Plagiarism, Paraphrasing and
citations
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Your essay assignment
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A five paragraph essay:
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Topic: What is the theme of Lord of the Flies?
Each body paragraph must include at least one
direct quote from the book as evidence to support
your thesis statement
The first draft is due next week
You must do at least three drafts. You can rewrite as many times as you want until you get the
grade you want
Plagiarism
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What is plagiarism?
To present the ideas or words of another as
one’s own
Source: The Merriam Webster Dictionary
What are some of the consequences of
plagiarism?
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In Ms. Bloustine’s class you will receive a
zero on the assignment
In many universities you can fail the class or
even be expelled for plagiarism
Paraphrasing
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What is paraphrasing?
1.a restatement of a text or passage giving
the meaning in another form, as for
clearness; rewording.
2.the act or process of restating or
rewording.
Source: dictionary.com
What is the purpose of paraphrasing?
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To incorporate ideas from other sources
without plagiarizing
Examples of paraphrasing
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The automobile was crimson.
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The adolescents were disruptive
Examples of paraphrasing
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In the metropolis the recreational area was
dilapidated.
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I am experiencing a period of emotional
difficulties and ennui.
Another example of paraphrasing
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From Sparknotes: “Generally, however, Golding
implies that the instinct of savagery is far more
primal and fundamental to the human psyche than
the instinct of civilization.”
Which is the better paraphrase?
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Erika Ramirez in Vibe: “Brandy has escaped
misery's grasp and jumped in to the arms of
resilience, a move she fully documents on her fifth
and most intimate album to date, Human (Sony).”
A: Brandy has escaped misery and
embraced resilience, which she
documents on her fifth and most
intimate album, Human.
B: Brandy’s fifth album, Human,
shows her triumph over tragedy
and is open about her true
emotions.
Answer: B
A is too close to the wording of the
original. B keeps the main ideas of
the original but completely changes
Which is the better paraphrase?
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Joe Neumaier in The Daily News, writing about the movie The
Day the Earth Stood Still: “The film's major action sequences
are never exciting, and even the now-requisite destruction of
New York feels lazy.”
A: Even the parts of the movie
with the most action are boring
and it seems like the filmmakers
didn’t put much effort in to the
film.
B: The major action
sequences are boring and
the required destruction of
New York feels like the
director was lazy.
Answer: A
Remember, it’s not enough just to change a few
words. You need to take the ideas and put it in your
Citations
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Using citations are a way to give credit to others’
ideas and words. Any time you use a direct quote
you must use a citation.
You also must use citations for ideas you take from
another source.
The kinds of citations we are going to use are called
parenthetical citations.
Example: On the island the boys live a “wild, brutal,
barbaric life in the jungle” (Sparknotes).
Appropriate uses of Sparknotes
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Getting a synopsis of the book if you haven’t
read it all or didn’t understand everything that
happened
Gaining a better understanding of the themes
and symbolism of the book
Generating ideas for your essay
Inappropriate uses of Sparknotes
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Directly quoting passages without citing them
Taking ideas directly from the SparkNote and not
thinking of any ideas of your own
Only using the SparkNote and not doing any
analysis of the book itself
When in doubt, cite!
Homework
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Bring in a short article from a newspaper,
magazine, or web site. Choose two or three
sentences from the article, underline them,
and paraphrase them.