How to avoid plagiarism

Format of this session A. What is plagiarism?: Can you recognise it? (Activity 1, 2 and 3) B. What is paraphrasing?: How do you do it? (Activity 4) C. When and how to reference within the text (Activity 5, 6 and 7)

Activity 1: What is plagiarism?

A: What is plagiarism? Students’ views: “If you try to put it into proper quotation marks and you reference properly then it can’t be classed as plagiarism.” “It’s quite straightforward, … to reference, so I don’t see how it [plagiarism] can be unintentional because you are supposed to reference.” SDDU Plagiarism University of Leeds guide. [Online]. [Accessed 28 January 2009] Available from:

A: What is plagiarism? Activity 1.2 Try this: Draw a shape on your notepad. Any shape!

A: What is plagiarism? How many of you drew a common shape?

A: What is plagiarism? How many of you produced this shape?

A: Is this plagiarism? Original Your work

A: Is this plagiarism? Original Your work

A: Is this plagiarism? Original Your work

A: What is plagiarism?: University of Leeds definition “Plagiarism is defined as presenting someone else’s work, in whole or in part, as your own. Work means any intellectual output, and typically includes text, data, images, sound or performance” (University of Leeds 2013 section 2.1). Plagiarism can be avoided by acknowledging in an appropriate academic manner, the contribution that others have made to the development of your ideas and the quality of your answers. NB: Plagiarism = intentional OR unintentional University of Leeds Cheating, plagiarism, fraudulent or fabricated coursework and malpractice in university examinations and assessments. [Online]. Available from:

A: Plagiarism: detection and penalties Detection: Lecturer knowledge TurnitinUK or other software Penalties can include: Written warning and loss of mark (in whole or in part) for the offending piece of work Loss of mark or credit for the entire module with which the offending piece of work is associated Requirement to submit a new piece of work Requirement to repeat the module

Activity 2: You be the judge: Is this plagiarism?

A: Is this plagiarism?: You be the judge! 1.Plagiarism 2.Not plagiarism (this is paraphrasing) 3.Not plagiarism (but not a good idea) 4.Plagiarism (Collusion- considered malpractice) 5.Not plagiarism (good way of using quotes) 6.Plagiarism 7.Plagiarism 8.Plagiarism (can’t copy phrases) 9.Plagiarism 10.Plagiarism at the sentence level

Activity 3: Can you recognise plagiarism in a piece of academic writing?

A: Can you recognise plagiarism? Ex. 1: Is NOT plagiarism, but is over-quoting – bad idea Ex. 2: Is NOT plagiarism – fully paraphrased and referenced Ex. 3: IS plagiarism – phrases copied exactly

B: Avoiding plagiarism: Activity 4: Paraphrasing and note taking

B: Plagiarism and note-taking Use keywords Use your own words to explain ideas Write down the reference you are using in your notes NEVER (or try not to) look back at original source when writing about it When finished reading, mindmap links between sources

B: What is paraphrasing? Activity 4.5 Paraphrase = same meaning, different words, in detail Paraphrasing = legitimate way to borrow from a source Why paraphrase?: shows you understand original Summary = main ideas of whole text, different words, shorter

B: How to paraphrase: Activity Read originals 2.Keyword notes only 3.Make a note of reference/s 4.Put originals away and rewrite from keyword notes 5.DO NOT look at original again; NO cut and paste! Paraphrasing is NOT just changing a few words or rearranging the sentence a bit! Remember to: 1. rewrite the ideas 2. change the words 3. cite the source

C: Why reference? To avoid plagiarism, but also to: Put your work into context Show you have read widely Give supporting evidence for an idea Allow others to find your sources Note: poor information sources and poor referencing lose marks!

Activity 5: When to reference within the text

C: When to reference in the text: Activity 5 Reference EVERYTHING except what has come out of your own head! You do not have to reference common knowledge (if you are sure it is) It is better to over–reference than to under-reference!

Activity 6: How to reference within the text

C: How to reference within the text Activity 6 Beginning: Smith (2008) states that… Middle: Studying the …, Smith (2008) points out that… End: The floods caused significant damage (Smith, 2008).

C: When and how to use quotations Don’t over quote- use only a few per essay! Choose carefully! (Unusual or different) Short and ‘in the middle of your sentence’ (Jones, 2008, p.5) OR longer (if absolutely necessary) –“indented and in quotation marks” (Jones, 2008, p.34) Don’t disturb the flow of text Put in reference and page number

C: Referencing styles Harvard Style This is the Harvard Style (Jones, 2008). Reference List Jones, R Harvard Style. Leeds: University Press. Numeric Style This is the Numeric Style (1). Reference List 1. Smith, J. Numeric Style. Leeds: University Press, See the Library website for more on referencing styles.

Activity 7: When to reference within the text: practice

C: When to reference within the text Activity 7 Reminder once again: If in doubt, put down a reference! Unless it’s from your head or you are sure it’s common knowledge.

Conclusion: Top tips for avoiding plagiarism 1.Keyword notes, own words 2.Write source references in notes 3.Full paraphrasing from own notes 4.Full referencing within the text 5.Correct use of quotations

Resources For more advice on avoiding plagiarism For more on referencing: