Plagiarism Tutorial

What is Plagiarism?NLTS Student Handbook states: "NLTS considers plagiarism a form of cheating, and requires that all written

work be the student’s own original work that reflects the student’s own thoughts. As already stated, students are not to exploit the labor of others and distribute it as his/her own. Generally speaking, when using three or more consecutive words from another source, the words must be in quotations with proper credit given to the original author. In cases where students participate in a group project, each student in the group must receive equal recognition for his/her contribution.“

In Layman’s Terms:

Plagiarism is form a cheating whereby a student passes of the work of others as their own by failing to give credit to others.

Why Should I Care?

• Uphold personal, academic, and institutional integrity

• Plagiarism could lead to failing grades in course or expulsion

• Poorly cited work leads to poor arguments in papers and speeches

• Instructors need a ‘breadcrumb’ trail to verify the sources you use in your papers

Plagiarism is:• Passing off someone else’s

intellectual property* as your own (intentionally or unintentionally)

• Failing to mention peers with whom you collaborated

• Failing to cite the sources of ideas or information, whether a direct quote, summary, or a paraphrase

• Failing to place three or more words from the original source in quotation marks

Plagiarism is not:• Restating common

knowledge,** such as:– Popular proverbs or sayings– Well-known dates and historical

events– Information in given field of study

that is widely disseminated outside of the field

• Stating your own research findings, ideas, and thoughts

*Intellectual property includes all products of one’s intellect, from books to computer codes to speeches to song lyrics**For a better explanation of what constitutes common knowledge, please consult Section 7.9.3 in Kate Turabian's A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 7th ed. (p. 79).

Paraphrasing Definition: a restatement of a text or passage giving the

meaning in another form, as for clearness; rewording ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Example taken from page 22 of unChristian by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons:

“For both Mosaics and Busters, relationships are the driving force. Being loyal to friends is one of their highest values….Still under their relational connectedness lies fierce individualism.”

In my paper I write: “Mosaics and Busters are relationship-centered and yet highly individualistic.”1

__________________________________________________________________

1. David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons, Unchristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity-- and Why It Matters (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books, 2007), page 22.

Assessing Your Knowledge of Plagiarism

The next couple of slides will assess your knowledge of plagiarism through a series of examples. Click on the ENTER tab to view the answer and explanation.

Example: The Bible is the sacred text of Christianity.

Does this require a citation?

Assessing Your Knowledge of Plagiarism

No.

This is common knowledge.

Example #1-Using the Bible and other Sacred Works

In my paper, I write: Christians, regardless of their lot in life, “should

work willingly, as to the Lord” (Col. 3:23)1, and not unto men, as Paul urges them.

Is this citation necessary?______________1. All Bible verses quoted in this paper come

from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

Example #1-Using the Bible and other Sacred Works

YES.

Although translations such as the KJV have expired copyrights, you must still cite the Scripture in the text. Note the translation in a footnote the first time you use a Scripture passage, use a parenthesis in the text of your paper for all subsequent Scripture passages (like in example above), and do not include the Bible in your bibliography; an in-text citation will suffice.

Example #2-Common Knowledge

In my paper I write:

The N.T. scholar A. Julicher’s understood Jesus’s parables to be allegories, breaking the historical precedent of interpreting them literally.

Should I include a citation?

Example #2-Common Knowledge

Yes.You should cite this. This is not common

knowledge and your source should be noted in the footnote and bibliography. This is a sample footnote in Turabian.1

_____________________

1. Joel B. Green, Scot McKnight, and I. Howard Marshall, eds., Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels (Downers Grove, IL : Intervarsity Press, 1992), 591. (Turabian Style Footnote)

Example #3-Citing 3 or More Consecutive Words in Parentheses

Original Text From a Book:

Religion must be understood not as a separate reality/entity unto itself. Rather it must be recognized that religion is always enmeshed in a specific sociocultural environment.

My paper reads:

Religion is a part of the culture, it is enmeshed in a specific sociocultural environment. 1

______________________

1. Phil Zuckerman, Invitation to the Sociology of Religion (New York: Routledge, 2003), 76.

Is this plagiarism?

Example #3-Citing 3 or More Consecutive Words in Parentheses

YES.

Even though I properly cite the source, I use three original words for the text without putting them in quotation marks. I should use quotation marks around the phrase “enmeshed in a specific sociocultural environment.”

Example #4-Paraphrasing Other’s Ideas

Original Text From a Book:"Though students do not have books, they most emphatically do have

music. Nothing is more singular about this generation than its addiction to music. This is the age of music and the states of soul that accompany it."

I paraphrase this statement in my paper by writing:Bloom states emphatically that music is the most significant characteristic

of this generation of students, and in fact, that they are addicted to music.1 This is quite insightful, but is not limited to students.

______________

1. Bloom, Allan David. The Closing of the American Mind: How HigherEducation Has Failed Democracy and Impoverished the Souls of Today's Students.(New York: Simon and Schuster, 1987), 68.

Did I paraphrase correctly?

.

Example #4-Paraphrasing Other’s Ideas

Yes.

I did not plagiarize because I did not use more than three consecutive words from the original text AND I cited the source of the idea.

Example #5-Paraphrasing ALL Ideas That Are Not Your Own

Original Text From a Book:

"Though students do not have books, they most emphatically do have music. Nothing is more singular about this generation than its addiction to music. This is the age of music and the states of soul that accompany it".

I paraphrase this statement in my paper by writing:

Bloom states emphatically that music is the most significant characteristic of this generation of students1, and in fact, that they are addicted to music. This is quite insightful, but is not limited to students.

______________

1. Bloom, Allan David. The Closing of the American Mind: How HigherEducation Has Failed Democracy and Impoverished the Souls of Today's Students.(New York: Simon and Schuster, 1987), 68.

Did I paraphrase correctly?

Example #5-Paraphrasing ALL Ideas That Are Not Your Own

NO.

I put the source citation (signaled by “1” in superscript) before the statement “they are

addicted music”. Therefore, I am implying that this is my own conclusion, when in fact, it is the

author’s.

Example #6-Information and Images on the Web

I found this beautiful picture on Wikipedia that I would like to incorporate in a presentation on Israel. There is caption on the photo stating it is in the public domain.

Should I cite my source of this photograph?

Example #6-Information and Images on the Web

Yes.

Source: Photograph by Berthold Werner.1

While many photographs are available on Wikipedia that the author has released to the public domain (and thus do not require the creator’s permission to re-use), one must still cite the source as a caption and a footnote. Generally speaking, images can be omitted from your bibliography.

1. Berthold Werner, “Jerusalem, Dome of the Rock, in the background the Church of the Holy Sepulcher” Wikipedia, JPG file, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jerusalem_Dome_of_the_rock_BW_14.JPG (accessed on September 22, 2011).

Summarizing What You Learned

• Any ideas that are not your own must be properly cited

• Sources with expired copyrights (like sacred texts) still require citation

• Using three or more consecutive words from the original text must be enclosed in quotation marks

• Paraphrasing and summarizing someone else’s work requires a citation

• Common knowledge does not require a citation• Any information or images found on the web, even if

labeled as ‘public domain’, must be cited

Where Do I Go From Here?• Consult the library website for help with citing your

sources in Turabian and SBL or use the style manuals available on reserves in the library

• If you checked out books from the library and failed to write down all the necessary data about the book, you can search for those resources in the library catalog

• Use the ‘References’ tab in Microsoft Word to capture data about your books as you use them

• When in doubt about the ethical use of a source, ask your professor

• Adopt conscientious study and research habits