Plagiarism Tutorial You Quote It, You Note It

In this tutorial, you’ll find out: Why it’s essential to start your research early The difference between paraphrasing and quoting, and how to do both properly When to cite, what to cite, and how to cite Where to get help

First of all, you need to find out what plagiarism is exactly Plagiarism: what is it? First of all, you need to find out what plagiarism is exactly

Is This Plagiarism? Yes or No Copying a direct quotation into your paper, placing quotation marks around it, and crediting the source.

This is NOT Plagiarism You are Right! This is not plagiarism because there are quotation marks around the copied information and the source is credited.

How about this? Yes or No Taking someone’s ideas or words, putting them into your own words, and crediting the source.

NO, this is NOT plagiarism This is paraphrasing. Paraphrasing is fine as long as you credit the source and the paraphrase is entirely in your own words - just changing a couple of words here and there doesn’t cut it.

Other types of plagiarism to be aware of Having a friend write a paper for you or using someone else’s paper as your own. Submitting one of your own papers or assignments for more than one class. Downloading or buying a term paper from the web.

Even if unintentional, plagiarism is still a serious academic offence. Students who plagiarize can…

…Redo the Assignment If the plagiarism is minor and truly unintentional, you might only have to rewrite your entire essay.

…Fail the assignment If the plagiarism is extensive and/or deliberate, you might get an F on the paper.

…Fail the Class If the plagiarism is extensive and deliberate, you could fail the entire course.

…Be Expelled from School Extremely serious or repeated cases of plagiarism can result in expulsion from school.

Tip: Begin Early Research takes time. In addition to the time needed to search for, evaluate and read sources, you also need to remember to allow time to get help if you need it, request interlibrary loans, and recall books.

Tip: Document your sources immediately! Documenting a source means recording information that allows another person to locate the source you have used for your paper – things such as author, title, date, page number, etc. This information is then inserted into your essay as an in-text reference, note, or bibliography entry, depending on the style you are using. (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.) This is also called “citing”.

Common Knowledge Things that are considered “common knowledge” do not need to be cited. Citing: giving credit to a source.

Common or Not? John A. MacDonald was Canada’s first Prime Minister. William Shakespeare was born in England in the 16th Century. Asthma affects many children in Canada. John A. MacDonald was appointed returning officer for Ward 3 of Kingston, Ontario in 1838. Shakespeare probably earned about 200 pounds a year from his work in the theater. Asthma rates in Canada have increased from 6.5 to 8.4 percent in 2001.

It’s not plagiarism if you paraphrase Misconceptions It’s not plagiarism if you paraphrase Put anything in quotation marks – it’s not plagiarism if you acknowledge that it’s a quotation. Don’t worry about plagiarism if you use the web: things on the web are public domain.

It’s not plagiarism if you paraphrase True, but ONLY if you paraphrase properly (ALL your own words and sentence structure, and not just a few words changed) AND cite the source. Otherwise, it’s plagiarism.

Put anything in quotations True, but ONLY if you cite the source! Putting something in quotation marks isn’t enough. You still have to tell your reader where you found it. Use direct quotations sparingly, and quote only when you have to. The majority of the paper should be your own words.

Don’t worry if you use the web WRONG!!! Using things from the web is no different than using print sources: you still have to quote or paraphrase AND cite the source. Just because something is on the web doesn’t mean it’s in the public domain – and even if it IS, you still have to give proper credit if you use it.

MLA A quotation uses exactly the same words and puts them in quotation marks. A paraphrase uses an author’s idea, but expresses it in your own words – without quotation marks, since it’s no longer a word-for-word quotation. Just changing a few words from the original doesn’t count.

Is This Quotation Plagiarism? My Essay by RHS Student Many Irish people emigrated to other countries in the late nineteenth century. All classes, religions, and regions were drained by emigration, but the intensity of overseas movement was the greatest from the poorer countries of the western seaboard.

The quotation is not in quotation marks The source is not cited. Yes, this is plagiarism The quotation is not in quotation marks The source is not cited.

Corrected Passage My Essay by RHS Student Many Irish people emigrated to other countries in the late nineteenth century. “All classes, religions, and regions were drained by emigration, but the intensity of overseas movement was the greatest from the poorer countries of the western seaboard” (Fitzpatrick 214). Works Cited: David Fitzpatrick, “Ireland since 1870,” in The Oxford History Illustrated of Ireland, ed. R.F. Foster. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989.

Is This Paraphrase Plagiarism? My Essay by RHS Student Many Irish people emigrated to other countries in the late nineteenth century. Although people from all walks of Irish life emigrated, most were from the poor regions of the west.

Used own words and sentence structure, BUT Yes, this is plagiarism Used own words and sentence structure, BUT Forgot to cite the source.

Corrected Passage My Essay by RHS Student Many Irish people emigrated to other countries in the late nineteenth century. Although people from all walks of Irish life emigrated, most were from the poor regions of the west (Fitzpatrick 214). Works Cited: David Fitzpatrick, “Ireland since 1870,” in The Oxford History Illustrated of Ireland, ed. R.F. Foster. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989.

What Have You Learned? Start Research Early Give Credit where Credit is due. Incorporate Information Using Quotations or Paraphrases. Discover how to use MLA citation style to cite information.