Avoiding Plagiarism

AVOIDING PLAGIARISM

IN THIS TUTORIAL WE WILL COVER:

• When and why to cite your sources• How to avoid plagiarism

PLAGIARISM: THE ACTION OR PRACTICE OF TAKING SOMEONE ELSE’S WORK, IDEA, ETC. AND PASSING IT OFF AS ONE’S OWN. -- OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Seems pretty straightforward, right?

It comes down to claiming work you didn’t do as your own.

In practice, it is more complicated. Plagiarism can be intentional or unintentional.

INTENTIONAL PLAGIARISM

Let’s look at some examples…

THIS IS THE BLATANT ATTEMPT TO CLAIM SOMEONE’S WORK AS YOUR OWN.

INTENTIONAL PLAGIARISM

SUBMITTING ANOTHER STUDENT’S WORK AS YOUR OWN

INTENTIONAL PLAGIARISM

PAYING ANOTHER STUDENT TO DO YOUR PAPER/PROJECT

INTENTIONAL PLAGIARISM

BUYING A PAPER/PROJECT ONLINE

INTENTIONAL PLAGIARISM

It is taken very seriously and can result in:• an “F” for the paper/project• an “F” for the course• suspension for the term/semester• expulsion from the college/university

THIS IS CHEATING AND THE WORST TYPE OF ACADEMIC FRAUD

UNINTENTIONAL PLAGIARISM

Let’s look at some examples…

THIS OCCURS WHEN YOU INADVERTENTLY CLAIM SOMEONE’S WORK AS YOUR OWN

UNINTENTIONAL PLAGIARISM

CUTTING AND PASTING WITHOUT GIVING CREDIT

UNINTENTIONAL PLAGIARISM

CUTTING AND PASTING FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES WITHOUT GIVING CREDIT

UNINTENTIONAL PLAGIARISM

FAILURE TO CITE ALL INFORMATION TAKEN FROM A SOURCE

UNINTENTIONAL PLAGIARISM

Usually caused by: • Bad note taking• Misunderstanding what information to cite• Errors in citing source materials

UNINTENTIONAL PLAGIARISM

Because it is difficult to distinguish between

intentional and unintentional plagiarism, they may

have the same consequences:

• an “F” for the assignment

• an “F” for the course

• suspension for the term/semester

• expulsion from the college/university

AVOIDING PLAGIARISM

These techniques can help:

• Develop a system to organize your research

• Learn when & how to cite outside sources

ORGANIZING YOUR RESEARCH

Problem: Confusing your ideas with someone else’s

Solution: Clearly separate your ideas from those in the

sources you’ve found

ARTICLE

“Why the PC Market is Suddenly so Weak.” By Hamm, Steve. Business Week 1/29/2009

“In a report issued on Jan. 14. market watcher IDC declared the fourth quarter a bust, with PC units sales down 0.4% IDC forecasts lean times ahead for PC makers, with a 5.3% decline in sales for 2009 and a slow recovery for 2010.” page 82

MY THOUGHTS

The mobile Internet market is having a negative effect on the market because people don’t need a PC to do tasks once limited to a desktop or laptop.

ORGANIZING YOUR RESEARCH

Citation Management software can help:

• Most allow you to annotate citations, so you can

keep track of your analysis and thoughts

• A great tool for building your bibliography

KNOWING WHEN TO CITE

Problem: Not sure when to cite?

Solution: If it comes from an outside source, you

should almost always cite it.

You must always cite:

Facts and ideas from a specific source

Direct quotations from a specific source

Paraphrases from a specific source

Summaries from a specific source

KNOWING WHEN TO CITE

Exception: Common Knowledge

Information that is well known, available in a number of

sources & accepted as fact does not need to be cited

Examples:

Bill Gates & Paul Allen founded Microsoft

Yuri Gagarin, a Russian cosmonaut, was the first

person to orbit the Earth

George Washington was the 1st U.S. President

NOT SURE IF SOMETHING IS COMMON KNOWLEDGE?

Ask yourself:

• Have I seen this fact in numerous places?

• Do others in this field consider it to be true?

If the answer to both is “yes” then it’s

probably common knowledge. If you are

unsure, be on the safe side and cite it.

NEED MORE INFORMATION?

Hamersley Library, Citation Guideswww.wou.edu/library/research/reference/style.php

The Writing Centerwww.wou.edu/writingcenter