Plagiarism CHS Library

What is plagiarism? This is when you take credit for someone else’s work. Essentially not citing a source. People can actually plagiarize without even knowing it. It you use to many words that are the same as an author you might be guilty of plagiarism.

How can I avoid this? You should carefully cite every source and write detailed bibliographies.

What are the consequences for plagiarism? The most obvious is that you can get a zero for the assignment. The amount of trouble you get in depends on the circumstances and how serious the plagiarism was.

You can actually plagiarize writing without knowing it. If you use too many of the same words that are used in a passage that was written then you might be guilty of plagiarism.

Sources should be cited in MLA format or Modern Language Association

There are three ways to cite a source:

Quotation This is when you take an short sample of someone’s writing and put it in quotations “ “ Examples:

Paraphrasing This is when you take what some has written and put it in your own words. Examples: resources/survival_guide/CitingDoc/ParaphrasingMLA.php resources/survival_guide/CitingDoc/ParaphrasingMLA.php methodologies/integrate-evidence/summarize-paraphrase-sources/248- examples-of-effective-summaries-and-paraphrases-mla-style methodologies/integrate-evidence/summarize-paraphrase-sources/248- examples-of-effective-summaries-and-paraphrases-mla-style

Summarizing This is when you write a short version with the main idea(s) and concepts from a source. Examples: resources/survival_guide/CitingDoc/SummarizingMLA.php resources/survival_guide/CitingDoc/SummarizingMLA.php les.pdf les.pdf

Common Knowledge This information that is known widely by the general public. Example George Washington was the first President of the United States. You do not have to cite common knowledge. When you are not sure then cite the source just in case. More examples:

Citing a Source When you write a research paper you should write the author(s) name(s) and the page number that you information from. Examples of How to cite a source

"Northwest Missouri State University." MLA Citation Style Examples. Northwest Missouri State University. Web. 12 Nov

Tools to Cite a Source and Prevent Plagiarism

Bibliographies Websites that will help you format and write different types of bibliographies: CitationMachine Easybib Nootletoolsexpress

Comprehensive writing tool NoodleTools NoodleTools does bibliographies, notecards, and citations all in one place. To set up an account: Username: chelmsford Password: lions2014 This is the tool that we use at CHS

Turnitin This is an anti-plagiarism tool.

Writing Tools

Thesaurus This gives you words with the same or similar definitions. A thesaurus should be used on a regular basis when paraphrasing what someone has written.

Dictionary A dictionary gives you the definition of a word. It should be used to explain words you are not familiar with. A thesaurus does not always give you word with the exact same meaning.

Grammar website Common grammar mistakes are all over the web. Some mistakes as so common that most people do not think they are making mistakes. It a good idea to look at grammar websites at times