Plagiarism 101

1
Plagiarism 101

• Liza Palmer
• January 28, 2009

2
Contact Liza

• palmerl_at_uncw.edu
• 910-962-4234
• AIM lizajpalmer
• Meebo me!
• http//library.uncw.edu/web/faculty/palmerl/index.
  html
• Spring office hours
• RL 2080 T 11am-1pm
• CAB 1048 W 4-5pm

3
What Does Plagiarism Mean?

• What do you think plagiarism means?
• Discuss as a group.

4
Formal Definition of Plagiarism

• The action or practice of taking someone else's
  work, idea, etc., and passing it off as one's
  own literary theft.
• From OED Online.

5
Formal Definition of Plagiarism 2

• Derived from the Latin word plagiarius
  (kidnapper) plagiarism involves two kinds of
  wrongs. Using another persons ideas,
  information, or expressions without acknowledging
  that persons work constitutes intellectual
  theft. Passing off another persons ideas,
  information or expressions as your own to get a
  better grade or gain some other advantage
  constitutes fraud (66).
• From MLA Handbook (6th ed.).

6
Formal Definition of Plagiarism 3

• Concealment is at the heart of plagiarism (17).
• From The Little Book of Plagiarism by Richard
  Posner.

7
Formal Definition of Plagiarism 4

• Plagiarism means the appropriation, buying,
  receiving as a gift, or obtaining by any means
  another persons work and the unacknowledged
  submission or incorporation of it in ones own
  work. Plagiarism is doubly unethical, since it
  deprives the true author of his/her rightful
  credit and then gives that credit to someone to
  whom it is not due (6).
• From UNCW Code of Student Life.

8
Bottom Line for Plagiarism

• So, simply put, plagiarism is
• Theft
• Fraud
• Concealment
• Unethical
• Other descriptors?

9
What Does Plagiarism Mean to Me?

• Abstract consequences.
• Damages student/teacher relationships (67).
• Reflects badly on an institution (67-8).
• Plagiarists waste their tuition (68).
• Plagiarism betrays the personal element in
  writing as well
• Our writing our sense of self and how we
  portray ourselves to others (68).
• From MLA Handbook (6th ed.).

10
What Does Plagiarism Mean to Me? 2

• Concrete consequences.
• Fail the assignment.
• Fail the course.
• Written reprimand (28).
• Disciplinary probation (28).
• Suspension (28).
• Expulsion (29).
• Other sanctions
• a) Move a student to another residence hall
  b) cancel a students housing contract or c)
  refuse to renew a housing contract Any student
  who is removed from on-campus housing shall not
  be entitled to a refund of room fees (29).
• From UNCW Code of Student Life.

11
Unintentional Plagiarism

• Presenting an authors exact wording without
  marking it as a quotation is plagiarism, even if
  you cite the source (70).
• Writing papers in another language.
• If you maintain the structure of the original
  sentence when you translate, thats plagiarism
  (70).
• From MLA Handbook (6th ed.).

12
Unintentional Plagiarism 2

• Writing about an idea that you think is original.
• Do a thorough literature review (i.e. research)
  on your topic to be sure.
• Writing about an idea that you had before you
  read about it in one of your sources.
• You still have to reference the source -- that
  author got to the idea before you did!

13
Intentional Plagiarism

• Submitting a paper written by someone else
  (70).
• Buying a paper online.
• Borrowing a paper from a classmate who took your
  course previously.
• Asking someone else to write the paper for you.
• From MLA Handbook (6th ed.).

14
Intentional Plagiarism 2

• Word-for-word copying
• Copying and pasting from a source and
• Not using quotation marks
• Not fully documenting the source (i.e. cited and
  referenced).
• Copying and pasting from a source and
• Not using quotation marks
• Referencing the source in your bibliography
• Not citing the source in your written text.
• Copying and pasting from a source and
• Not using quotation marks
• Referencing the source in your bibliography
• Citing the source using a footnote.
• From UNCW Code of Student Life.

15
Intentional Plagiarism 3

• Paraphrasing offenses.
• Stealing words
• Repeating or paraphrasing wording (71) and not
  fully documenting the source.
• Taking a particularly apt phrase (71-2) and not
  fully documenting the source.
• Stealing ideas
• Paraphrasing an argument or presenting a line of
  thinking (72-3) and not fully documenting the
  source.
• From MLA Handbook (6th ed.).

16
Plagiarism Examples

• Source material
• Above all, he lived life to the hilt, said and
  did outrageous things, and wanted to command a
  vociferous response and reaction.
• My paper
• Above all, he lived life to the hilt, said and
  did outrageous things, and wanted to command a
  vociferous response and reaction.
• Word-for-word copying

17
Plagiarism Examples 2

• Source material
• Above all, he lived life to the hilt, said and
  did outrageous things, and wanted to command a
  vociferous response and reaction.
• My paper
• Above all, he lived life to the hilt, said and
  did outrageous things, and wanted to command a
  vociferous response and reaction (Sinai 361).
• STILL Word-for-word copying

18
Plagiarism Examples 3

• Source material
• Above all, he lived life to the hilt, said and
  did outrageous things, and wanted to command a
  vociferous response and reaction.
• My paper
• Above all, he lived life to the hilt, said and
  did outrageous things, and wanted to command a
  vociferous response and reaction (Sinai 361).
• In my bibliography, I list Sinais book as a
  reference.
• STILL Word-for-word copying

19
Plagiarism Examples 4

• Source material
• Above all, he lived life to the hilt, said and
  did outrageous things, and wanted to command a
  vociferous response and reaction.
• My paper
• Above all, he lived life to the hilt, said and
  did outrageous things, and wanted to command a
  vociferous response and reaction (Sinai 361).
• In my bibliography, I list Sinais book as a
  reference.
• NOT PLAGIARISM

20
Plagiarism Examples 5

• Source material
• Above all, he lived life to the hilt, said and
  did outrageous things, and wanted to command a
  vociferous response and reaction.
• My paper
• Laurence Harvey lived life to the fullest, doing
  crazy things and demanding a loud reaction from
  his audience.
• In my bibliography, I list Sinais book as a
  reference.
• Paraphrasing plagiarism

21
Plagiarism Examples 6

• Source material
• Above all, he lived life to the hilt, said and
  did outrageous things, and wanted to command a
  vociferous response and reaction.
• My paper
• As Anne Sinai has suggested, Laurence Harvey
  lived life to the fullest, doing crazy things and
  demanding a loud reaction from his audience
  (361).
• In my bibliography, I list Sinais book as a
  reference.
• NOT PLAGIARISM

22
Exceptions

• When Documenting Is Unnecessary
• Proverbs (73).
• Well-known quotations (73).
• Common knowledge (73).
• When in doubt, fully document!
• Its better to over-cite that under-cite.
• From MLA Handbook (6th ed.).

23
Exceptions 2

• Collaborative projects (aka group projects).
• As long as your professor has approved this.
• Be specific about who did what on the project to
  be safe.

24
Tips on Avoiding Plagiarism

• Start your research and writing early.
• If you procrastinate, better to talk to your
  professor and ask for an extension than
  plagiarize.
• Make clear notes.
• Identify your ideas (75).
• Identify your summaries of others material
  (75).
• Identify direct quotes (75).
• From MLA Handbook (6th ed.).

25
Tips on Avoiding Plagiarism 2

• Double-check all citations and references before
  turning your paper in.
• If, after you turned your paper in, it comes to
  your attention that you inadvertently
  plagiarized, talk to your professor.
• Better to acknowledge the unintentional mistake
  beforehand.

26
Resources To Help Avoid Plagiarism

• Randall Librarys Assignment Calculator
• http//randall3.uncw.edu/assignmentcalc/
• Randall Librarys Plagiarism Guide
• http//library.uncw.edu/web/research/topic/plagiar
  ism.html
• UNCW Writing Center
• http//www.uncw.edu/stuaff/uls/writing.htm
• When in doubt, ask for help!

27
Any Questions?
28
What Have We Learned?

• Take quiz.
• http//www.indiana.edu/istd/plagiarism_test.html
• Print certificate (send to iPrint).
• Discuss results as a group.
• Retrieve print job from iPrint.
• I will sign certificates as proof of attendance,
  if needed.

29
Thanks!

• Thanks for your time today!
• Good luck with your research projects this
  semester!