Exactly what is plagiarism?
What is Plagiarism?
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Turning in someone else’s paper with your
name on it—this includes:
buying a paper on-line,
copying a free paper you found on-line,
passing off a paper written by someone
else as your own.
Cutting and pasting information from
several sources to make up your paper
using the words or ideas you found
in another source….
without giving credit to that source
by using
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Footnotes
and/or a bibliography
Not putting a direct quotation in
quotation marks:
“Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties,
and so bear ourselves that if the British Empire
and Commonwealth last for a thousand years,
men will still say, “This was their finest hour…”
--Sir Winston Churchill
June 18, 1940 in a speech delivered to the House of
Commons
Not giving the correct information
about the source of a quotation
Plagiarism is
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allowing your essay, assignment or test
answers to be copied by another student.
Plagiarism is also,
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Copying such a large amount of ideas or
words from a source that it makes up the
majority of your paper.
How can I avoid plagiarism?
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1.
2.
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Always make sure you cite your sources!
Use bibliographies and footnotes, even if
you put the ideas in your own words.
Make sure you use quotes properly-- use
quotation marks and citations.
Use ideas from sources to help build your
paper not to completely create it!
Avoiding plagiarism is hard work, I’m
afraid!
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You need to read your sources carefully.
If something is worth quoting, then do it.
Paraphrasing is when you figure out the
meaning of a passage and put it in your
own words….simply rewording it won’t do!
I know it’s tough but nobody ever said
writing is easy work!
When in doubt?
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Ask a teacher or librarian for
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It may be difficult for
you to tell if you are
plagiarizing or not.
Having someone else
look at your work may
help you avoid
problems!!!
Help is on the way!!
Created by Janet L. Phares
Paddy’O Studios, Ltd.
Staunton, Virginia
2007