PLAGIARISM AND CITATION BASICS A QUICK GUIDE ON WHY AND HOW TO PROPERLY RESEARCH…without getting in trouble! 

WHY RESEARCH? We research because we want to explore interesting topics by… Incorporating others’ ideas and information Exploring our own thoughts and opinions in relation to other people’s Believe it or not, you were not born an expert on your topic! Therefore, you must research and cite your sources.

What’s the deal with…PLAGIARISM? To plagiarize means “to commit literary theft.” “To present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source.” You must give credit to the “owner” of the information that you use in your paper, otherwise you are STEALING!

WHAT IS PLAGIARISM? Anytime you use a direct quote, or even change an author’s words, you are using somebody else’s thoughts. Simply changing the wording (paraphrasing) is not enough; you must cite your sources. When in doubt, CITE! It’s better to be safe than sorry.

WHAT IS PLAGIARISM…cont. Certain well-known facts do not need to be cited. If your reader would probably already know the information, you do not have to cite. Ex: Walt Disney founded the Disney company and created one of the most well-known cartoon characters of all time, Mickey Mouse. (NOT PLAGIARISM) Ex: Raised on a farm near Marceline, Missouri, Walt became interested in drawing at an early age, selling his first sketches to neighbors when he was only seven years old. (PLAGIARISM—IF NOT CITED)

CITATIONS As you know, in order to prevent plagiarism, we must cite our sources. There is a specific method of citing sources, and certain “ingredients” are needed, in a specific order, for the citation to be correct and in MLA format.

CITATION SALAD! (Book source) STEP 3: CROUTONS=CITY AND STATE OF PUBLICATION City: Publisher. STEP 4: VEGGIES=YEAR OF PUBLICATION Year. STEP 5: DRESSING= MEDIUM (TYPE OF SOURCE) Print. STEP 2: LETTUCE= TITLE Italics. STEP 1: SALAD BOWL= AUTHOR’S NAME Last, First.

VOILA! Book Salad. Now you try… Last name, First name. Book Title. City: Publisher, Year. Print.

CITATION SALAD! (Web source) STEP 3: CROUTONS=PUBLISHER NAME AND DATE Name, date. STEP 4: DRESSING=MEDIUM (TYPE OF SOURCE) Web. STEP 5: VEGGIES= DATE OF ACCESS Day Mo. Year. STEP 2: LETTUCE= TITLE OF ARTICLE AND SITE “Title of Article.” Title of Site. STEP 1: SALAD BOWL= AUTHOR/EDITOR’S NAME Last, First.

VOILA! Web Salad. Now you try… Last name, First name (author or editor). “Title of article.” Name of site. Publisher name or organization, date of publication. Web. Day Mo. Year (accessed). Did everyone get it right? Check your partner’s work.

TIME FOR YOU TO “CITE YOURSELF”! In your groups, you will be taking on the role as an “ingredient” in a citation. As a group, you will have to figure out how to arrange all of your members in the order of the citation, including all necessary punctuation! Good luck!

BEWARE OF CERTAIN SITES! You should know by now that WIKIPEDIA and .com sites are unreliable sources. Watch… See what I mean? Stick to .edu, .org, or .gov sites, which come from reliable educational institutions, organizations, or the government.

IN-TEXT CITATIONS In-text citations need to be used ANYTIME you state a fact or idea that is not our own (even if it’s in your own words). It should always include the first item in the citation. Typically, this will be the author’s name… If no name, then the title of the work. If from a book or article, it should also include the page number. In-text citations always go inside parentheses ( ). In-text citations come at the end of the sentence, BEFORE the period.