Plagiarism: What is it? How do you avoid it?

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Plagiarism What is it? How do you avoid it?
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You know thisdont you?

• Sure you do. Teachers have been talking (and
  talking, and talking) about plagiarismand how
  you should avoid it.
• But, if it is so bad, why do students (and
  adults) do it?

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Why do students plagiarize?Here are some excuses
Why does it matter? My (pick one of the
following) teacher/parent/guardian doesnt care
if I do it.
Everybody else does it. Why not me, too?
The assignment was dumb/boring/too hard/too
easy/etc., so why should I put my effort into it?
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Why do students plagiarize?Here are some excuses
Why does it matter? My (pick one of the
following) teacher/parent/guardian doesnt care
if I do it.
Everybody else does it. Why not me, too?
I didnt understand the assignment and I needed
some help.
I didnt know that I had to cite my sources.
The assignment was dumb/boring/too hard/too
easy/etc., so why should I put my effort into it?
5
Why do students plagiarize?Here are some excuses
Why does it matter? My (pick one of the
following) teacher/parent/guardian doesnt care
if I do it.
I didnt have the time to do the work on my own.
I had work/rehearsal/practice/etc.
Everybody else does it. Why not me, too?
I didnt understand the assignment and I needed
some help.
I didnt know that I had to cite my sources.
I had to. I need to have good grades.
The assignment was dumb/boring/too hard/too
easy/etc., so why should I put my effort into it?
6
Why do students plagiarize?Here are some excuses
Why does it matter? My (pick one of the
following) teacher/parent/guardian doesnt care
if I do it.
I didnt have the time to do the work on my own.
I had work/rehearsal/practice/etc.
Everybody else does it. Why not me, too?
I didnt understand the assignment and I needed
some help.
I didnt know that I had to cite my sources.
I had to. I need to have good grades.
The assignment was dumb/boring/too hard/too
easy/etc., so why should I put my effort into it?
Have you heard any of those before?
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But those excuses dont cut itThere is no
acceptable excuse for plagiarism.Plagiarism is
cheating(and it will be treated as such if it is
found in your work).
Look at these real life examples
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Real Life Plagiarism Scandals

• Doris Kearns Goodwin, a Pulitzer Prize winning
  historian, was forced to step down from the
  Pulitzer board after she was found to have
  accidentally used anothers words in one of her
  books.

Disgraced
Kirpatrick, David D. Author Goodwin Resigns
from Pulitzer Board. New York Times. (1 June
2002.) 5 Aug. 2008. lthttp//query.nytimes.com/gst
/fullpage.html?res9C06E7D7143AF932A35755C0A9649C8
B63gt.
Hostetter, Janet. 6 Apr 2006. Associated Press
Images. 5 Aug 2008. lthttp//apimages.ap.orggt
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Real Life Plagiarism Scandals

• After being accused of rampant plagiarism in her
  work, tenured professor Madonna G. Constantine
  was fired from her position at Columbia
  University.

Fired
Santora, Marc. Columbia Professor in Noose Case
Is Fired on Plagiarism Charges. New York Times.
(24 June 2008.) 5 Aug. 2008. lthttp//www.nytimes
.com/2008/06/24/nyregion/24columbia.html?scp1sq
Madonna20Constantine20stcsegt.
Bondafeff, Dian. 10 Oct. 2007. Associated Press
Images. 5 Aug 2008. lthttp//apimages.ap.orggt.

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Real Life Plagiarism Scandals

• As a reporter for the New York Times, Jayson
  Blair plagiarized or fabricated in more than 40
  stories between 2002 and 2005. He was fired from
  his job. The top two editors of the newspaper
  resigned as a result of the scandal.

Forced to
give up career
Correcting the Record. New York Times. 11 May
2003. The New York Times. 5 Aug 2008.
lthttp//query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res94
03E1DB123FF932A25756C0A9659C8B63gt
Image Szymaszek, Jennifer. 12 May 2004.
Associated Press Images. 5 Aug 2008. lthttp//
apimages.ap.orggt
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Real Life Plagiarism Scandals

• Blair Hornstein was the valedictorian of her high
  school class and had earned admission to Harvard
  University. After articles Hornstein wrote for a
  local newspaper were discovered to have been
  plagiarized, Harvard University rescinded their
  acceptance.

Harvard
Admission
Revoked
Blair Hornstein. The Gothamist. 14 July 2003.
5 Aug. 2008. lthttp//gothamist.com/2003/07/14/go
thamist.phpgt.
Capuzzo, Jill P. MOORESTOWN JOURNAL Seeing
Crimson. New York Times. (20 July 2003.) 5
Aug. 2008. lthttp//query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage
.html?res9E00E6D61E3CF933A15754C0A9659C8B63scp4
sqBlair20Hornstein20stcsegt.
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So, as you can see,plagiarism is a serious
offense.This presentation is part of your class
work so that you know what plagiarism is and
how you can avoid it.
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Definition of Plagiarism

• Plagiarism is
• To steal the words or ideas of another person
• To pass off the words or ideas of another person
  as ones own
• Further
• It doesnt matter whether the theft is
  intentional or accidental. Either way, it is
  plagiarism.

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Lets look at some hypothetical situations.For
each, determine if the student plagiarized or did
not.Click on the arrow to move to the next page.
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Jacks Situation

• Jack has an English paper due tomorrow. He read
  the book and paid attention during class, but he
  has no idea what to write about.
• Jack logs onto the Internet just to get some
  ideas about topics for his paper.
• He finds a great idea and begins writing his
  paper using the topic he found. He is very
  careful to avoid copying any text or words from
  the Internet article he found.

Is this plagiarism?
Yes
No
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You must choose from the blue buttons at the
bottom of the page.Read the situation and then
choose one of the options presented.
Click here to return to previous slide
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You saidJack did plagiarize.

• You are right. Jacks actions constitute
  plagiarism.
• Jack is committing plagiarism by taking the ideas
  of the source without citing them in the paper.
• Even though he put the ideas in his own words,
  Jack is stealing the intellectual property of the
  source.

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You saidJack did not plagiarize.

• You are wrong. Jacks actions constitute
  plagiarism.
• Jack is committing plagiarism by taking the ideas
  of the source without citing them in the paper.
• Even though he put the ideas in his own words,
  Jack is stealing the intellectual property of the
  source. You are wrong. Jacks actions constitute
  plagiarism.
• He could avoid plagiarism if he cites the source
  of the ideas in his paper.

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Jills Situation

• During history class, Jill is asked to find some
  background on Fidel Castros rise to power.
• Jill does a Google search and arrives at
  Wikipedias article on Fidel Castro. Without
  using quotation marks, Jill cuts and pastes
  several sentences from Wikipedia into her
  assignment.

Is this plagiarism?
Yes
No
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You must choose from the blue buttons at the
bottom of the page.Read the situation and then
choose one of the options presented.
Click here to return to previous slide
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You saidJill did plagiarize.

• You are right. Jills actions constitute
  plagiarism.
• By taking the words from the Wikipedia article,
  Jill is committing plagiarism.
• She can avoid plagiarizing by quoting the article
  in her assignment and including an entry that
  describes the source in a bibliography at the end
  of her paper.

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You saidJill did not plagiarize.

• You are wrong. Jills actions constitute
  plagiarism.
• By taking the words from the Wikipedia article,
  Jill is committing plagiarism.
• She can avoid plagiarizing by quoting the article
  in her assignment and including an entry that
  describes the source in a bibliography at the end
  of her paper.

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Gretels Situation

• Gretel is a freshman who feels overwhelmed by the
  high school. When her science teacher assigns a
  short worksheet on genetics, Gretel is confused
  and frustrated.
• During lunch, Gretel borrows her friends paper
  and copies the answers onto her own paper.

Is this plagiarism?
Yes
No
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You must choose from the blue buttons at the
bottom of the page.Read the situation and then
choose one of the options presented.
Click here to return to previous slide
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You saidGretel did plagiarize.

• You are right. Gretels actions constitute
  plagiarism.
• Even if Gretels friend gave permission for
  Gretel to copy her work, it is still plagiarism.
• Gretel is guilty of plagiarism. She tried to
  take credit for the words and ideas of another
  person.

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You saidGretel did not plagiarize.

• You are wrong. Gretels actions constitute
  plagiarism.
• Even if Gretels friend gave permission for
  Gretel to copy her work, it is still plagiarism.
  
• When a student attempts to take credit for the
  words and ideas of another person without
  acknowledging the original source of the work

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Think youve got it?Read the following(and
pay attention! There will be a quiz on this
information at the end!)
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Definition of Plagiarism

• Plagiarism is
• To steal the words or ideas of another person
• To pass off the words or ideas of another person
  as ones own
• It doesnt matter whether the theft is
  intentional or accidental. Either way, it is
  plagiarism.

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How to Avoid Plagiarism

• Cite the source of any idea or words you take
  from anyone else.
• Carefully mark the beginning and end of the
  sources words or idea.
• Provide a bibliography to show where the borrowed
  material originated.

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OK, I get it there are penalties for
plagiarizing because it is stealing someone
elses words or ideas. But, if I am not caught,
I wont be penalized. So, what is the benefit
of citing my sources?
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Four good reasons for citing sources in your work

• Citing reliable information gives credibility to
  your work.
• Cheating is unethical behavior.
• It is only fair to give credit to the
  sourceotherwise, you are stealing the sources
  ideas.
• The consequences are severeplagiarism is not
  worth the risk.

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You probably have two questions(1) What do I
need to cite?(2) How do I cite?Read on for
the answers
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What do I need to cite?

• This chart will help you decide what must be
  cited.
• It was created by Robert A. Harris in The
  Plagiarism Handbook.

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Sothe rule isIf you created it without any
help,you do not need to cite the source.If you
did not create the content, you must cite the
source.
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The one exception to that rule is for common
knowledge.You do not need to cite the source
of an unoriginal piece of information IF(1) an
educated person should know the information,
OR(2) it is a fact that could be found in an
encyclopedia.
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So, you dont need to cite a fact, but you
must cite the source of opinions and ideas that
are not your own. And, you must cite
anytime you use the exact words of the
sourceeven if the words are presenting common
knowledge.
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So, you dont need to cite a fact, for example
Harper Lee wrote To Kill a Mockingbird.OR
Harper Lee was born in 1926.but you must cite
the source of opinions and ideas that are not
your own.for example Dorothy Gale believes that
Lord of the Flies is an inspiring story (75). OR
According to Joe Smith, Piggy represents the
human spirit (15).And, you must cite anytime
you use the exact words of the sourceeven if the
words are presenting common knowledge.You must
always cite the source of ANY direct quotation.
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Take one more look at this chart! If the idea
and the words are yours, you do not need to cite.
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So, lets check to see that you understand when
you need to cite the source and when you
dontAnswer the following questions and choose
the correct answer.
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• Test Case 1
• Jack isnt sure if he needs to cite the source of
  the information below. He found the fact online.
  
• Abraham Lincoln was our 16th president.
• What do you think? What should Jack do? Pick
  one of the answers below.

• Cite the source.
• This means he will
• Either
• Surround with quotation marks, or
• Put the quotation into his own words,
• changing the syntax, structure,
• organization
• Include a lead-in giving the sources name,
• Give the page number, and
• List the source in a bibliography

• Do not cite the
• source.
• This means that the information is a
• commonly reported fact. It is generally
• known and available from many sources.
• Jack should verify the information in at
• least two sources, then
• Jack will write the well-known
• information in his own words.

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You must choose one of the buttons at the bottom
of the page.Read the situation and then choose
one of the options presented.
Click here to return to previous slide
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You are incorrect.In this case, citation is not
necessary.

• Jack does not need to cite the source or quote
  the information because it is general knowledge.
• Abraham Lincolns status as the 16th President of
  the US is a fact that is verifiable in many
  places. Therefore, Jack can use the information
  without citation.

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You are correct!Jack does not need to cite this
information.

• Jack does not need to cite the source or quote
  the information because it is general knowledge.
• Abraham Lincolns status as the 16th President of
  the US is a fact that is verifiable in many
  places. Therefore, Jack can use the information
  without citation.

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• Test Case 2
• In her paper on Affirmative Action, Jill found
  one source that explained that Affirmative Action
  evens the field of play by forcing equality
  among all players.
• In her paper, Jill uses the phrase forcing
  equality but she puts all the other parts of the
  source into her own words.
• What should Jill do? Pick one of the answers
  below.

• Cite the source.
• This means she will
• Either
• Surround with quotation marks, or
• Put the quotation into her own words,
• changing the syntax, structure,
• organization
• Include a lead-in giving the sources name,
• Give the page number, and
• List the source in a bibliography

• Not cite the source.
• This means that the information is generally
• known and available from multiple sources.
• Jill should verify the information in at
• least two sources, then
• Jill will write the well-known
• information in his own words.
• (3) Jill should make a bibliographic citation
• for use on her Works Consulted page.

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You must choose one of the buttons at the bottom
of the page.Read the situation and then choose
one of the options presented.
Click here to return to previous slide
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You are correct!Jill must cite this information.

• Jill needs to cite the source of the paraphrase
  because the idea belongs to the source.
• Further, because Jill uses the unique phrase
  forcing equality, she must include that phrase
  in quotation marks, indicating that it is a
  direct quotation from the source.

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You are incorrect.In this case, citation is
necessary.

• Jill needs to cite the source of the paraphrase
  because the idea belongs to the source.
• Further, because Jill uses the unique phrase
  forcing equality, she must include that phrase
  in quotation marks, indicating that it is a
  direct quotation from the source.

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• Test Case 3
• Gretel found a very helpful article in an online
  database. She very carefully made sure that she
  rewrote the content of the article using her own
  personal style she changed the authors syntax
  and organization so that it fit seamlessly into
  her paper.
• What should Gretel do?

• Cite the source.
• This means she will
• Either
• Surround with quotation marks, or
• Put the quotation into his own words,
• changing the syntax, structure,
• organization
• Include a lead-in giving the sources name,
• Give the page number, and
• List the source in a bibliography

• Not cite the source.
• This means that the information is generally
• known and available from multiple sources.
• Gretel should verify the information in at
• least two sources, then
• Gretel will write the well-known
• information in his own words.
• (3) Gretel must include a bibliographic citation
• on her Works Consulted page.

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You must choose one of the buttons at the bottom
of the page.Read the situation and then choose
one of the options presented.
Click here to return to previous slide
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You are correct.In this case, citation is
required.

• Gretel paraphrases the sources idea and content.
  She must give credit to the source.
• She must provide her audience with the source of
  the idea that she borrowed.

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You are incorrect!Gretel must cite the source of
this information, even though she put it in her
own words.

• Gretel paraphrases the ideas of the source, so
  she must cite the identity of the source.
• Gretel must provide her audience with the source
  of the material that she borrowed.

52
Can you identify plagiarism when you see it?

• Try the following four examples. On each you
  will see the source material and the students
  usage of that material.
• Use the buttons at the bottom of the screen to
  choose if the example shows acceptable use or
  plagiarism.

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Acceptable Use or Plagiarism?Example 1

• Original text from the source

• Students Text

One reason that Lincoln was well-liked during his
lifetime was that his integrity was sincere. A
persons statements and dealings with the world
allows that person to be judged as honest.
Integrity must be sincere. Thats one reason
Lincoln was so admired in his lifetime. Through
an individuals words, deeds, and actions,
integrity can be judged to be genuine. Donald
T. Phillips. Lincoln on Leadership. (52)
Students Bibliography
No references given.
Acceptable Use
Plagiarism
CHOOSE ONE
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You must choose one of the buttons at the bottom
of the page.Read the situation and then choose
one of the options presented.
Click here to return to previous slide
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You said that the example showed Acceptable
UseYou are incorrect.

• Use the arrow at the bottom of this screen to
  return to the example.
• Reread the example and see if you can determine
  why it is plagiarism.

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You said that the example showed PlagiarismYou
are correct!

• The student put the authors idea into her own
  words however, she did not give credit to the
  source of the idea.

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Acceptable Use or Plagiarism? Example 2

• Original text from the source

• Students Text

Phillips believes that the populaces admiration
for Lincoln stems from his integrity and honesty
(52).
Integrity must be sincere. Thats one reason
Lincoln was so admired in his lifetime. Through
an individuals words, deeds, and actions,
integrity can be judged to be genuine. Donald
T. Phillips. Lincoln on Leadership. (52)
Students Bibliography
Phillips, Donald T. Lincoln on Leadership
Executive Strategies for Tough Times. Warner
Books New York, 1992.
Acceptable Use
Plagiarism
CHOOSE ONE
58
You must choose one of the buttons at the bottom
of the page.Read the situation and then choose
one of the options presented.
Click here to return to previous slide
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You said that the example showed Acceptable
UseYou are correct!

• The student clearly marked the boundaries of the
  paraphrase
• Providing the authors name at the beginning of
  the paraphrase shows where Phillips idea starts.
• Providing the page number at the end of the
  paraphrase shows where Phillips idea ends.
• The reference on the bibliography page is
  accurate.

60
You said that the example showed PlagiarismYou
are incorrect!

• Use the arrow at the bottom of this screen to
  return to the example.
• Reread the example and see if you can determine
  why this usage is acceptable.

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Acceptable Use or Plagiarism? Example 3

• Original text from the source

• Students Text

Lincoln was so admired in his lifetime because he
had integrity. Integrity must be sincere.
Through an individuals words, deed, and actions,
integrity can be judged to be genuine.
Integrity must be sincere. Thats one reason
Lincoln was so admired in his lifetime. Through
an individuals words, deeds, and actions,
integrity can be judged to be genuine. Donald
T. Phillips. Lincoln on Leadership. (52)
Students Bibliography
No references given.
Acceptable Use
Plagiarism
CHOOSE ONE
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You must choose one of the buttons at the bottom
of the page.Read the situation and then choose
one of the options presented.
Click here to return to previous slide
63
You said that the example showed Acceptable
UseYou are incorrect!

• Use the arrow at the bottom of this screen to
  return to the example.
• Reread the example and see if you can determine
  why it is plagiarism.

64
You said that the example showed PlagiarismYou
are correct!

• The student used the exact words of the source
  without providing any indication of their origin.
  
• A reader would believe that this passage is the
  work of the student.

65
Acceptable Use or Plagiarism? Example 4

• Original text from the source

• Students Text

During his lifetime, people admired Lincoln
because his words, deeds and actions demonstrated
his sincere, genuine integrity.
Integrity must be sincere. Thats one reason
Lincoln was so admired in his lifetime. Through
an individuals words, deeds, and actions,
integrity can be judged to be genuine. Donald
T. Phillips. Lincoln on Leadership. (52)
Students Bibliography
Phillips, Donald T. Lincoln on Leadership
Executive Strategies for Tough Times. Warner
Books New York, 1992.
Acceptable Use
Plagiarism
CHOOSE ONE
66
You must choose one of the buttons at the bottom
of the page.Read the situation and then choose
one of the options presented.
Click here to return to previous slide
67
You said that the example showed Acceptable
UseYou are incorrect!

• Use the arrow at the bottom of this screen to
  return to the example.
• Reread the example and see if you can determine
  why it is plagiarism.

68
You said that the example showed PlagiarismYou
are correct!

• The student changed the order of the words and
  the structure of the sentences however, he did
  not give credit to the Phillips book as the
  source of the idea.

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So, to review

• Plagiarism is a serious offense. Not only does
  it carry heavy penalties, but your integrity is
  damaged when you plagiarize.
• Plagiarism is easily avoidablejust cite the
  sources when you use the words or ideas of
  another person.
• If you have any questions, see your teacher or
  school librarian!

70
Final Directions

• Your teacher has a written quiz for you to take
  on the subject of plagiarism.
• At the end of the quiz is an honor code
  statement. You will sign it in order to verify
  that you have receive this training.
• You will then have your parent sign the honor
  code.
• Your English teacher will collect these signed
  forms.

71
Sources Consulted

• DeSena, Laura Hennessey. Preventing Plagiarism
  Tips and Techniques. National Council of
  Teachers of English Urbana, IL, 2007.
• Harris, Robert A. The Plagiarism Handbook
  Strategies for Preventing, Detecting, and Dealing
  with Plagiarism. Pyrczak Publishing Los
  Angeles, 2001.
• Valenza, Joyce Kasman. What is Plagiarism? (And
  Why You Should Care). Springfield High School
  Media Center Information Literacy Lessons.
  Springfield School District.