Plagiarism and Academic Integrity 'Always Do the RIGHT Thing'

to plagiarize (verb) plagiarizing (verb) plagiarism (noun) plagiarist (noun) Definition: to steal or copy another person's work and say it is your work. This includes words, ideas, images or any creative work. Plagiarism is immoral.

Academic Integrity Definition: Honesty in all school work. This includes writing, speaking, individual and group work. Nazareth College highly values academic integrity.

to cite (verb) citing (verb) citation (noun) Definition: Showing the author, title, date, publisher, website, volume, and/or pages of a source of information you used in your work. A citation is written for each source. A citation follows a pattern. (APA format) Academic writing includes citations.

intellectual property Definition: Any work created by a person's mind. A piece of writing, music, art, or an invention. We must always respect intellectual property rights of others.

source Any book, magazine, journal, article, unpublished paper, website, blog, or other intellectual property you use in your research.

Lynn reads an article and takes notes in her own words. Later she writes an essay. She does not give credit to the author because she is not using the author's exact words. Linda is plagiarizing. TRUE or FALSE?

TRUE SHE MUST ALWAYS GIVE CREDIT IN A CITATION, EVEN IF SHE IS NOT USING THE AUTHOR'S EXACT WORDS.

Citing your sources is good because a. It helps your reader find your sources. b. Shows you respect intellectual property. c. Adds credibility to your work. d. It avoids plagiarism.

All four are correct. a. It helps your reader find your sources. b. Shows you respect intellectual property. c. Adds credibility to your work. d. It avoids plagiarism.

Victoria can use an article from an online database without citing it if: a. it only contains information from other articles. b. She only uses the abstract. c. She can never do this. d. It was used by the teacher in class.

C. is the correct choice. She must always cite an article from an online database.

Deb can copy from an encyclopedia without citing the source because this information is free to anyone, and everyone knows it. TRUE or FALSE?

It depends. If she is stating 'common knowledge' (something everyone knows) no citation is needed. A citation is needed if the information is not known by everyone. When in doubt, CITE it!

Shizuka wrote: In my opinion, Bugs Bunny is America's best loved cartoon, except for Mickey Mouse. Does this sentence need a citation? YES or NO?

NO! This is her opinion, so no citation is needed.

Emily wrote: Bugs Bunny is a part of American culture. The U.S. Postal Service made a postage stamp of Bugs Bunny in Does this sentence need a citation? YES or NO?

This is not common knowledge. YES! It needs a citation. It is a fact that would have to be researched. To verify that this statement is true, a source should be given. Ira Teinowitz, “Kane: Postal Service to Focus on Core Products,” Advertising Age, 17 March 1997, 68 (11): 44.

Don't do it! copying and pasting complete papers from electronic sources copying and pasting passages from electronic sources without placing the passages in quotes and properly citing the source having others write complete papers or portions of papers for you summarizing ideas without citing their source using words and passages you don't understand and can't explain

Matching activity Go to: Don't Do It!

How to avoid plagiarism Use valid, credible sources for information: Journals, text books, academic websites NO Wikipedia

Take careful notes: Copy the citation information FIRST. Use quotation marks to show the author's words. Separate your notes from each source (use index cards, draw lines between sources, use different colors for each source)

Quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing: Keep it short Use your own language

Resources University of Maine at Farmington Lycoming College Game.aspx University of Texas at Austin

Jimbo wrote: According to one scholar, "...Bugs Bunny fits the character of a trickster." Does Jimbo need a citation? YES or NO?

YES! He needs a citation. Jimbo needs to provide bibliographic information so that other researchers can verify the source of the quote. Margaret P. Baker, “The Rabbit as Trickster,”Journal of Popular Culture; 28, no. 2 (1994): 150.

Durgam wrote: The analogic between the philosophical method of Socrates (irony, aporia) and the practical skills of the trickster in Indian mythology are substantial. Does this need a citation?

YES! A citation is needed. Correct. This does need a citation. The overly sophisticated language used in this sentence strongly suggests that it came from a scholarly source. The student writer needs to indicate the original author of this statement. Note: This sentence is a direct quote. Martin Blobel, “Towards an Existentialist Concept of American Cultural Anthropology: On Death, Trickster and Socrates,”Dialectical Anthropology, 23 no. 3 (1998): 331.

Worood wrote: Mickey Mouse is the most popular with 18 to 34 year old males, beating Bugs Bunny by 23%. Does this need a citation? YES or NO?

YES! This does need a citation. The student uses statistics and statistics are not common knowledge. They need to be researched. A citation to the original source of this statistic is needed to demonstrate that the information used is valid. Erin Chambers and Ira Sager, “Toon Time,” Business Week, 14 February 2005, 12.