1 Avoiding Plagiarism (or, The Right way to Write)

2 What is Plagiarism? using another's work, without citing (= giving) the source

3 What does ‘other people’s work’ mean? original ideas, research, data art, graphics, computer programs, music, creative expression, charts, pictures, graphs, diagrams, data, websites, formatting sentences, phrases

4 What is a ‘source’? Published works (books, magazines, newspapers, websites, plays, movies, photos, paintings, and textbooks) AND Unpublished sources (class lectures or notes, handouts, speeches, other students' papers, or material from a research service).

5 Common knowledge You don't have to cite information that is "common knowledge," BUT the fact must really be commonly known. That Abraham Lincoln was the U.S. President during the Civil War is common knowledge; that over 51,000 Union and Confederate soldiers died in the Battle of Gettysburg is not. When in doubt, cite: Better to be safe than not give credit when you should!

6 Why should you be concerned about PLAGIARISM? You are dishonest if you misrepresent the work of another as your own. you are cheating yourself. You don't learn to write out your thoughts in your own words, and you don't get specific feedback geared to your individual needs and skills. You can get a fail grade or even lose your College place

7 Why plagiarism is wrong: Plagiarism devalues others' original work. Submitting a professional writer's work as yours is taking an unfair advantage over students who do their own work. It is wrong to take or use property (an author's work) without giving the owner the value or credit due. Breaking copyright laws can result in fines or damages.

8 GUIDELINES for AVOIDING PLAGIARISM Explain the ideas of others in your own words, which will improve your own writing. Cite (=Give) the source of all copies, adapted or paraphrased material: For exact wording, use quotation marks and cite the source. Even If you adapt a chart or paraphrase (=restate the author's ideas, meaning, and information in your own words) even a sentence, you must still cite in 2 places – in the text/footnote/endnote AND in the bibliography/ reference/source list.

9 Beware … Minor ‘cosmetic changes’ still do not make it your work: Examples: ‘paraphrasing’ by only changing "less" for "fewer," reversing the order of a sentence, changing terms in a computer code, or altering a spread sheet layout are not enough to avoid plagiarism. If the work is essentially the same, cite the source. There are no “freebies“: No matter where you find it – including an encyclopedia or on the Internet -- you cite it! If you can’t cite it, don’t use it.

10 HOW TO CITE SOURCES: method A, in-text Identify the source in the text, putting the author's last name and the publication year inbrackets, with the page number of the cited material (Hacker, 1995, p. 261). The author's last name links the reader to a list of sources at the end of the paper where the full publishing information is given: Bibliography (or References or Sources) Hacker, D. (1995) A Writer's Reference, New York: St. Martin's Press

11 How to cite sources: method B, footnotes or endnotes footnotes or endnotes use raised numbers at the end of an idea or quoted words to link the reader to the source given at the bottom of the page (footnote) or at the end of the paper (endnote).

12 Example of text with footnote: In the text: Warner points out that Wells was interested in psychic science (1) At the bottom of the page AND in a final reference list at the end: (1) M. Warner. Introduction to Wells, H.G. The Time Machine, (London: Penguin 2005)

13 Final reference list: For all three methods, you must also include the source in a reference list at the end of the paper. Here, sources are fully identified by author's name, title, publisher's name, year of publication, and page number(s).

14 Citing a website In your text, give the full address of the actual page (not the home page) your quote or idea came from: Gardner demonstrates how to cite websites. ( In the bibliography, give the author and title of the website (if available), the address (can be home page) and also the date you accessed it: Gardner, D. (2002) Plagiarism and How to Avoid it. The University of Hong Kong. Accessed 27 March 2007.

15 Final reference list: List authors by alphabetical order of surname, e.g. Gardner, D. (2002) Plagiarism and How to Avoid it,The University of Hong Kong. Accessed 27 March Hacker, D. (1995) A Writer's Reference, New York: St. Martin's Press Warner, M. (2005). Introduction to Wells, H.G. The Time Machine, London: Penguin

16 This is plagiarism (same words, no quotation marks or citation): Original Source: " In research writing, sources are cited for two reasons: to alert readers to the sources of your information and to give credit to the writers from whom you have borrowed words and ideas." Student version: In research writing, sources are cited to alert readers to the sources of your information and to give credit to the writers from whom you have borrowed words and ideas. (The student has used the author's exact words, leaving out only a phrase, without quotation marks or a citation.)

17 Still plagiarism (insufficient paraphrase and incomplete source) Original Source: " In research writing, sources are cited for two reasons: to alert readers to the sources of your information and to give credit to the writers from whom you have borrowed words and ideas." Student version: In research writing, we cite sources for a couple of reasons: to notify readers of our information sources and to give credit to those from whom we have borrowed. (Hacker). (This student has made only slight changes, substituting words such as "a couple" for "two", "notify" for "alert", and "our"/"we" for "your"/"you," leaving out a few words, and giving an incomplete citation.)

18 Good paraphrasing, no plagiarism, correct citation: Original Source: " In research writing, sources are cited for two reasons: to alert readers to the sources of your information and to give credit to the writers from whom you have borrowed words and ideas." Student version: A researcher cites her sources to ensure her audience knows where she got her information, and to recognize and credit the original work. (Hacker, 1995, p. 260). (This student has paraphrased in her own words, while accurately reflecting and citing the author's ideas.)

19 Another good example: quotation with citation: Original Source: " In research writing, sources are cited for two reasons: to alert readers to the sources of your information and to give credit to the writers from whom you have borrowed words and ideas." Student version: In her book A Writer's Reference, Diana Hacker notes, "In research writing, sources are cited for two reasons: to alert readers to the sources of your information and to give credit to the writers from whom you have borrowed words and ideas." (1995, p. 260). By introducing his source, this student signals that the following material is from that source. All verbatim (=exactly quoted) words are in quotation marks, and the source of the quote is cited with a page number.

20 Sources: Examples taken from: University of California, Davis, Office of Judicial Affairs, Avoiding Plagiarism, Mastering the Art of Scholarship. (accessed 27 March 2007) Adapted by Prudence Lau and Julie Forrester