Plagiarism

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Plagiarism

• A Presentation by
• Texas Womans University
• Writing Program

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What is Plagiarism?

• Plagiarism
• "Pla-gia-rism" 1. The unauthorized use of the
  language and thoughts of another author and the
  representation of them as one's own. 2. Something
  used and represented in this manner." (Webster's
  1032). Most of us either know or have a sense of
  when we are plagiarizing (intentionally or not)
  anothers work

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What is Plagiarism? (Continued)

• Plagiarism constitutes an act of fraud,
  deception, and academic dishonesty. There are
  several ways to plagiarize
• Using another's paper as your own.
• Rewriting another's paper and submitting it as
  your own.
• Hiring or using someone to write your paper or
  purchasing a paper and then submitting it as your
  own.
• Using someone else's ideas and submitting them as
  your own (w/out documentation).
• Using someone else's words exactly and submitting
  them as your own (w/out documentation).
• Paraphrasing and/or summarizing another's ideas
  or words and submitting them as your own (w/out
  documentation).
• Using a paper purchased from a friend and/or
  service and submitting it as your own.
• Using a paper bought, and/or downloaded from the
  internet and submitting it as your own.
• Copying information from electronic sources (web
  information, web pages, any electronic
  source/database) and using it as your own.

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What is Plagiarism? (Continued)

• Texas Womans University addresses the issue of
  Plagiarism in the Student Handbook. According to
  the handbook, plagiarism is a serious breach of
  honesty, and it will not be tolerated to any
  degree. Plagiarism is unethical. Don't do it.
  There are serious consequences to plagiarizing
  including academic suspension, receiving a
  failing grade for the course, and academic
  probation.
• Crediting sources is a crucial aspect of any
  research. Lets explore ways to avoid plagiarism
  in our research and writing processes.

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Avoiding Plagiarism

• Academic writing in American institutions is
  filled with rules that writers often dont know
  how to follow. A working knowledge of these
  rules, however, is critically important
  inadvertent mistakes can lead to charges of
  plagiarism or the unacknowledged use of somebody
  elses words or ideas. While other cultures may
  not insist so heavily on documenting sources,
  American institutions do. A charge of plagiarism
  can have severe consequences, including expulsion
  from a university. (http//owl.english.purdue.edu
  )
• To Avoid plagiarism, you must acknowledge
• Other peoples ideas, opinions, and theories.
• Other peoples evidence
• Other peoples research.
• Direct quotations.
• Paraphrased information.
• Facts and statistics gathered from any source.

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Techniques to Avoid PlagiarismKnow When to
Quote, Paraphrase, and/or Summarize

• Why use quotations, paraphrases, and summaries?
• Quotations, paraphrases, and summaries serve many
  purposes. You might use them to . . .
• Provide support for claims or add credibility to
  your writing
• Refer to work that leads up to the work you are
  now doing
• Give examples of several points of view on a
  subject
• Call attention to a position that you wish to
  agree or disagree with
• Highlight a particularly striking phrase,
  sentence, or passage by quoting the original

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Techniques to Avoid Plagiarism (Continued)

• Distance yourself from the original by quoting it
  in order to cue readers that the words are not
  your own
• Expand the breadth or depth of your writing
• Writers frequently intertwine summaries,
  paraphrases, and quotations. As part of a summary
  of an article, a chapter, or a book, a writer
  might include paraphrases of various key points
  blended with quotations of striking or suggestive
  phrases.

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What are the differences among quoting,
paraphrasing, and summarizing?

• These three ways of incorporating other writers'
  work into your own writing differ according to
  the closeness of your writing to the source
  writing.
• Quotations must be identical to the original,
  using a narrow segment of the source. They must
  match the source document word for word and must
  be attributed to the original author.
• Paraphrasing and Summarizing are a bit more
  complex. Lets look at the definitions and
  examples of each one.

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Examples of Paraphrasing and Summarizing

• Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from
  source material into your own words. A paraphrase
  must also be attributed to the original source.
  Paraphrased material is usually shorter than the
  original passage, taking a somewhat broader
  segment of the source and condensing it slightly.
  
• Let's look at examples of illegitimate and
  legitimate paraphrase. The original passage is
  from Oliver Sacks' essay "An Anthropologist on
  Mars"

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Examples of Paraphrasing

• The original passage is from Oliver Sacks' essay
  "An Anthropologist on Mars"
• The cause of autism has also been a matter of
  dispute. Its incidence is about one in a
  thousand, and it occurs throughout the world, its
  features remarkably consistent even in extremely
  different cultures. It is often not recognized in
  the first year of life, but tends to become
  obvious in the second or third year. Though
  Asperger regarded it as a biological defect of
  affective contactinnate, inborn, analogous to a
  physical or intellectual defectKanner tended to
  view it as a psychogenic disorder, a reflection
  of bad parenting, and most especially of a
  chillingly remote, often professional,
  "refrigerator mother." At this time, autism was
  often regarded as "defensive" in nature, or
  confused with childhood schizophrenia. A whole
  generation of parentsmothers, particularlywere
  made to feel guilty for the autism of their
  children.

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Examples of Paraphrasing

• What follows is an example of illegitimate
  paraphrase
• The cause of the condition autism has been
  disputed. It occurs in approximately one in a
  thousand children, and it exists in all parts of
  the world, its characteristics strikingly similar
  in vastly differing cultures. The condition is
  often not noticeable in the child's first year,
  yet it becomes more apparent as the child reaches
  the ages of two or three. Although Asperger saw
  the condition as a biological defect of the
  emotions that was inborn and therefore similar to
  a physical defect, Kanner saw it as psychological
  in origin, as reflecting poor parenting and
  particularly a frigidly distant mother. During
  this period, autism was often seen as a defense
  mechanism, or it was misdiagnosed as childhood
  schizophrenia. An entire generation of mothers
  and fathers (but especially mothers) were made to
  feel responsible for their offspring's autism
  (Sacks 247-48).

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Examples of Paraphrasing

• Why is that an example of illegitimate
  paraphrase
• Most of these sentences do little more than
  substitute one phrase for another. An additional
  problem with this passage is that the only
  citation occurs at the very end of the last
  sentence in the paragraph. The reader might be
  misled into thinking that the earlier sentences
  were not also indebted to Sacks' essay.

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Examples of Paraphrasing

• The following represents a legitimate paraphrase
  of the original passage
• In "An Anthropologist on Mars," Sacks lists some
  of the known facts about autism. We know, for
  example, that the condition occurs in roughly one
  out of every thousand children. We also know that
  the characteristics of autism do not vary from
  one culture to the next. And we know that the
  condition is difficult to diagnose until the
  child has entered its second or third year of
  life. As Sacks points out, often a child who goes
  on to develop autism will still appear perfectly
  normal at the age of one (247). Sacks observes,
  however, that researchers have had a hard time
  agreeing on the causes of autism. He sketches the
  diametrically opposed positions of Asperger and
  Kanner. On the one hand, Asperger saw the
  condition as representing a constitutional defect
  in the child's ability to make meaningful
  emotional contact with the external world. On the
  other hand, Kanner regarded autism as a
  consequence of harmful childrearing practices.
  For many years confusion about this condition
  reigned. One unfortunate consequence of this
  confusion, Sacks suggests, was the burden of
  guilt imposed on so many parents for their
  child's condition (247-448).

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Examples of Paraphrasing

• Why is this an example of a legitimate paraphrase
  of the original passage?
• Notice that this passage makes explicit right
  from the beginning that the ideas belong to
  Sacks, and the passage's indebtedness to him is
  signaled in more than one place. The single
  parenthetical note at the end of each paragraph
  is therefore all the citation that is needed. The
  inclusion of explicit references to Sacks not
  only makes the job of providing citations easier.
  It also strengthens the passage by clarifying the
  source of its facts and ideas. And it adds an
  analytical dimension to the paragraph the
  passage doesn't just reiterate the points in
  Sacks' passage but lays out the structure of his
  argument. Note that the paraphrase splits the
  original into two separate paragraphs to
  accentuate the two-part structure of Sacks'
  argument. Finally, notice that not all the
  details from the original passage are included in
  the paraphrase.

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Examples of Summarizing

• Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s)
  into your own words, including only the main
  point(s). Once again, it is necessary to
  attribute summarized ideas to the original
  source. Summaries are significantly shorter than
  the original and take a broad overview of the
  source material.
• Here is a summary of the passage from "An
  Anthropologist on Mars"
• In "An Anthropologist on Mars," Sacks notes that
  although there is little disagreement on the
  chief characteristics of autism, researchers have
  differed considerably on its causes. As he points
  out, Asperger saw the condition as an innate
  defect in the child's ability to connect with the
  external world, whereas Kanner regarded it as a
  consequence of harmful childrearing practices
  (247-48).

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Inadvertent Plagiarism?

• Below is a quotation followed by three samples,
  one of which inadvertently plagiarizes. See if
  you can identify what each sample is (a
  paraphrase or a summary), and see if you can
  "catch" the one that inadvertently plagiarizes.
• Quotation
• "Empire State College has a policy describing the
  conditions under which students may be warned or
  withdrawn from the College for such unethical
  academic behavior as plagiarism, forgery,
  misrepresentation, or other dishonest or
  deceptive acts which constitute grounds for
  warning or administrative withdrawal" (CDL
  Student Handbook 5).

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Inadvertent Plagiarism?

• Samples
• 1. The Student Handbook states that the College
  may dismiss students who in any way present
  others' work as their own (5). MLA format
• 2. According to policy in the Student Handbook,
  Empire State College may take punitive action
  (including dismissal) against students who act
  fraudulently. Fraudulent action includes using
  the words or ideas of others without proper
  attribution, falsifying documents, or depicting
  the words of others as one's own (1992). APA
  format
• 3. The Student Handbook states that the College
  has a policy that describes the different
  instances under which students may be withdrawn
  from the College. These instances include
  plagiarism, forgery, misrepresentation, and other
  instances that show dishonest or deceptive
  practice (1992). APA format
• Which one is the plagiarized one?

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Inadvertent Plagiarism?

• EXPLANATION
• Number 1 is the summary it has condensed the
  source and articulates the main idea. Number 2 is
  an appropriate paraphrase. The writer has used
  her own words and sentence structure to relate
  the essence of the source. Number 3 is a
  paraphrase that inadvertently plagiarizes because
  it retains too much of the source's language and
  sentence structure.
• Information and Example from Turabian, Kate L. A
  Manual for Writers of Term papers, Theses, and
  Dissertations. 6th Edition. IL UCP, 2000.

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Common Questions About Plagiarism

• The point of documenting sources in academic
  papers is to demonstrate that you know what is
  going on in your field of study. It's also a
  courtesy to your readers because it helps them
  consult the material you've found. So mentioning
  what others have said doesn't lessen the credit
  you get for your own thinkingin fact, it adds to
  your credibility.
• Here are some questions we often hear in the
  Write Site and in the classroom

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Common Questions About Plagiarism

• Can't I avoid problems just by listing every
  source in the bibliography?
• No, you need to integrate your acknowledgments
  into what you're saying. Give the reference as
  soon as you've mentioned the idea you're using,
  not just at the end of the paragraph. It's often
  a good idea to name the authors ("X says" and "Y
  argues against X,") and then indicate your own
  stand ("A more inclusive perspective, however, .
  . . "). Have a look at journal articles in your
  discipline to see how they refer to their
  sources.

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Common Questions About Plagiarism

• If I put the ideas into my own words, do I still
  have to clog up my pages with all those names and
  numbers?
• Sorryyes, you do. In academic papers, you need
  to keep mentioning authors and pages and dates to
  show how your ideas are related to those of the
  experts. It's sensible to use your own words
  because that saves space and lets you connect
  ideas smoothly. But whether you quote a passage
  directly in quotation marks, paraphrase it
  closely in your own words, or just summarize it
  rapidly, you need to identify the source then and
  there. (That applies to Internet sources too you
  still need author and date as well as title and
  URL.)

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Common Questions About Plagiarism

• But I didn't know anything about the subject
  until I started this paper. Do I have to give an
  acknowledgment for every point I make?
• You're safer to over-reference than to skimp. But
  you can cut down the clutter by recognizing that
  some ideas are "common knowledge" in the
  fieldthat is, taken for granted by people
  knowledgeable about the topic. Facts easily found
  in standard reference books are considered common
  knowledge the date of the Armistice for World
  War I, for example, or the present population of
  Canada. You don't need to name a specific source
  for them, even if you learned them only when
  doing your research. In some disciplines,
  information covered in class lectures doesn't
  need acknowledgment. Some interpretive ideas may
  also be so well accepted that they don't need
  referencing that Picasso is a distinguished
  modernist painter, for instance, or that smoking
  is harmful to health. Check with your professor
  or visit the Write Site if you're in doubt
  whether a specific point is considered common
  knowledge in your field.

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Common Questions About Plagiarism

• How can I tell what's my own idea and what has
  come from somebody else?
• Careful record-keeping helps. Always write down
  the author, title and publication information
  (including the identifying information for web
  pages) so you can attach names and dates to
  specific ideas. Taking good notes is also
  essential. Don't paste passages from webpages
  into your draft that's asking for trouble. As
  you read any textonline or on the pagesummarize
  useful points in your own words. If you record a
  phrase or sentence you might want to quote, put
  quotation marks around it in your notes to remind
  yourself that you're copying the author's exact
  words. And make a deliberate effort as you read
  to notice connections among ideas, especially
  contrasts and disagreements, and also to jot down
  questions or thoughts of your own. If you find as
  you write that you're following one or two of
  your sources too closely, deliberately look back
  in your notes for other sources that take
  different views then write about the differences
  and why they exist.

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Common Questions About Plagiarism

• So what exactly do I have to document?
• With experience reading academic prose, you'll
  soon get used to the ways writers in your field
  refer to their sources. Here are the main times
  you should give acknowledgements. (You'll notice
  many different formats in these examples. See the
  file on Standard Documentation Formats for advice
  on these systems.)
• Questions presented and answered by Dr. Margaret
  Procter, Coordinator, Writing Support, and
  administered by Jerry Plotnick at University of
  Toronto

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Final Thoughts on Plagiarism

• As we mentioned before Academic writing in
  American Institutions is filled with rules that
  writers often dont know how to follow. A working
  knowledge of these rules, however, is critically
  important inadvertent mistakes can lead to
  charges of plagiarism or the unacknowledged us of
  somebody elses words or ideas. While other
  cultures may not insist so heavily on documenting
  sources, American institutions so. A charge of
  plagiarism can have severe consequences.
  (http//owl.english.purdue.edu)
• Be familiar with the resources available to you
  at TWU. The Write Site can assist you with any
  writing problem you are having. We will not
  solve the problems for you, but we will show you
  how to work them so you can become a better
  writer.
• Always consult a stylebook. This is an important
  tool to have while researching. It will assist
  you with in-text citations and works cited.

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Sources and References

• Sources used in creating this Presentation
• Aaron, Jane E. The Little, Brown Essential
  Handbook for Writers. New York HarperCollins,
  1994.
• Gefvert, Constance J. The Confident Writer,
  second edition. New York Norton, 1988.
• Heffernan, James A.W., and John E. Lincoln.
  Writing A College Handbook, third edition. New
  York Norton, 1990.
• Howell, James F. and Dean Memering. Brief
  Handbook for Writers, third edition. Englewood
  Cliffs, NJ Prentice Hall, 1993.
• Leki, Ilona. Understanding ESL Writers A Guide
  for Teachers. Portsmouth, NH Boynton/Cook, 1992.
• Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers, sixth
  edition. New York HarperCollins, 1990.
• Rodrigues, Dawn, and Myron C. Tuman. Writing
  Essentials. New York Norton, 1996.
• Swales, John, and Christine B. Feak. Academic
  Writing for Graduate Students. Ann Arbor, MI
  University of Michigan Press, 1994.
• Walker, Melissa. Writing Research Papers, third
  edition. New York Norton, 1993.