Plagiarism Presented by the ASM Library: Ali de Haan BFA / MLIS Manager, Library & Instructional Services

Plagiarism – defined Plagiarism Also known as Means using the ideas and/or words of another as if they were your own WITHOUT giving credit to your sources derived from the Latin word “plagiarius” – meaning Kidnapper Also known as Academic Dishonesty Cheating Plagiarism is a serious offense in the academic world, and may result in punishments ranging from failure of the assignment, failure of the course, or expulsion from school.

What is Academic Dishonesty? Copying from another student’s exam or assignment; Obtaining unauthorised information about an exam; Consulting notes and aids during an exam; Submitting an assignment completed (or partially completed) by someone else; Submitting the same work for different courses without prior permission; Obtaining a deadline extension or makeup exam under false pretences; Falsifying or making up data or bibliographic information; or Copying another person’s work or ideas without proper attribution. Why do I mention these? UCW is creating a culture of graduating excellent professionals who produce the highest calibre of work created with full integrity. All these actions go against this reputation and stand to hurt the future of all those who study and work at UCW. We all play a role in upholding an ethical academic environment.

Forms of plagiarism Books Articles, magazines, periodicals Sound or audio recordings Images, photographs, drawings, etc. Choreography Internet – everything on the internet is considered published and therefore copyrighted. Anything that is published, and anything on the Internet is considered published – therefore must be documented.

Intent To plagiarize intentionally means to deliberately use and take credit for someone else's work To plagiarize unintentionally means that you did not mean to plagiarize but did not give credit to the proper person or source It is possible to self-plagiarize by reusing one of your old papers or assignments without discussing it with your professor However, there is never a good excuse for plagiarizing. Disciplinary measures may take place regardless of the type of plagiarism

Why Students Plagiarise Cultural perception variations of plagiarism Students often have differing perceptions about what constitutes academic dishonesty than their teachers. Under pressure from deadlines/ lack of planning Many students think they are paraphrasing “using their own words” when they haven’t actually changed the original enough. If in doubt you can cite a paraphrase. Sloppy research habits- mixing their thoughts up with their notes or not being able to find the source Don’t understand when/what/how to cite

Consequences of Plagiarism Zero for the assignment; Zero for the course; Suspension from the University; or Dismissal from the University.

Do not be afraid to… Use other peoples’ ideas Conduct proper research Ask questions Seek help Learn how to use and present other peoples’ and your ideas in a correct and fair way by citing

Why Use a Citation Style? Allows readers to cross-reference your sources easily Provides consistent format within a discipline Gives you credibility as a writer Protects yourself from plagiarism Who has used a citation style before? What was it? Most common styles are APA, MLA, Turabian, Chicago MLA format provides writers with a system for cross-referencing their sources—from their parenthetical references to their works cited page. This cross-referencing system allows readers to locate the publication information of source material. This is of great value for researchers who may want to locate your sources for their own research projects. The proper use of MLA style also shows the credibility of writers; such writers show accountability to their source material. Most importantly, the use of MLA style can protect writers from accusations of plagiarism—the purposeful or accidental use of source material by other writers without giving appropriate credit. The next slide provides additional information on plagiarism.

Does everything have to be cited? Simple answer - YES! You must provide a citation for any facts, ideas, or data which you took from another source The only time you do not need to cite is when the fact or idea is common knowledge or a well known date in history The sun always rises in the east Battle of Hastings 1066  Or your own original thoughts or opinions or data

Validation of Facts Facts and statements cannot be included in your assignments without being substantiated or validated The British Queen, one of the richest women in the world, is the longest reigning monarch in British history. According to who? How do you know this information? The British Queen, one of the richest women in the world, is the longest reigning monarch in British history (Cannon & Griffiths, 1998). Cannon, J. & Griffiths, R. (1998). The Oxford illustrated history of the British monarchy. Oxford, Oxford University Press.

When to cite A basic rule is use 5 or more words from a source then CITE!!!!!!! If you are quoting or copying directly from a source If you use exact phrases from a source If you use a close paraphrase If you use an image, chart, map, graph, etc. If you embed audio or video files

Ways to Avoid Plagiarism Try not use a single source too much. It’s easy to confuse the writer’s thoughts with your own Keep track of your sources when doing research Be sure to follow all APA guidelines, especially with items you are copying directly ;e.g. quotes Cite sources for all ideas, opinions, facts and statistics A general rule is if you use 5 words or more from a source you need to cite it You can have more than one citation in a sentence/paragraph

Critical Thinking How can you demonstrate to your reader that you understand what you read and researched? Through interpretation Commentary on or about someone else’s article, book, image, etc. Analysis and synthesis Incorporation of other people’s thoughts and ideas, interwoven into your own writing and citing them correctly.

Turnitin Originality Check

ASM Resources APA Resources on the ASM Library section of Moodle APA Handbooks in the Library OWL Purdue Online Writing Lab Your Instructor, Librarians, & Writing Coaches