PLAGIARISM or PARAPHRASING? Learning to Tell the Difference

What does it mean to plagiarize? What does it mean to paraphrase? How do you paraphrase something without plagiarizing? Discussion questions:

Examples Of plagiarism buying an essay or hiring someone else to write a paper for you and submitting it as your own turning in a paper downloaded from an online source relying on a "study guide" such as Cliffs Notes to summarize a text copying a significant passage verbatim and not revealing the source using exceptionally long, or too many, quotations changing words and sentence order of a passage of text citing sources you did not use

Changing the words (finding synonyms) and rearranging sentences is not an acceptable way to paraphrase. Rather, according to Merriam-Webster, paraphrasing is "a restatement of a text, passage, or work giving the meaning in another form" and must always include a reference, or citation, to the original source material. Yes, even paraphrases that do not quote any material must be cited.

Paraphrase this sentence: The storm’s gale-force winds uprooted trees and downed power lines, making driving dangerous.

In this lesson you will learn how to recognize plagiarism by comparing student samples to the original text. Learning Target: I can recognize the difference between plagiarized and paraphrased information.

Plagiarism – claiming someone else’s work as your own Paraphrasing – restating in your own words and giving CREDIT (attribution) to the author or the source

A common error: Some students think they can avoid plagiarism by simply changing a couple of words in a sentence or by leaving out part of the sentence. Remember: you must restate and/or summarize in your OWN WORDS.

Read the given non-fiction passage 1 2 Read the student sample of paraphrasing 3 Compare the two—did the student paraphrase or plagiarize?

Original Text : 1. Although he was born in a poor family, Ben Franklin made a fortune as a printer in Philadelphia. By the age of 42, Franklin was one of the richest men in the colonies. He chose to retire from active business and become a “gentleman.” He began to pursue “philosophical studies and amusements.” He was especially curious about electricity, and his experiments made him famous. Appleby, Joyce, Ph.D., et. al. The American Journey. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009.

2 Sample Student Paraphrase: He was born in a poor family but Ben Franklin made a lot of money as a printer in Philadelphia. By the age of 42, Franklin was one of the wealthiest men in the colonies. He chose to retire from business and become a “gentleman.” He began to pursue “philosophical studies and amusements.” He was especially interested in electricity, and his experiments made him well-known.

3 Let’s compare! On the student passage, let’s highlight any words we see that are also in the original text. He was born in a poor family but Ben Franklin made a lot of money as a printer in Philadelphia. By the age of 42, Franklin was one of the wealthiest men in the colonies. He chose to retire from business and become a “gentleman.” He began to pursue “philosophical studies and amusements.” He was especially interested in electricity, and his experiments made him well-known.

3 Is this plagiarized or paraphrased? He was born in a poor family but Ben Franklin made a lot of money as a printer in Philadelphia. By the age of 42, Franklin was one of the wealthiest men in the colonies. He chose to retire from business and become a “gentleman.” He began to pursue “philosophical studies and amusements.” He was especially interested in electricity, and his experiments made him well-known.

3 Let’s try again! Read this student sample: Ben Franklin is well-known as both a businessman and a scientist. Franklin’s successful printing business in Philadelphia led him to become one of the most wealthy men in the area. When he was only 42, he decided to retire from business and spend more time doing things he loved, such as electrical experiments and philosophical studies.

3 Compare the sample to the original text and highlight words that are the same. Ben Franklin is well-known as both a businessman and a scientist. Franklin’s successful printing business in Philadelphia led him to become one of the most wealthy men in the area. When he was only 42, he decided to retire from business and spend more time doing things he loved, such as electrical experiments and philosophical studies.

3 Is this paraphrased or plagiarized? Why? Ben Franklin is well-known as both a businessman and a scientist. Franklin’s successful printing business in Philadelphia led him to become one of the most wealthy men in the area. When he was only 42, he decided to retire from business and spend more time doing things he loved, such as electrical experiments and philosophical studies.

In this lesson you have learned how to recognized plagiarism by comparing a student’s work with the original text.

Now you try it! Determine if each sample on the handout is paraphrased or plagiarized. In a few minutes, we will go over the answers together. Be prepared to tell WHY the sample is plagiarized or paraphrased.