Plagiarism, Don't Do It !!!!
Plagiarism
Defined:
Plagiarism is using another persons words or ideas and pretending they are your own. Copying directly from books, articles, and web sites without giving the author credit is plagiarism and is never acceptable.
Avoid Plagiarism:
Always give credit to the original author. (Ask your professor or a librarian about how to properly cite a source.)
Paraphrasing an author (putting the author's ideas in your own words) is still plagiarism if you do not give the original author credit in a citation.
Example of Plagiarism:
Source:
Trained
librarians are leaders in their communities.
They understand community development. They
provide access to the training and information
required for a strong economic environment and
an informed citizenry. They support the cultural
richness of their communities. They share in
the responsibility of educating our children.
(Rogers, 2002).
Summary:
Sharing in the responsibility of educating our children, librarians provide access to information required for a strong economy and an informed citizenry. (Rogers, 2002).
The above summary commits plagiarism by retaining
exact phrases from the original text. Compare
it to the following acceptable summary:
In her recent speech, Rogers (2002) identifies
the roles librarians play in their communities.
By educating patrons to find information, professional
librarians strengthen communities economically,
educationally and culturally.
By putting down the source of the words or ideas used in your papers you show that you looked up books, articles, sites. You engaged in a research process.
When you paraphrase another and cite the original author you show that you located the appropriate material, analyzed the content, and synthesized it into your own work.
When
you cite material correctly you differentiate
it from the original words or ideas that you
put into your paper. Your original material
stands out. As educated people we are
interested in contributing to the larger body
of wisdom on a subject. It's not a contribution
if you only use other people's words or ideas.
Resources:
Coe College Writing Center (for bibliographic citations)
Bedford
St. Martins Citation Styles Online
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (REF. LB2369.M53 1999)
A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (REF. LB2369 .T8 1996)
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (REF. BF7637.P83 2001)
The Plagiarism Handbook (REF. PN167 .H37 2001)
Using Sources Effectively: Strengthening Your Writing and Avoiding Plagiarism (REF. PN 167 .H39 2002)
Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences (QH304 .M36 2001)
