PLAGIARISM, COLLUSION AND REFERENCING

IN ACADEMIC WRITING YOU NEED  to show that you have researched your subject  to acknowledge the sources you have used to avoid the charge of plagiarism  to ensure that it is your own work written in your own words avoiding collusion  to reference all the sources using the Harvard Referencing system

WHAT IS PLAGIARISM ?

HOW TO AVOID IT  Reference all your sources – within the assignment  Be accurate when you quote your sources  If in doubt – reference it!  TIP: Keep a record of your sources as  you go along!

WHAT IS COLLUSION ?  When students work together on assignments which should be completed alone  When one student produces work and allows another student to copy it - both students would be found guilty of collusion

PENALTIES You might get: You might get:  ZERO marks  Disqualified from that exam unit/or for the whole exam subject  Barred from entering again for a period of time

REFERENCING & BIBLIOGRAPHY  Good practice – protection for you against charges of plagiarism  To your credit – shows the extent of your research  Harvard Referencing System – the approved system for College (and UWE, University of Plymouth and many other colleges and universities)

HARVARD REFERENCING - BOOKS  In the Reference List/Bibliography 1 author’s surname 2 author’s initials 3 year of publication 4 title (in italics or underlined – be consistent) 5 edition (other than first) 6 place of publication 7 publisher

EXAMPLE  In the Reference List/Bibliography  Neville,C. (2007) The complete guide to referencing and avoiding plagiarism 2nd ed. Maidenhead: Open University Press  In the text:  “Tutors will be interested in your list of references or bibliographyto identify which authors and sourceshave been influential in moulding or shaping the direction taken by you in your research” (Neville, 2007 p.12)

HARVARD REFERENCING – JOURNALS/MAGAZINES  In the Reference List/Bibliography 1 author’s surname 2 author’s initials 3 year of publication 4 title of article 5 title of journal/magazine (in italics or underlined – be consistent) 6 volume & part number / issue number 7 page number(s)

EXAMPLE  In the Reference List/Bibliography Nicolle, L., 1990, Data Protection: laying down the law. Management Computing 13 (12) pp 48-49, 52  In the text: It is essential that all managers are familiar with the Data Protection Act (Nicolle 1990)

HARVARD REFERENCING – WEB SITE / EBOOK  In the Reference List/Bibliography 1 author’s surname 2 author’s initials 3 year (if known) 4 title (online) 5 edition (if known - ebooks) 6 place (if known) 7 publisher 8 available from (URL) 9 date accessed (by you)

EXAMPLE  In the Reference List/Bibliography: Barnett, M., 1996, Harvard System, London, Fictitious University, (accessed )  In the text: It is suggested that Harvard Referencing should be the world standard (Barnett 1996).

Plagiarism Quiz

1.The writer does not put references in the main text but puts them in a bibliography at the end of the assignment or essay. Is this plagiarism or not plagiarism?

PLAGIARISM If you are referencing there should be references in the body of the text as well as at the end (of the page, chapter, complete work).

2.The writer uses another person’s words but changes several of them and gives a reference to the source in the text, e.g. (Keynes, 1936) with full details in the bibliography. Is this plagiarism or not plagiarism?

PLAGIARISM The referencing isn’t in question here but: It is not enough to change a few words. You either use the whole quotation or write it entirely in your own words.

3.The writer rewrites a paragraph from a text, changing the vocabulary and the structure of the original text. The writer puts a reference to the original source, e.g. (Keynes, 1936:22) in the text with full details in the bibliography. Is this plagiarism or not plagiarism?

NOT PLAGIARISM

4.With the agreement of another student, the writer uses some sections of that student’s essay in his work. Is this plagiarism or not plagiarism?

PLAGIARISM The student is giving the tutors the impression that the work is his/her own. This is also ‘collusion’ as more than one person was involved in the deception.

5.The writer copies the exact words from a source, in quotation marks, and includes a reference in the text e.g. (Keynes, 1936: 22), with full details in the bibliography. Is this plagiarism or not plagiarism?

The writer has used the exact words of another author but has given full credit to the other writer. Not plagiarism

6.The writer works with another student to prepare an essay. Each student writes half of the essay and submits this as individual work. Is this plagiarism or not plagiarism?

PLAGIARISM Both writers are cheating here by giving the impression that all their work is their own. And, of course, they are colluding as well.

7.The writer copies several sentences exactly as they were written in an original source and includes a reference to this source in the text, e.g. (Keynes, 1936: 22) or as a footnote, with full details in the bibliography. Is this plagiarism or not plagiarism?

PLAGIARISM Exact wording from other works should be indicated by the use of quotation marks.

FINALLY Further reading: Pears, R., 2005, Cite them right: the essential guide to referencing and plagiarism, Newcastle upon Tyne, Pear Tree Books* *This can be found in the LRC Study Skills Section (371.3 PEA) ‘The Complete Guide to Referencing and Avoiding Plagiarism’ This can be found in Dawson Era eBooks HEREHERE From the drop down box choose ‘City of Bristol’ Then login using your college user name and password You may also like to have a look at ‘Effective Study Skills’ in My I Library HEREHERE