Plagiarism and “Fair Use” of Copyright Protected Materials (http://www.cyberbee.com) Plagiarism and “Fair Use” of Copyright Protected Materials Beaty – Warren Middle School Library Media Center

What is plagiarism? And why should you care?!? Plagiarism is the act of presenting the words, ideas, images, sounds, or the creative expression of others as your own. And why should you care?!? What is plagiarism? The MLA handbook for Writers of Research Papers, sixth edition, tells us that the word plagiarism is derived from the Latin word plagiarius which means “kidnapper”. Plagiarism involves two categories: Using another person’s ideas, information or written words without permission or credit to the person Representing another person’s ideas, information or written word as your own

Forms of Plagiarism Direct Quote Paraphrasing Wording Information Not Generally Known Original Thinking Forms of Plagiarism A Direct Quote: using the exact words from a source Using Particular Phrases: using sections of the source’s exact words Paraphrasing Wording: using synonyms to rephrase the original sources content Information Not Generally Known: Some information is generally known about a subject or “encyclopedia like” in nature. If you include information that is not generally known, the reader then knows that you found that information in more of a “specialized” source. Credit must be given to the original author of that information. Original Thinking: Information that comes from the original thought or research of an individual person or group must be given credit.

Plagiarism may happen: Intentional Copying a friend’s work Buying or borrowing papers Cutting and pasting blocks of text from electronic sources Using information without documentation Web publishing without permissions of creators Unintentional Careless paraphrasing Poor documentation Quoting excessively Failure to use your own “voice” or words You have plagiarized if…. (taken directly from the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, sixth edition, section 2.8, p. 75) you took notes that did not distinguish summary and paraphrase from quotations and then you presented wording from the notes as if it were all your own. while browsing the Web, you copied text and pasted it into your paper without quotation marks or without citing the source. you presented facts without saying where you found them. you repeated or paraphrased someone’s wording without acknowledgement. you took someone’s unique or particularly apt phrase without acknowledgment. you paraphrased someone’s argument or presented someone’s line of thought without acknowledgement. you bought or otherwise acquired a research paper and handed in part or all of it as your own.

You probably have plagiarized… IF... you have included the words and ideas of others in your work that you neglected to cite you have had help you wouldn’t want your teacher to know about

(Sports…blah, blah… too much homework!) Excuses Everyone does it! It’s okay if I don’t get caught! I was too busy to write that paper! (Sports…blah, blah… too much homework!) This assignment was BORING! It was to hard!! I can’t do it! My teachers expect too much! My parents expect “A”s!

original ideas without few words, I’m okay, right? What’s the big deal? Wrong! Paraphrasing original ideas without documenting your source, is plagiarism too! If I change a few words, I’m okay, right?

Rationale for academic integrity (as if it were necessary!) Is your academic reputation valuable to you? When you copy you cheat yourself. You limit your own learning. The consequences are not worth the risks! It is only right to give credit to authors whose ideas you use Citing gives authority to the information you present Citing makes it possible for your readers to locate your source Education is not an “us vs. them” game! It’s about learning to learn! Cheating is unethical behavior

You can avoid plagiarism by… Making a list of the sources you use Marking clearly in your notes which are paraphrased and which are quotes Including all resources used in a “Works Cited” or “Works Consulted” page Checking with your teacher when you are uncertain about the use of your source Q and P You can avoid plagiarism by…. (taken directly from the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, sixth edition, section 2.8, p. 75) making a list of the writers and viewpoints you discovered in your research and using this list to double-check the presentation of material in your paper. keeping the following three categories distinct in your notes: your ideas, your summaries of other’s material, and exact wording you copy. identifying the sources of all material you borrow—exact wording, paraphrases, ideas, arguments, and facts. checking with your instructor when you are uncertain about your use of sources.

Possible school consequences: “0” on the assignment Parent notification Referral to administrators Suspension or dismissal from school activities--sports and extracurricular Note on student record Loss of reputation among the school community Is it worth the risk?

WCSD Consequences: Student Discipline Code – J. STEALING OF SCHOOL PROPERTY OR THE PROPERTY OF OTHERS. (http://www.wcsdpa.org) #1 Offense - conference and up to 3 days suspension #2 Offense - 1 to 10 days suspension #3 Offense - 3 to 10 days suspension #4 Offense - 3 to 10 days suspension and referral to the hearing officer for further discipline Restitution must be made in each case Plagiarism is an infringement of copyright and sever consequences can occur. Students who are found to be in violation of plagiarism will suffer severe penalties as dictated by the Warren County School District Student Discipline Code – J. STEALING OF SCHOOL PROPERTY OR THE PROPERTY OF OTHERS. #1 Offense - conference and up to 3 days suspension #2 Offense - 1 to 10 days suspension #3 Offense - 3 to 10 days suspension #4 Offense - 3 to 10 days suspension and referral to the hearing officer for further discipline Restitution must be made in each case

What you can do… Very few people are original creators of a work, so you can borrow their work under certain conditions.

Use these three strategies: Quoting Paraphrasing Summarizing To blend source materials in with your own, making sure your own “voice” is heard. That means putting it in your own words

Quotations must be cited! Quoting Quotations are the exact words of an author, copied directly from a source, word for word. Quotations must be cited! Use quotations when: You want to add the power of an author’s words to support your argument You want to disagree with an author’s argument You want to highlight particularly eloquent or powerful phrases or passages You are comparing and contrasting specific points of view You want to note the important research that precedes your own

Paraphrasing Paraphrase when: Paraphrasing means rephrasing the words of an author, putting his/her thoughts in your own words. When you paraphrase, you rework the source’s ideas, words, phrases, and sentence structures with your own. Like quotations, paraphrased material must be followed with in-text documentation and cited on your Works-Cited page. Paraphrase when: You plan to use information on your note cards and wish to avoid plagiarizing You want to avoid overusing quotations You want to use your own voice to present information When paraphrasing… Be sure you are not just rearranging or replacing words Rewrite the phrase in your own words and credit the original source Double check what you have written by comparing it with the original writing.

Summarizing Summarize when: Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) of one or several writers into your own words, including only the main point(s). Summaries are significantly shorter than the original and take a broad overview of the source material. Again, it is necessary to attribute summarized ideas to their original sources. Summarize when: You want to establish background or offer an overview of a topic You want to describe knowledge (from several sources) about a topic You want to determine the main ideas of a single source

“Fair Use” of Copyrighted Material Allows you, as a student, to have some rights that the general public does not have…

“Fair Use” Allows However there are… LIMITS You may use material for criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. However there are… LIMITS

May only be used for educational purposes in an educational setting. Copyrighted Material May only be used for educational purposes in an educational setting. Text Materials Internet Resources Video Music Illustrations & Photographs (REMEMBER… that when you use graphics in a paper, on a poster, in a PowerPoint, etc., you must note where you got it underneath the picture.) General Rule of 10%

What would happen if there was no copyright? No one could earn M$NEY from Their creative ideas and endeavors Writers would not write Musicians would not write and perform music Artists would not create paintings, sculpture, etc. Plays would not be written or performed Choreographers would not create dance Movies would not be filmed Architects would not design buildings

Detecting plagiarism… Prevention Program Plagiarism Prevention Recognized worldwide as the standard in online plagiarism prevention, Turnitin helps educators and students take full advantage of the internet's educational potential.

Works Consulted Becker, Gary H. Copyright: A Guide to Information and Resources. Gary H. Becker, 2003. Joseph, Linda C. “Adventures of CyberBee”. A Gateway to Educational Material. 10 Feb 2006. 6 Feb. 2006. <http://www.cyberbee.com>. Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. New York: The Modern Language Association of America, 2003. Pennsylvania Department of Education. “Assessment: Resources Materials”. 2005. 6 Jan. 2006. <http://www.pde.state.pa.us/>. Simpson, Carol. Copyright for Schools: A Practical Guide, Third Edition. Worthington, OH: Linworth, 2001. Sebranek, Patrick. Writers INC: A Student Handbook for Writing and Learning. Lexington, MA: DE Heath & Company, 1996. Valenza, Joyce Kaman. Power Research Tools: Learning Activities and Posters. American Library Association, 2003. WCSD Board of Directors. Discipline Code. August 12, 2002.