Some Types of Plagiarism:
Deliberate Possibly
Plagiarism Accidental Plagiarism
In some cultures it is perfectly acceptable to borrow ideas and expressions from others and incorporate them freely into your own work. Indeed, some societies view it as a mark of respect to base your writing on the work or words of others, and there is little emphasis on issues of copyright, documentation, or plagiarism.
However, in the U.S., the use of someone else’s ideas or words without clearly giving credit to that source is considered plagiarism. And in American institutions, plagiarism is an academic crime with often-serious consequences: failure of a paper, failure in a course, even expulsion from a university.
“But,” you may say, “as a student I am constantly asked to work with other people’s ideas and words. I’m asked to look at what has been written about a subject, and sometimes I have to write about something I know nothing about. Of course I have to use the information I find in sources. How can that be wrong?”
This is a dilemma many students struggle with. The answer is yes, academic writing is often a collaboration among you, your reader, and your sources. You do have to work with the ideas, research, and words of others—but you must be careful to use and document your sources carefully, so a reader can go to those sources for more information; and you must always give credit to the originator of any ideas, research, words, or other expression you use in your writing.
If you don’t, you’re a plagiarist. The word derives from the Latin word meaning “kidnapper.” When you plagiarize, you steal the words or ideas of another. Simply put, a plagiarist is an academic thief.
Sometimes student writers are accused of plagiarism even when they don’t deliberately “steal” the work of others. Sometimes writers commit plagiarism when they don’t understand what must be acknowledged, or when they are simply careless. Nevertheless, they may be labeled plagiarists and find themselves in serious academic trouble.
Some Types of Plagiarism:
Deliberate Possibly
Plagiarism Accidental Plagiarism
Turning in as yours Incorporating notes into a paper
a paper written by and forgetting those are not
someone else your words
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Asking (or paying) Using the source too closely
someone else to write when paraphrasing, or forgetting
a paper for you to put quotation marks around
direct quotes
Copying, paraphrasing, or summarizing from another source—e.g. a book, article,
the internet, etc.-- without citing that source
(on purpose or by accident)
Adapted from: Online Writing Lab, Purdue University: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_plagiar.html
Why Is Plagiarism Dangerous?
Teachers and administrators may not recognize any distinction between deliberate and accidental plagiarism. “I didn’t know” is not a valid excuse. American institutions have academic honesty policies, and students fail courses or are expelled if they plagiarize. At some colleges and universities, students have had degrees withheld or failed to graduate because of plagiarism. As the New St. Martin’s Handbook points out, “Outside academic life, eminent political, business, and scientific leaders have been stripped of candidacies, positions, and awards following charges of plagiarism” (494-5). Even some professional writers and historians who were careless with sources have seen their reputations damaged by the label “plagiarist.”
For a discussion of penalties that may be imposed when a student is guilty of plagiarism at Lock Haven University of PA, refer to the “Academic Honesty Policy” section of the Student Handbook (59-60) or go to “Sanctions” at http://www.lhup.edu/stulife/student_handbook/conduct.htm - honesty.
As a writer, you must learn what plagiarism is and how to avoid it. The key: always make sure you give specific credit where it is due. This may be credit for something somebody else said, wrote, discovered, emailed, drew, or even implied. To help you decide what material needs to be cited, the following guide may help:
· Common Knowledge or widely available information – Facts most educated readers would be likely to know, shared information within a field of study or a cultural group, folklore, and commonsense observations (i.e. “common knowledge”) need not be cited. Facts that are widely available in encyclopedias, textbooks, and a variety of newspapers or magazines do not need citations. For example, you would not need to cite the fact that Bill Clinton was reelected President in 1996. Even if the information is new to you (you might need to look up the date of the attack on Pearl Harbor), if it is generally known or widely available, you don’t need to cite the source where you learned it. Other examples that would not need citations are the fact that John Kennedy graduated from Harvard in 1940 or that he was elected president in 1960. Those facts and dates are considered “common knowledge.”
However, precise numbers or data, or information that is not agreed upon, or that a particular person has discovered or theorized about, must be cited. For example, if you give the exact number of popular votes Clinton received in 1996, you would cite that figure. A historian’s analysis of Kennedy’s performance as President or a researcher’s recent discoveries about his health in office must be documented.
· Your own findings from experiments or field research – If you conduct observations, interviews, or experiments, you may announce your findings as your own, without citations. However, if you use what an individual person you interviewed said to you, either directly or in summary, you should give credit.
· Your own experiences, insights, thoughts, reactions, or conclusions about a subject – These belong to you legitimately and need not be documented.
· Direct quotations – Whenever you use another person’s words from a book, journal, magazine, newspaper, song, TV program, movie, Web page, computer program, letter, email, advertisement, or any other medium, cite the source—and enclose the words in quotation marks. Remember, direct quotes must be written exactly as you find them in the source; use brackets [ ] to insert your words or ellipses . . . to leave out words. Even if you quote a few of an author’s words—or use a “unique phrase”—within a paraphrase or summary, you must use quotation marks and cite the source (including page number or, for internet sources, paragraph ¶ number). If two quotations appear together, you can use one citation after the second quotation, provided you make it clear both quotes are from the same source.
· Facts not widely known or assertions that are arguable—If your readers are not likely to know the fact, or if an author presents an assertion that may or may not be true, cite the source. If you’re not sure whether a fact will be familiar or a statement is debatable, be safe—cite the source.
· Judgments, opinions, and claims of others – Whenever you summarize or paraphrase anyone else’s opinion, give the source. Even though the wording of a paraphrase or summary should be completely your own (or almost completely—see above about including quoted words or phrases), you must cite the source.
· Statistics, charts, tables, and graphs from any source – Credit all statistical and graphic material not derived from your own field research, even if you yourself create the graph using data from another source.
· Images, diagrams, photographs, illustrations, pictograms, or other material that you reprint from any source – Cite the source.
· Ideas, suggestions, or other help provided through conversations or email with anyone else – A conference with an instructor may help you formulate an argument, or friends may help you to conduct surveys, refine questionnaires, or think through problems. Give credit to these sources, too.
For materials that require acknowledgement, credit sources as fully as possible, using quotation marks where appropriate, citing the source according to a standard format and, if necessary, including it in a list of sources. Note that providing a list of sources at the end of a paper is usually not enough to avoid charges of plagiarism—you must also identify borrowed material with in-text citations, signal phrases, or another accepted citation method.
Several standard documentation styles are commonly used by writers in various disciplines. For example, writers in the humanities use MLA Style (Modern Language Association); some writers in the social sciences use Chicago Style while others, especially in psychology and education, use APA Style (American Psychological Association). Writers in the sciences often use CBE Style (Council of Science Editors) or a variation. Refer to other Writing Center handouts or any current English handbook for guidance in using these documentation styles.
Careful writers use a number of methods to make sure they are not guilty of purposeful or accidental plagiarism:
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Action to take during the writing process |
Action to ensure correctness of final paper |
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When researching, note-taking, and interviewing |
· Mark everything that is someone’s else’s words with a big Q (for quote) or with quotation marks · Indicate in your notes which ideas are taken from your sources (S) and which are your own insights (ME) · Record all of the relevant documentation information in your notes (e.g. author, title, publication information, page numbers, date) · Make photocopies of important sources you are likely to use |
Ø Proofread and check with your notes (or photocopies of sources) to make sure that anything taken from your notes is acknowledged in some combination of the ways listed below:
· In-text citation · Signal phrase in text · Footnotes · Bibliography · Quotation marks · Indirect quotations |
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When paraphrasing and summarizing |
· Write your paraphrase or summary without looking at the original text, so you rely on your memory, not the words in the source · Next, check your version with the original for content, accuracy, and mistakenly borrowed phrases · Remember that a summary or paraphrase must not change or distort the meaning of the original |
Ø Begin your summary or paraphrase with a signal phrase that names the source: As historian John Lukacs has pointed out, . . . . Ø Put any unique words or phrases that you cannot change, or do not want to change, in quotation marks: Five days during World War II, Ø May 24-28, 1940, were what one historian called the “hinge of fate” (Lukacs 187).
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When quoting directly |
· Keep the person’s name near the quote in your notes and in your paper · Select those direct quotes that make the most impact—too many direct quotes may lessen your credibility and interfere with your style |
Ø Mention the person’s name either at the beginning of the quote, in the middle, or at the end Ø Put quotation marks around the text that you are quoting Ø Indicate added phrases in brackets [ ] and omitted text with ellipses . . . (add another period in rare instances when ellipses come at end of sentence) |
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When quoting indirectly |
· Keep the person’s name near the text in your notes, and in your paper · Rewrite the key ideas using words and sentence structures different from original text |
Ø Mention the person’s name either at the beginning, middle, or end of the borrowed idea Ø Check to make sure that your words and sentence structures are different from the original |
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When proofreading |
· Make sure all borrowed materials are identified by citations |
Ø Check that you have a corresponding entry in list of sources for each citation |
Adapted from: Avoiding Plagiarism. Online Writing Lab. Purdue University
· Use signal verbs and brief attributive phrases to introduce quotes and paraphrases, giving name of source and clearly linking borrowed material to the rest of your text. Here are some signal verbs:
acknowledges believes concludes discusses implies remarks
adds claims concurs emphasizes insists rejects
admits comments describes endorses notes says
agrees compares denies illustrates observes states
argues contends disputes interprets points out suggests
· Some reasons to use direct quotations:
--When the language of the source is especially vivid or effective
--When exact wording is needed for technical accuracy
--When it is important to let debaters of an issue explain their positions in their own words
--When the actual words of an important authority lend weight to an argument
--When the language of a source is the topic of your discussion (as in an analysis or interpretation)
(Hacker 87)
· Quote only what you need:
--It is not always necessary to quote full sentences from a source
--Use summaries or paraphrases to reduce your reliance on words of others, omit less
important material, or establish context
--Use brackets and ellipses to add or omit words and to integrate quotes into your sentence
structure; in general, avoid using ellipses at beginning of quotations, and use them only rarely at
the end. Remember that brackets and ellipses should be used sparingly—too many make
reading difficult and might suggest distortion of original
· Integrate quotations with your own sentences; avoid “free-standing” quotes:
--Exactly how much you use from sources depends on your purpose, but in general your
writing should not be a “patchwork” of quotations from other people; if you overquote
and overcite, your own voice will disappear
· Set off long quotations by indenting:
--Prose quotations longer than four lines (MLA style) or forty words (APA style) should be set
off from regular text
--Begin indented quotations on a new line (indent one inch or 10 spaces for MLA, 5 to 7
spaces for APA)
--Type indented quotes to the right margin, and double space as you do regular text
--Usually, long quotations are introduced by a signal phrase or sentence followed by a colon
--Do not use quotation marks around indented material; place period before parenthetical
citation
A Word About the Web
The Internet and the World Wide Web have become popular sources of information for student papers, but writers must remember that electronic sources are subject to the same rules as print and other sources. When borrowing ideas or quotes from an Internet source, a writer must cite that source. Moreover, a writer who copies visual, graphic, or other information from an Internet source must document the source. In some cases, when borrowing information from a web site, it is advisable to get permission from the site’s creator or owner to avoid copyright infringement.
Remember, too, that many professors are able to check the originality of papers using such tools as <turnitin.com> and other plagiarism detectors. Trying to use Internet sources without citations is not worth the risk of being “caught” as a plagiarist.
--Adapted from Kirszner and Mandell 283-85
Historically, only a handful of families have dominated the fireworks industry in the West. Details such as chemical recipes and mixing procedures were cloaked in secrecy and passed down from one generation to the next….One effect of familial secretiveness is that, until recent decades, basic pyrotechnic research was rarely performed, and even when it was, the results were not generally reported in scientific journals. -- (Conkling, John A. “Pyrotechnics.” Scientific American July 1990:96.)
Plagiarism: Borrowed words not enclosed in quotation marks
John A. Conkling points out that until recently, little scientific research was done on the chemical properties of fireworks, and when it was, the results were not generally reported in scientific journals (96).
Correct: Combination paraphrase and direct quote
John A. Conkling points out that until recently, little scientific research was done on the chemical properties of fireworks, and “when it was, the results were not generally reported in scientific journals” (96).
Correct: Paraphrase (writer’s own words used for borrowed idea)
John A. Conkling points out that what little research was conducted on the chemical composition of fireworks was seldom reported in the scientific literature (96).
Original Source
Let’s be clear: this wish for politically correct casting goes only one way, the way designed to redress the injuries of centuries. When Pat Carroll, who is a woman, plays Falstaff, who is not, casting is considered a stroke of brilliance. When Josette Simon, who is black, plays Maggie in After the Fall, a part Arthur Miller patterned after Marilyn Monroe and which has traditionally been played not by white women, but by blonde white women, it is hailed as a breakthrough. But when the pendulum moves the other way, the actors’ union balks. -- (Quindlen, Anna. “Error, Stage Left.” New York Times 12 Aug 1990, 1:21).
Plagiarism: Paraphrase Too Close to Source (source named in parentheses, and some synonyms substituted, but syntax same as original)
Let us be honest. The desire for politically appropriate casting only goes in one direction, the direction intended to make up for the damage done over hundreds of years. When Pat Carroll, a female, is cast as Falstaff, a male, the decision is a brilliant one. When Josette Simon, a black woman, is cast as Maggie in After the Fall, a role Arthur Miller based on Marilyn Monroe and which has usually been played by a woman who is not only white but also blonde, it is considered a major advance. But when the shoe is on the other foot, the actors’ union resists (Quindlen 21).
Correct: Paraphrase (writer’s own words) with one distinctive phrase quoted
According to Anna Quindlen, the actors’ union supports “politically correct casting” (21) only when it means casting a woman or a minority group member in a role created for a male or Caucasian. Thus, it is acceptable for actress Pat Carroll to play Falstaff or for black actress Josette Simon to play Marilyn Monroe; in fact, casting decisions such as these are praised. But when it comes to casting a Caucasian in a role intended for an African American, Asian, or Hispanic, the union objects (21).
Sources used in creating this handout:
Avoiding Plagiarism. Handout. Online Writing Lab. Purdue University. 6 Feb. 2003
<http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_plagiar.html>
Hacker, Diana. A Writer’s Reference. 4th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1999.
Kirszner, Laurie G. and Stephen R. Mandell. The Brief Holt Handbook. New York: Harcourt, 1995.
Lukacs, John. Five Days in London: May, 1940. New Haven: Yale UP, 1999.
Lunsford, Andrea and Robert Connors. The New St. Martin’s Handbook. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1999.
Writing Center, Lock Haven University of PA, Spring 2003