How to Use Outside Sources Correctly and Effectively Taken from Dr. Stephen Fox, psychology professor at a Plagiarism Education Week Conference in Theodor Geisel Page 12

Using Outside Sources Correctly and Effectively Our focus will be on avoiding plagiarism, citing sources, and paraphrasing. Pretend as though you are writing a paper to explore how people develop their food preferences. You want to use the following sentence from Theodor Geisel’s (Dr. Seuss’s) book Green Eggs and Ham: “I do not like green eggs and ham.” It is found on page 12.

Is this plagiarism? Many people do not like green eggs and ham. Is this plagiarism? YES! The phrase “do not like green eggs and ham” is word for word. There are no quotations marks and no citations.

Is this plagiarism? Many people “do not like green eggs and ham.” Is this plagiarism? YES! There are quotations marks, but there is no citation.

Is this plagiarism? Many people do not like green eggs and ham (Geisel 12). Is this plagiarism? YES! There is a citation. The phrase “do not like green eggs and ham” is still word for word. The lack of quotes implies these are your words, which they are not.

Is this plagiarism? Many people “do not like green eggs and ham” (Geisel 12). Is this plagiarism? NO! The quotations marks show it is someone else’s work. The citation is correct. However, even though this is proper, it is not the best way to use this sentence. Use a paraphrase when the original source is short and/or unstylistic. (Language is not memorable and persuasive).

Is this plagiarism? Many people dislike green ham and eggs (Geisel 12). Is this plagiarism? YES! This is not adequate paraphrasing. The sentence structure is too similar to the original quotation, and you can’t put this one in quotes because it’s not the exact words of Geisel.

Is this plagiarism? Many people have a strong distaste for forest-colored fowl embryos and cured domesticated pig products (Geisel 12). Is this plagiarism? YES! This is still not adequate paraphrasing. The sentence structure is too similar to the original quotation, and you still can’t put this in quotes because it’s not the exact words of Geisel.

have a strong distaste = do not like forest-colored = green fowl embryos = eggs and = and cured domesticated pig products = ham Called the “find and replace” technique for plagiarism

Is this plagiarism? A lack of familiarity with green colored breakfast foods is likely to lead to a premature rejection of the inherent taste qualities found in that form of nourishment (Geisel 12). Is this plagiarism? NO! There is adequate paraphrasing that represents Geisel’s intended message, but it’s not readable. In fact, this pretty much represents everything people hate about academic writing.

Is this plagiarism? While breakfast items like ham and eggs may be delicious, eating green ones are not my personal preference (Geisel 12). Is this plagiarism? NO! Finally, we have an adequate paraphrasing that accurately represents Geisel’s message and that is clear and easily understood. (No ridiculously long words! No ridiculously over-academic sounding words!)

People often choose their food preferences based upon a food’s appearance. If a food looks unappetizing, many will not eat it. For example, my mom hates looking at liver. The dark jelly like substance, even when it is fried, makes her think of slugs. Some people may think it is delicious. She does not. Like my mom, I have an aversion to some foods others choose to start their day. While breakfast items like ham and eggs may be delicious, eating green ones is not my personal preference (Geisel 12).

Works Cited Fox, Stephen. “Understanding Plagiarism with Help from Dr. Seuss.” Turnitin.com Web. Accessed 06 January Geisel, Theodor. Green Eggs and Ham. New York: Random House, “Plagiarize.” Merriam-Webster.com Web. Accessed 25 May 2012.