How to Avoid
Plagiarism
The History Department’s
Expectations
What is Plagiarism?
 Plagiarism occurs when you use someone else’s work
without proper acknowledgement of that source.
 Think of plagiarism as the intellectual theft of someone
else’s scholarship.
 Additionally, “students should recognize that unintentional
plagiarism still constitutes plagiarism. Thus is should be
clear that, when a student has done reading that has
influenced the student’s thinking and conclusions, he or
she should be very careful to footnote anything that was
borrowed” (Suffield Academy Writer’s Handbook, 10).
What is the penalty for plagiarism?
 Plagiarism is the most serious academic offense that you
can commit at an academic institution.
 If a teacher suspects that a student has plagiarized, then
the teacher will meet with the department chair.
 If the department chair feels that there is a case of
academic dishonesty, then the student will receive a
ZERO for the assignment and will also face the Academic
Committee for further review of his or her case.
 Plagiarism can result in dismissal from Suffield Academy.
How do I avoid plagiarism?
 Give yourself enough time to complete the assignment so that
you do not panic and plagiarize. If you realize that you cannot
submit the work on the due date, you are always better off
talking to your teacher (and accepting a late penalty) than trying
to pass off an assignment that is clearly not your own.
 Do not be sloppy. When you borrow someone else’s work, you
must use parenthetical references or footnotes/endnotes.
Therefore, you should take meticulous notes. If you use the cut
and paste function on your computer to put information into your
notes, make certain that you indicate that on your notes, or you
may unintentionally plagiarize.
 You must have a Works Cited page or Works Consulted page.
 Bottom line: when in doubt, cite your source.
When must I cite my sources?







You must use parenthetical references or footnotes/endnotes under the
following circumstances:
Direct quotation. This occurs when you use the exact words of a source, and this
is indicated by quotation marks.
Paraphrasing. This occurs when you use the main point of someone else’s work,
but you have put some of it into your own words. According to the Writer’s
Handbook, when you “paraphrase a source, you do not use quotation marks
(because you are not quoting the source, but rather restating its ideas by
modifying its language); you do cite the source, however, using parenthetical
citation or a footnote” (29).
Charts, maps, diagrams, and tables that result from someone else’s research.
Your own chart, map, diagram or table that results from someone else’s research.
Statistics that result from someone else’s research.
Bottom line: any time you take someone else’s work, regardless of the format
(book, article, on-line source….YOU MUST HAVE A CITATION.
Example of citing a direct
quotation
 Actual source:
 Speed, agility, and quickness
training has become a popular
way to train athletes. Whether
they are school children on a
soccer field or professionals in a
training camp, they can all
benefit from speed, agility, and
quickness training. This
method has been around for
several years, but it is not used
by all athletes primarily due to a
lack of education regarding the
drills.

A direct quotation would look like this:
According to fitness experts, “[s]peed, agility,
and quickness training has become a
popular way to train athletes” (Brown,
Ferrigno, and Santana 2).
OR
According to fitness experts, “[s]peed, agility,
and quickness training has become a
popular way to train athletes.”1
------------1Lee
E. Brown, Vance A. Ferrigno, and Jaun
Carlos Santana, Training for Speed, Agility, and
Quickness. 180 Drills for Athletes,
(Champagne, Ill: Human Kinetics, 2000), 2.
Example of citing when
you paraphrase
Actual Source:
Speed, agility, and quickness
training has become a popular
way to train athletes. Whether
they are school children on a
soccer field or professionals in a
training camp, they can all
benefit from speed, agility, and
quickness training. This
method has been around for
several years, but it is not used
by all athletes primarily due to a
lack of education regarding the
drills.
 Paraphrasing would look like
this:
Three methods that are popular
way to train athletes include
speed, agility, and quickness.
However, many athletes, from
school children to professionals,
do not use these methods
because they lack proper
understanding or education to
perform the drills (Brown,
Ferrigno, and Santana 2).
What is a Works Cited Page or a
Works Consulted Page?
 Works Cited would include only those sources that you
used (or cited) in your paper. This list should be
alphabetized by the author’s last name.
 Works Consulted (or a bibliography) would include all of
the sources that you used, even those that you did not
have in a citation. This list should be alphabetized by the
author’s last name.
 Your teacher will tell you which format is appropriate for
each assignment.
Sample Entries for Books
 When citing from a book, use this general format:
 Author’s last name, first name. Book Title. Additional
information. City of publication: Publisher,
publication date.
 Vianney, Mary H. A Short History of Field Hockey.
Suffield: The Suffield Bell Press, 2006.
More Sample Entries for Books
 Two or more Books by the same author:
 Vianney, Mary H. A Short History of Field
Hockey. Suffield: The Suffield Bell Press,
2006.
 --------. A Much Longer History of Field Hockey. 5th
edition. Suffield: The Suffield Bell Press, 2007.
More Sample Entries for Books
 Book by two or more authors:
 Brissette, Bryan and Philip Guidrey. Success in Prep
School Football and Baseball. Suffield: Suffield Bell
Press, 2007.
 Book by four or more authors:
 Brissette, Bryan, et al. Suffield Academy Writer’s Handbook.
Suffield: Suffield Academy, 2005.
 Book with an editor:
 Krasseman, Beth., ed. Short but Effective Workouts. Suffield:
Suffield Bell Press, 2002.
Sample Entries for Articles in
Periodicals
 When citing from an article in a periodical,
use this general format:
 Author’s last name, first name. “Article Title.” Periodical
Title. Date: Inclusion pages.
 Lowe, Andrew G. “How to Streamline Both your
Business and Your Swimming.” Sports Illustrated.
13-20 October 2003: 3-36.
More Sample Entries for
Articles in Periodicals
 Unsigned article from a newspaper:
 “The Joys of Playing on Turf.” The New York Times. 19 August 1994,
sec. 3: 10+.
 Article from a monthly or bimonthly magazine:
 Article from a weekly or biweekly magazine:
 Pentz, Christopher. “Squash Grows in Popularity.” People Magazine.
1-7 Nov. 2004: 10-14.
 Editorial:
 “Why Young Women Need Field Hockey.” Editorial. Washington Post.
19 December 1995: D26.
Other Print and Non Print Sources
 Cartoons and Ads:
Schlidge, Ronald. Cartoon. The Hartford Courant. 8 Sept. 2005: D3.
Target. Advertisement. The Hartford Courant. 4 Oct. 2000: A5.
 Interview:
Sitting Bull. Interview. By David Rockwell. 30 December 2004.
 Published Letters:
Cleary, Barry M. “To The Faculty.” 1 June 2000. The Letters of Barry M.
Cleary. Ed. Laurie Cleary. New York: Scribner’s, 2006. 25-27.
Works of Art:
 Le Witt, Sol. Horizontal Brushstrokes (more or less). 2002. Suffield
Academy.
Electronic Sources
 For documents (scholarly article, speech, primary source, or
archive) found on the Internet, use the following format:
Author’s first name, last. “Title of work.” Date of original work. Title of
Publication. <specific URL>.
 News article from an Internet site:
Author’s last name, first. “Title.” Date. <specific URL>.
Of Note: You should be discerning when using any type of source for your
papers, but you should be particularly careful when using secondary
sources from the Internet. You are best off using sources that are
published by colleges or universities or other reputable organizations
(the Smithsonian or the Library of Congress).
Suffield Databases

Annals of American History:
Author’s last name, first. " Title." Date of original work. Annals of American History.
<specific URL>.

Associated Press Photos:
“Title or Heading of File.” Name of Database. Date of File. Name of Subscription
Service. <specific URL>.

CQ Researcher:
Author’s last name, first. “Title.” Date of original work. CQ Researcher,
volume, page numbers, from CQ Researcher online. <specific URL>.

Discovering Collection:
“Title or Heading File.” Name of Database. Thomas Gale. <specific URL>.
Suffield Databases

Encyclopedia Britannica:
“Name of article or person.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Year. Encyclopedia Britannica
Online School Edition. <specific URL>.

Historical Newspapers:
Author’s last name, first (if available). “Title of Article.” Name of Newspaper. Date:
page. <specific URL>.
 History Reference Center (EBSCO Host Research Database):
Author’s last name, first. “Title.” Source. Date: page. <specific URL>.
Format for Footnotes
 Just to make you nuts, the format for a footnote
is slightly different than that of the Works
Consulted page.
 When you footnote from a book, you will need
the following:
Author’s first name then last name, title of work,
(city of publication: publisher: date), exact page
number.
 Of note, the page number is critical; it allows
your teacher to check your information.
Variations of Footnotes

Source with more than one author:
1Bryan
Brissette and Philip Guidrey, Success in Prep School Football and Baseball, (Suffield:
Suffield Bell Press, 2007), 122.

Articles in magazines and newspapers:
2Carter
M. Abbott, “Soccer and Lacrosse: Understanding Both Games,” Atlantic Monthly: (Sept.-Oct.
2000): 47.

Newspapers:
3“The

Joys of Playing on Turf,” The New York Times, 19 August 1994: sec. 3: 10+.
Electronic Sources:
4Author’s
first name, last, “Title of work,” Date of original work, Title of Publication <specific URL>.
Of note: once you use a source once, then all you need is the author’s last name and page number
(or <url>).
Works Consulted
 Brissette, Bryan, et al. Suffield Academy Writer’s Handbook.
Suffield: Suffield Academy, 2005.
 Brown, Lee E., Vance A. Ferrigno, and Juan Carlos Santana., eds.
Training for Speed, Agility, and Quickness. 180
Drills for Athletes. Champagne Ill.: Human Kinetics, 2000.
 Suffield Academy Library Page.
 Trimmer, Joseph F. A Guide to MLA Documentation with an
Appendix on APA Style. 7th edition. Boston: Houghton
Mifflin Company, 2006.