Surrey

Top 10 Free Plagiarism Detection Tools -although this site is aimed at teachers, if you're worried that you may have accidentally plagiarised something from the internet, you could use one of the free tools to help you check.