Academic Writing 1: Plagiarism NTH001

Definition: pla·gia·rize 1. To use and pass off (the ideas or writings of another) as one's own 2. To appropriate for use as one's own passages or ideas from (another) The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Plagiarism Plagiarism is representing one’s writing as original when it is not It is a form of academic dishonesty and a serious offence within academia – Within education – Within research It leads to professional & disciplinary action

An epistemological transition University (in Sweden) is a transition point in terms of educational rationale Graduate School (everywhere) is a transition point in terms of knowledge as practice

Early schooling different from university different aims, measurements & reward systems High grades based on demonstrations of ability to memorize and give account of – or recount – a particular body of facts closeness of recounting of these facts to the original wording – the closer the better Teaching materials anonymous accounts of facts not explicitly attributed to text book authors

The new deal - now University is a watershed in attitude to knowledge & attribution New knowledge is the key capital In academia, who says what and – in certain disciplines – how they say it, is what makes one’s career and professional reputation Attribution is a central value – ethos – in academia and you flout it at your peril

Previous hallmark of a good pupil might alternatively – if done in the wrong way – be the behaviour of a dishonest student Dividing lines in the knowledge culture can run differently in different educational systems and even within disciplines within one educational system Course books versus papers – not a relevant distinction in the humanities The new deal - now

Main types of plagiarism  Copying text chunks/sentences without reference  Copying texts/sentences with reference but without quotation marks  Direct translations with no references or quotation marks  Close paraphrasing of other texts by changing presentation order or altering a few words  Appropiating as one’s own someone elses’key term or ’catch phrase’

The central idea See further “by standing on the shoulders of Giants” but attribute (Newton to Hooke, 5 Feb 1676) When you summarise an idea or an argument, make sure you use your own words When you refer to someone else’s ideas, use clear referencing (Kullenberg 2012) When you use someone else’s words, make it clear that they are by using referencing & quotation marks “someone else’s words” (Kullenberg 2011)

Two kinds of plagiarism: Intentional plagiarism & Uncareful plagiarism Both are plagiarism & both are forbidden What is and what is not plagiarism not always clear or self- evident Common traps – translation from one language to another – copy-pasting – meshing two ideas into one elegant hybrid sentence – note-taking - take note but give reference

Cases where plagiarising has been intentional, the students have mostly been under pressure Avoid last-minute deadline desperation - ask for an extension Do not worry about whether Your written English is not good enough – while we care about presentational style and will not restrict our comment to content, we are not language teachers Two kinds of plagiarism: Intentional plagiarism & Uncareful plagiarism

URKUND (Source: accessed ) Internet Published material Student material Students Urkund system Teacher

What will happen? 1.Your program coordinator is informed. 2.Meeting with me and chief of department. Possibility to explain oneself. You may bring a friend, a fellow student or a representative of the student association (Kåren) 3.Report to headmaster of the University of Gothenburg 4.Referral (if needed) to the disciplinary council and an advisory decision 5.Decision from headmaster: exclusion from studies for a period of time (4 weeks – totally)

How to avoid it – by referencing (Harvard system) Quotation marks: It has been claimed that “while plagiarism can and should be understood relative to the educational system that produces it, its consequences for students are often severe” (Eriksson 2010, p. 2). Indentation: It has been claimed that while plagiarism can and should be understood relative to the educational system that produces it, its consequences for students are often severe (Eriksson 2010, p. 2). Embedded reference: Eriksson in her article Cheating as Culture (2010), stresses that “while plagiarism can and should be understood relative to the educational system that produces it, its consequences for students are often severe” (p. 2).

Always Add a Bibliography (see “Template for seminar reports” at GUL) Books: Author, Initials/first name., Year. Title of book. Edition. [only include this if not the first edition] Place: Publisher. Kuhn, Thomas., The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. 2nd edition. Chicago: Chicago University Press. Journal article: Author, Initials., Year. Title of article. Full Title of Journal, Volume number (Issue/Part number), Page numbers. MacKenzie, Donald., Statistical Theory and Social Interests: A Case-Study. Social Studies of Science, 8 (1), Chapter(s) in edited books: Chapter author(s) surname(s) and initials. Year of chapter. Title of chapter followed by ”In” Book editor(s) initials and surnames with ed. or eds. after the last name. Year of book. Title of book. Place of publication: Publisher. Chapter number or first and last page numbers followed by full-stop. Smith, J., A source of information. In W. Jones, ed. One hundred and one ways to find information about health. Oxford: Oxford University Press

More examples of the Harvard system d.htm d.htm es/library/find/references/harvard/index.php es/library/find/references/harvard/index.php