Plagiarism: Defining it; avoiding it Or How to get through a research paper without going to jail Brenda White Joplin High School, Joplin MO June 2009

Vocabulary Attribute - give credit; tell where information is from Ethics - what we have that makes us do right because it is the right thing to do Sources - books, interviews, magazines, etc.; anyplace where writers get information on research topics Cite; Works cited - To cite means to give credit to a source. Works cited refers to the list of sources that were used on a specific research paper.

Vocabulary Cheating - refers to a multitude of activities where students take credit for someone else’s work, either with or without that person’s knowledge. Academic - refers to anything having to do with school or education or to those who contribute to the body of knowledge used there Verbatim - word for word, like a quote

Vocabulary Paraphrase - refers to taking someone else’s ideas and putting them into your own words. Using a paraphrase DOES NOT get you off the hook when it comes to citing a source. The idea is what counts, and someone else’s idea is what you are using in your paraphrase. It must be cited. Changing one word or two or three DOES NOT get you off the hook.

Vocabulary Summarize - give the gist of an idea without using all the words in the original. Take out unnecessary words or phrases and cut to the chase, leaving the central idea. Summarizing DOES NOT get you off the hook for attribution. Again, it is the idea that counts, and if it is someone else’s idea you must say so.

Vocabulary Intellectual Property / Intellectual Idea -When someone has an idea, whether they write it down or whether they say it aloud, it belongs to them. Whether it’s a song or a novel, it belongs to them. If you take their intellectual property or idea without giving them credit, you are stealing, which amounts to plagiarism if you do it in a paper. Always give credit. It doesn’t cost any more, and it’s much safer.

Vocabulary Common knowledge - refers to information that can be found in multiple sources. Usually, three is the magic number. So, if you can find the same information in three different reliable sources, you do not have to cite that information because it is considered common knowledge. If you’re uncomfortable not citing it, however, you can cite any one of the three sources in your paper.

What exactly is Plagiarism & how will I know I’ve done it? Plagiarism occurs when a writer deliberately uses someone else’s language, ideas, or other original material without acknowledging its source.

“deliberately uses” When using material from another source, you must be very careful to attribute or give credit to the person whose idea it is. If it is a quote, attribute it. If it is an idea, attribute it. If it is verbatim from a source, attribute it. If you do not attribute information by either saying the name of the source or by more formally citing it, you have deliberately used it without proper attribution and have plagiarized.

“language, ideas, other original information” When someone writes or says something original, it belongs to them. Ethics (and the law) dictates that it should not be passed off as being originated by another person. If you do not attribute information by either saying the name of the source or by citing it, you have used language, ideas, or other original information without proper attribution and have plagiarized.

There is more than one way to accomplish this. Read on. How to not plagiarize It’s easy. Give credit. There is more than one way to accomplish this. Read on.

Introduce the Source In the body of your paper when you are ready to use the information that you got from someone else’s brain, simply say: “According to Lucinda Matlock in Taming Ostriches, …” Or, “In Bones of our Ancestors, Cliff Clavin makes the point that …” You get the idea. Introduce the quote or idea with the name of the person who thought it up.

Cite the Source There are several styles, and each of them uses a slightly different format for internal (inside the research paper) documentation (citation). You are using MLA (Modern Language Association) format. Parenthetical (with parentheses) documentation is used after the quote or idea is expressed. Consult the style guide, but generally parenthetical documentation from a book looks like this with the last name of the author and the page number (White 23).

Consequences Plagiarism, Ethics, Law There’s no doubt, the consequences get more and more serious.

When you’re in high school … The consequences might seem harsh, but they are usually only a zero on your paper that can’t be made up, calling your parents, and possible ISD. Sounds pretty bad, huh? Just you wait.

When you’re in college … Besides the zero, you will most certainly be brought in front of a disciplinary board, who will not look kindly upon a cheater in their midst. It is likely that you will lose your happy college home, and it will be on your academic record why you were dismissed from college.

When you’re at work … Taking someone’s ideas can be pretty serious here. Depending on your work, it can be serious enough for you to lose your job, be sued for everything you do and do not have, or even be sent to jail. If, for instance, you steal an idea for a new procedure and are found out, you will be looked down upon by your peers, and it is likely you will lose your job. If you’re lucky, the person whose idea it was won’t sue you.

When you’re at work … (cont.) If you happen to be in a creative market, such as music, and you steal someone’s song idea or even the melody of their song, expect to be sued and possibly go to jail. Intellectual property is protected by law. That’s why we have copyright laws and trademarks. Just cite it. Plagiarism