Module 7 Citation and Plagiarism After completing this module, the successful student will be able to: 1. Demonstrate an ability to use sources ethically and appropriately in an academic setting 2. Identify unethical uses of information resources 3. Identify appropriate citation resources

The 'Net Generation The majority of today's college students have grown up with technology. One writer quipped that the Millennial Generation's members were "born with a chip". Undoubtedly, technology has streamlined many processes that were previously laborious and detailed. Today's students have the ability to use multiple applications (internet, word processing, media players) simultaneously, making it easy to "cut" or "copy" information from one file and "paste" it to the next.

The 'Net Generation The internet and its multiple formats also make it easy to share information with friends. Today, it's possible to share images, music, video and text with people around the world. Often, credit for the creation of the content is lost in the hustle and bustle of the exchange. As students access and exchange information in multiple formats, the line between ethical and unethical often becomes blurred. In the academic setting, strict rules apply regarding properly giving credit for one's work. While it may be easy to cut and paste information into a new creation, or to meet a friend online to exchange term papers, these types of information exchanges are forms of PLAGIARISM and have serious consequences.

A Hip-Hop Example What is plagiarism? No, it's not the latest virus on your computer and it can't be transmitted by coughing. The term PLAGIARISM refers to the process of submitting the work of another as if it was one's own. It's easy to see why some students don't understand the complexities of plagiarism. Just turn on your radio to understand why. Recently, hip-hop artist Kanye West's "Gold Digger" was the hottest song of the season. Unbeknownst to many hip-hop music fans, the melody behind West's jam was not of his own creation. The song actually sampled from "I Got A Woman," a 1955 hit by Georgia artist Ray Charles. Even though the popular hook from the original song, "She gives me money…," was performed by Academy-Award winning actor Jamie Foxx, West was still required to give credit to Charles for sampling his work.

Forms of Plagiarism Just as Kanye West was required to give credit to Ray Charles for using a sample of his creation, it is important to give credit to the creators of the resources that support your research papers and other projects. Many people believe that plagiarism only occurs when one copies word for word from someone else's work without giving credit. In actuality there are several forms of plagiarism. Let's look at the different forms in detail: Copying information verbatim from a book, article, web site or other information source and not acknowledging the source of the information. Paraphrasing another person's work by simply substituting their words for words with similar meaning. Regardless of the substituted words, the structure and meaning of the document remains unchanged. Submitting the work of a friend as if it is an original creation. Even if the friend's work is properly cited and is not plagiarized itself, the submission of the work of another without acknowledgement constitutes plagiarism.

Forms of Plagiarism Submitting papers obtained from "paper mills. Presenting the ideas of another person without acknowledging the source. An example of this type of plagiarism would be a term paper on human genome research that contains no citations. If the ideas and opinions presented in the paper are not your own, regardless of whether you copy them verbatim or rephrase them and intersperse them throughout the paper, you've committed plagiarism if you have not properly documented your sources. Improperly documenting sources.

Steps to Avoid Plagiarism College-level research will require you to regularly utilize resources, such as books, articles and web sites, that were originally created by scholars and other researchers. Few disciplines will expect students in the beginning stages of their academic careers to perform original research. Most often, professors expect students to develop a thesis statement, gather supporting information resources, perform a critical analysis of those resources and present them in the form of the research paper. Information resources, such as books, articles and web sites, will provide supporting evidence for your paper, but the challenge of actually writing the research paper is yours alone.

Steps to Avoid Plagiarism Here are a just a few steps to avoid plagiarism: When taking notes from a source, always include the citation information on your note sheet. Once you begin writing your research paper, you won't have to scrounge around looking for the original source and you can resist the temptation to claim the ideas as your own. If you are taking a direct quote from a source, be sure to indicate it in your notes. Mark the text with quotation marks and be sure to include the page number or other necessary reference. Use lead-ins in the text to give credit to the source, such as "According to Dr. Richards…". To avoid duplicating sentence structure or simply replacing the author's words with words of your own, try to summarize the information without directly looking at it.

Citation Styles The library has several style manuals that will assist you in formulating your citations, bibliographies and other elements of your paper. The following citation manuals are available at the Library Reference Desk: A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations: commonly referred to as Turabian The Chicago Manual of Style MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association: commonly referred to as APA

Citation Styles If you are unsure how a source should be cited or have other questions related to citation, feel free to visit the reference desk, located on the second, main floor of the library. It's also a good idea to refer to the A Writer's Reference by Diana Hacker. Other Resources The Writing GCSU Room 209 Lanier Hall

Review The term PLAGIARISM refers to the process of submitting the work of another as if it was one's own. There are several forms of plagiarism: Copying information verbatim and not acknowledging the source of the information. Paraphrasing another person's work by simply substituting their words for words with similar meaning. Submitting the work of a friend as if it is an original creation. Submitting papers obtained from "paper mills. Presenting the ideas of another person without acknowledging the source. Improperly documenting sources. The library has several style manuals that will assist you in formulating your citations, bibliographies and other elements of your paper.

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