What is Plagiarism?How can we

avoid Plagiarizing

?

What is Plagiarism?

Plagiarism Defined

Illegal use of the words or ideas of other people

Copying something written by another person & not giving credit

American culture and academia insists that any words, ideas, images, sounds, etc. that you use in your writing which belong to someone else need to be documented.

A charge of plagiarism can have severe consequences:

expulsion from college/universityloss of a job a writer's loss of credibility loss of professional standing

http://www.mdc.edu/procedures/Chapter4/4035.pdf

… from the Miami Dade College Academic Dishonesty Policy …

“ … Academic dishonesty includes the following actions, and those that are similar in nature, with respect to a student's academic performance.

A. Cheating on an examination including unauthorized sharing of information;

B. Collaborating with others in work to be presented, if contrary to the stated rules of the course;

C. Plagiarizing, including the submission of others' ideas or papers (whether purchased, borrowed, or otherwise obtained) as one's own; …”

How can we avoid plagiarizing?

Avoid plagiarizing by…

Citing your sources

Giving credit where credit is due

Bottom Line: document any words, ideas, or other productions that originate somewhere outside of you

how???

don’t…

Avoid plagiarizing…

Simple Tips to Avoiding Plagiarism - REAP

R - Read the entire text

E - Encode = Note the key points & main ideas in your own words

A – Annotate = Write the message down

P – Ponder = Think about it…

http://academics.utep.edu/Portals/1559/docs/resources/Avoiding%20Plagiarism%20-%20Resources.doc

Give Credit where Credit is Due by…

Summarizing

Paraphrasing

Quoting Exact Phrases

Summarizing

Put the main ideas into your own words

Include only the main points

Give credit to the author

Usually focuses on one main idea

Gives reader a clear, easy to understand paragraph of the important facts

Usually 1 paragraph

Let’s Try Summarizing

There are several ways to include quotations in your essay. Often a short quotation works well when integrated into a sentence. Longer quotations can stand alone.

Remember that you should use quotations sparingly. Ask yourself, “Can I summarize or paraphrase the information? Do I need to include a direct quotation?”

When you quote, you need to give the author credit. If you do not give the author credit, you are stealing the author’s work – you are plagiarizing.

Paraphrasing

More detailed than a summary

Use your own words to describe what the author is saying

Give credit to the author

Helps control quoting too much

Use fewer words to explain details of the article

Let’s Try ParaphrasingRuth Reichl called today, sounding tired and sad.

On Monday, her bosses at Condé Nast told her they were shutting down Gourmet, the magazine she captained for the last ten years. She was completely surprised.

“We had shot for a year out,” she said. “It just breaks my heart. January, February and March were going to be great issues.”

So she told her staff. She started packing. And last night they held a wake at her apartment with wine and liquor carted away from the office.

You might cry for the magazine and for its staff, which includes some of the most experienced recipe testers, editors and writers in the business. But don’t cry for her.

“I’m just sad but when I’m done being sad I’ll be working on my next book,” she said.

Quoting

Do it sparingly!

If you quote too much, you may loose credibility with your

audience

Only include the relevant material that needs to be quoted

Give credit to the author

Use quotes when you use the exact same words as the original

Original Paragraph

Technology has significantly transformed education at several points in history. The first technology was the simple modes of communication used by prehistoric people before the development of spoken language. Mime, gestures, grunts, and drawing of figures in the sand with a stick were methods used to communicate - yes, even to educate. Even without speech, these prehistoric people were able to teach their young how to catch animals for food, what animals to avoid, which vegetation was good to eat and which was poisonous.

Which is Plagiarized?

Technology has dramatically changed education throughout history. At first technology was simple communication means used by people before verbal language. Some of the first technology used to communicate and educate included mimes, hand gestures, and drawings in the earth. Although prehistoric people did not use verbal language to talk, they still taught children how to hunt, what animals were bad, and what plants were good vs. poisonous (Frick, 1991).

References: Frick, T. (1991). Restructuring education through technology. Bloomington, IN: Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation.

History has demonstrated that technology affects education profoundly. Considering the definition of technology broadly, one may say that prehistoric people used primitive technologies to teach skills to their young.

vs.

Summarizing

Paraphrasing

Quoting Exact PhrasesAll 3 are usually intertwined in academic writing

Why do it?

Adds credibility to your writingGives different points of view on a subjectHighlights striking phrasesExpands breadth/depth of your writing

Providing References/Citations

Many different styles but most popular are:

APA & MLA

APA - American Psychological Association

Usually used in Social Sciences

Example:

Hammill, S. J. (2009). How to not pull out your hair. Miami, FL: Foolish Publishers.

MLA - Modern Language Association

Usually used in Humanities

Example:

Hammill, Sarah. How to Not Pull Out Your Hair. Miami, FL: Foolish Publishers, 2009. Print.

Simple Tips to Avoiding Plagiarism

Mark your Notes:

Q = Quote

ME = me!

S = Ideas from a Source

Simple Tips to Avoiding Plagiarism

Take clear accurate notes about where the information came from

Write down the complete citation information

Use quotation marks when directly stating another persons words

Always give credit where credit is due – even when you are paraphrasing

References:

Purdue University OWL http://owl.english.purdue.edu/

New York Times Blog http://nytimes.com

UTEPhttp://academics.utep.edu/Portals/1559/docs/resources/Avoiding%20Plagiarism%20-%20Resources.doc

Miami Dade Collegehttp://www.mdc.edu/proceduresChapter4/4035.pdf

Indiana University https://www.indiana.edu/~istd/exampl

e4paraphrasing.html