Plagiarism in scholarly work

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DEFINITIONS What is plagiarism? What is copy right ? What is common knowledge ? What is a citation?

Plagiarism is the act of presenting the words, ideas, images, sounds, or the creative expression of others as your own.

So, if you have included the words and ideas of others in your work - that you neglected to cite, - or have helped you, - or you would not want your lecturer to know about... You have probably plagiarized!

What is Copyright? the exclusive legal right to reproduce, publish, sell, or distribute the matter and form of something (as a literary, musical, or artistic work) Copy right and intellectual property are protected by law

TWO MAIN GROUPS OF PLAGIARISM Intentional Copying a friend’s work Buying or borrowing papers Cutting and pasting blocks of text from electronic sources without documenting Media “borrowing” without documentation Web publishing without permissions of creators Unintentional Careless paraphrasing Poor documentation Quoting excessively Failure to use your own “voice”

In other words….

nty/plagiarism-case-threatens-graduation /

Plagiarism cases rock Fort Hare Apr 9, 2013 | BONGANI FUZILE The University of Fort Hare has been shocked by allegations of plagiarism. The assignments of three political science postgraduate students have been questioned. Head of department Dr Zoleka Ndayi alerted the university to her doubts. Ndayi, in s seen by The Times, said assignments contained "cut and paste" passages in which only type sizes differed. At a meeting of university staff it was noted that the crisis was leading the political science department to the "brink of collapse“… "Up to 99% of the dissertation came from online books and articles; in some cases, with clear indications of the stolen ideas.“ read cases-rock-fort-hare University of Fort Hare, pic. Rod Bally

DIFFERENT TYPES OF PLAGIARISM Complete plagiarism This is when a piece of work is copied entirely from one or more sources. Even if the source(s) is acknowledged, and even properly referenced it is still considered to be plagiarism as it contains no original work, or interpretation of the information, from the student. Partial plagiarism This involves inserting sections of directly copied and unacknowledged source(s) within an assignment.

continued Concealing sources If you have cited a piece of work from a text this does not mean you do not have to reference any other text you refer to from that work. No matter how many times you refer back to the text you must acknowledge the source, even if it is in the very next paragraph. Inadvertent plagiarism Plagiarism can occur as a result of poor study skills, but it is still considered to be academic misconduct.

continued Word switch If you copy a sentence or paragraph into your assignment and change a few words it will still be considered to be plagiarism. It is better to paraphrase than to quote, and if you copy a phrase you should copy it word for word and use quotation marks. Misinterpreting common knowledge Common knowledge is information which is (a) well known to all in a particular field, (b) easily verified by consulting standard textbooks or encyclopaedias, and not disputed, (c) undisputed historical facts, and (d) known formulas or equation s.

Examples of Plagiarism… Copying and pasting text from online encyclopedias Copying and pasting text from any web site Using photographs, video or audio without permission or acknowledgement Using another student’s or your parents’ work and claiming it as your own even with permission Using your own work without properly citing it!

More Examples of Plagiarism… Quoting a source without using quotation marks-even if you do cite it Citing sources you didn’t use Getting a research paper, story, poem, or article off the Internet Turning in the same paper for more than one class without the permission of both teachers (this is called self-plagiarism)

The INTERNET Special recognition needs to be given to the Internet as a source of information. Due to the transient nature of information on the Internet, a copy (either paper or disk) should be retained. WHY??? Internet sites must be examined very carefully for reliability, as all sources are not authoritative or trustworthy.  Lack of author or publisher often indicates that the information should be treated with caution.  The work of other students (e.g. home pages) may be consulted but should never be a sole source of information.

So, what’s the big deal? If I change a few words, I’m okay, right? Wrong! Academic integrity Is important. Paraphrasing original ideas without documenting your source, is plagiarism too! It is Unethical behaviour

academic integrity and ethical behaviour When you copy - you cheat yourself. You limit your own learning. The consequences are not worth the risks! It is only right to give credit to authors whose ideas you use (fair use of information) Citing gives authority to the information you present Citing makes it possible for your readers to locate your source Cheating is unethical behavior

Popular Excuses It’s okay if I don’t get caught! I was too busy to write that paper! (!) My Lecturer will not know it is not My work I did not Know it is wrong! My lecturer Does not like Me and Makes Life difficult This assignment was BORING! Everyone does it!

HOW WILL I BE CAUGHT ? My lecturer knows his/ her field of study The lecturer notices when assignments are similar Anti-plagiarism tools will tell if I plagiarised: such as web search, or even better the application of anti-plagiarism software

WHY IS IT NOT WORTH IT? “0” on the assignment Parent notification Disciplinary action Suspension or dismissal from activities-- sports and extracurricular Note on student record Loss of reputation among the university community

To Put It Simple… If you didn’t produce it, you don’t own it. So, if you don’t own it, and you don’t have permission to use it……

WHAT SHOULD I DO? You may rephrase anything that your read. In other words, put it into your own words. Do NOT copy anything word for word. Unless… You are quoting someone. You may use direct quotes if you put it in quotation marks, and site your source in the content. You may legally use parts of a copyrighted work, but you must always give the author the credit for his/her hard work.

HOW SHOULD I DO IT ? Quoting Paraphrasing Summarizing To blend source materials in with your own, making sure your own voice is heard.

Quoting Quotations are the exact words of an author, copied directly from a source, word for word. Quotations must be cited! Use quotations when: You want to add the power of an author’s words to support your argument You want to disagree with an author’s argument You want to highlight particularly eloquent or powerful phrases or passages You are comparing and contrasting specific points of view You want to note the important research that precedes your own

Paraphrasing Paraphrasing means rephrasing the words of an author, putting his/her thoughts in your own words. When you paraphrase, you rework the source’s ideas, words, phrases, and sentence structures with your own. Like quotations, paraphrased material must be followed with in-text documentation and cited on your Works-Cited page. Paraphrase when: You plan to use information on your note cards and wish to avoid plagiarizing You want to avoid overusing quotations You want to use your own voice to present information

Summarizing Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) of one or several writers into your own words, including only the main point(s). Summaries are significantly shorter than the original and take a broad overview of the source material. Again, it is necessary to attribute summarized ideas to their original sources. Summarize when: You want to establish background or offer an overview of a topic You want to describe knowledge (from several sources) about a topic You want to determine the main ideas of a single source

WHAT IS A CITATION References and citations in text are the formal methods of acknowledging the use of a creator’s work. An In-Text Citation? Direct citations and quotations are acknowledged in the body of a research/assignment. (Right in the sentence or paragraph)

Do I have to cite everything?

Facts that are widely known, or Information or judgments considered “common knowledge” Do NOT have to be cited. No...

 Nelson Mandela was our president  The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 If you see a fact in three or more sources, and you are fairly certain your readers already know this information, it is likely to be “common knowledge.” But when in doubt, cite! Common Knowledge Examples

 You are discussing your own experiences, observations, or reactions  Compiling the results of original research, from science experiments, etc. You are using common knowledge More Common Knowledge

DIFFERENT REFERENCING STYLES Different faculties prefer different referencing styles: American Psychological Association (APA) Modern Language Association (MLA) Harvard, etc.

CITATIONS IN TEXT Definition Citations in text identify the source of quotations or a personal communication used in research like this (e.g. author’s last name, publication date, and page number) Purpose 1.Whether paraphrasing or quoting an author directly, the source must be credited. 2.Citations enable the reader to locate the source of the quotation in References.

Format 1.Citations are included in the same sentence or paragraph as the quotation. 2.The sentence and the citation together must provide the e.g. author’s last name, the publication date and the page(s) from which the quotation was taken.

Punctuation 1.Quotation marks “ ” enclose quotations of less than 40 words and are included in the text. 2.A colon : follows the statement immediately preceding a long quotation (block quotation). 3.Brackets ( ) enclose information about the source of the quotation (this is the citation).

Personal Communications Personal communications include letters, telephone conversations, interviews, etc. They are mentioned in the body of a paper only, as they are not locatable. They are cited (see below), but NEVER included in your reference list, because a reader cannot refer to or locate them later. Author Martine Bates (personal communication, January 25, 2000) is excited about Marwen’s latest adventures and hopes her readers are too.

WHAT IS A REFERENCE LIST? An alphabetical list of sources used at the end of your assignment; It is preferred to use a reference list in academic work and not a bibliography; A bibliography is useful for further reading; Application of rules may differ from department to department; Your lecturer will give guidance.

USEFUL WEB SITES: anti-plagiarism policies and software / s/TurnitinLecturer_v6_sept09.pdf

USEFULL WEBSITES Continued : Guides to different styles 10.pdfhttp://library.dut.ac.za/ref%20guide% pdf stellenbosch style foot notes - Google Search stellenbosch style foot notes - Google Search oscola_2006.pdfhttp:// oscola_2006.pdf m-and-turnitinhttp:// m-and-turnitin ng-plagiarism /download

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