Avoiding Plagiarism Introduction What is plagiarism? Identifying plagiarism What is “common knowledge”? Talk About It Your Turn

Introduction It’s obvious that the student in this photo is copying his classmate’s ideas. There’s another kind of copying that might not be as easy to identify: plagiarism. 2

What is plagiarism? Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s work or ideas as your own. When you write, it is very important to use your own ideas and to give credit to others when you use their ideas. Many times, students don’t intentionally plagiarize. They just don’t know the correct way to take notes and cite sources.

Identifying plagiarism Plagiarism occurs when you copy information straight from a source without using quotation marks. Look at the passage on the left and the note on the right. Is the note a paraphrase or plagiarism? plagiarism? 3 After the death of her husband in 1977, Mrs. Parks founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development. The Institute sponsors an annual summer program for teenagers called Pathways to Freedom. 3 After the death of her husband in 1977, Mrs. Parks founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development. The institute sponsors an annual summer program for teenagers called Pathways to Freedom. 3 After the death of her husband in 1977, Mrs. Parks founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development. The institute sponsors an annual summer program for teenagers called Pathways to Freedom. 3 After the death of her husband in 1977, Mrs. Parks founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development. The institute sponsors an annual summer program for teenagers called Pathways to Freedom. 4

Identifying plagiarism Avoid plagiarism by using your own words to paraphrase when you take notes. If you need to copy straight from a source, use quotation marks. Is the note a paraphrase or plagiarism? paraphrase or 3 In 1977, after her husband passed away, Mrs. Parks created a foundation that sponsors Pathways to Freedom, a program for young people. This program allows students to travel around the country to learn in person about the civil rights movement and American history.

Identifying plagiarism Plagiarism also occurs when you don’t change the author’s words enough to sound like your own ideas. When you paraphrase, put ideas into your own words. Is the note a paraphrase or plagiarism? plagiarism? 1 Historians think that December 1, 1955 was the beginning of the modern civil rights movement in the United States. That was the day Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white passenger. This event marked the beginning of the movement that ended legal segregation. 1 Historians think that December 1, 1955, was the beginning of the modern civil rights movement in the United States. That was the day Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white passenger. This event marked the beginning of the movement that ended legal segregation. 6

Identifying plagiarism Using an author’s ideas without giving credit is another form of plagiarism. This makes it seem like you came up with those ideas on your own. Is the note a paraphrase or plagiarism? plagiarism? 6 On the day that Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat, she was tired from a hard day’s work, but that’s not why she wouldn’t give up her seat. She was even more tired of the unjust treatment of African Americans during that time period. 7

Identifying plagiarism When you use an author’s original ideas, even if you put them into your own words, you must give credit to the author. Is the note a paraphrase or plagiarism? paraphrase or 6 According to Kira Albin, on the day that Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat, she was tired from a hard day’s work, but that’s not why she wouldn’t give up her seat. She was even more tired of the unjust treatment of African Americans during that time period.

What is “common knowledge”? Don’t worry. You don’t have to cite every single idea in your paper. Ideas that are considered common knowledge do not have to be cited. How do you know if a piece of information is common knowledge? A piece of information found in three separate sources is considered to be common knowledge.

What is “common knowledge”? In general, well-known facts are common knowledge. Lesser-known facts, opinions, and original ideas are not common knowledge. Rosa Parks began the Montgomery bus boycott. The boycott lasted 381 days. After the boycott, Parks moved to Detroit, Michigan. Parks died on October 24, 2005. Common knowledge Before the boycott, Parks worked to change practices she felt were unjust. The bus driver asked four passengers to move; three of them moved, but Rosa Parks did not. Even forty years later, Parks didn’t believe she deserved credit for starting the boycott. Lesser-known facts or ideas

Talk About It Discuss these questions with your classmates. Why do teachers and principals make such a fuss about plagiarism? Why is it easy for students to plagiarize without meaning to? Name three things you can do in your research to use information responsibly and avoid plagiarism.

Your Turn Use this text about the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C., to complete the activities on the next slide. 13

Your Turn Use the text on the previous slide to create a notecard with plagiarized information. Explain why the notecard you created is an example of plagiarism. Now create another notecard to correct the plagiarism in your first notecard. Explain why your second notecard is an example of paraphrasing, not plagiarism.

Your Turn Notecard with plagiarism: This notecard is an example of plagiarism because: Correct notecard: This information is not an example of plagiarism because: 15

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