Using Information Ethically

Using Information EthicallyPart 1Plagiarism

1Welcome to the tutorial on Using Information Ethically. The focus of this tutorial is on learning about plagiarism, its consequences, and how to avoid it by citing your sources of information.PlagiarismObjectivesLocate the University's policies on Academic Integrity

Define Plagiarism

Distinguish proper use of information from plagiarism

2The objectives of this tutorial are to

Locate the University's policies on Academic Integrity

Define Plagiarism

Distinguish proper use of information from plagiarism

PlagiarismAcademic honesty

Being honest in all scholarlyactivities

Georgia Southern Honor Code:I will be academically honest in all my course work and will not tolerate the academic dishonesty of others

3Plagiarism is considered a form of academic dishonesty. Being honest in all scholarly activities is expected of you as a member of the Georgia Southern community. In fact, you should become familiar with and abide by the Georgia Southern Honor Code, which states, I will be academically honest in all my course work and will not tolerate the academic dishonesty of others .PlagiarismPlagiarismDefinition:The unaccredited use of someone elses words or ideas.

Stolley, Karl. "Avoiding Plagiarism." OWL at Purdue. 28 Sept. 2006. Purdue University. 26 Jan. 2007 .

4A basic definition of plagiarism is, The unaccredited use of someone elses words or ideas.. Whenever you use someones words, ideas, or creative works without giving them credit, you are committing an act of plagiarism. Other definitions may include other dishonest acts.PlagiarismGeorgia Southern UniversityPlagiarism defined:Student Conduct CodeSee Academic Dishonesty in the TOC.http://deanofstudents.georgiasouthern.edu/conduct/student-code-of-conduct/

Note: Ga Southerns definition includes the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another and the purchase of academic materials from an agency

5The Georgia Southern Universitys definition can be found at this URL. This link goes to the pdf version of the current Student Conduct Code. Note that Georgia Southerns definition of plagiarism includes the use of materials purchased from an agency or the use of work completed by another person. In other words, buying term papers from an online source or using academic materials completed by a friend is considered plagiarism. Plagiarism

6Heres a screen shot of the page from the current Student Conduct Code in the section covering Academic Dishonesty. Read both the areas labeled Cheating and Plagiarism. Descriptions of plagiarism often mention directly quoting material, paraphrasing, and summarizing.

What do these mean?PlagiarismDistinctionsTo quote: to provide an exact duplication of an authors words as they appear in the original sourceTo paraphrase: to provide a restatement of the authors words in your own wordsTo summarize: to provide a brief overview of the authors main points from an original source

7To quote is to provide an exact duplication of an authors words as they appear in the original source. This is indicated by using quotation marks around the quoted text, or for long quotes, the text is indented by 5 spaces from the left and right margins. Different formatting styles have different requirements.To paraphrase is to provide a restatement of the authors words in your own wordsTo summarize is to provide a brief overview of the authors main points from an original source

These different ways of incorporating the words or ideas of others into your academic work require you to give credit to these authors. Usually, this is done in the form of a citation. Citing your sources is something you should do even if your instructors do not say explicitly to do so.

PlagiarismTips for avoiding plagiarismOrganizationPreparingGood note-takingGiving credit/attribution, i.e., citing sourcesAsking for help

8Here are a few tips to help you avoid plagiarism by failing to give credit to your others whose words or ideas you use. First, take an organized approach when you are preparing your assignments. Keep track of the sources you consult, noting when youve quoted and when youve paraphrased or summarized. Include the sources youve used in a bibliography, works cited, or list of references at the end of your assignment. And as always, ask for help from your instructor or from a Reference librarian.

More about citing sources will be covered in the next tutorial called Citing Sources.