Steal This Paper!
A plagiarism workshop for High
School Sophomores
PowerPoint created and adapted by M. Blackburn 2005
Case Studies
On the first day of classes you are
happy to discover the assigned essay
is on a topic you wrote a paper on last
term. You print off a new copy and
hand it in on the due date with a new
cover page. Is this considered
dishonest?
Case Studies
You are placed in groups to work on a large
project. The first time your group meets,
you discuss the assignment and you each
take a piece of the project to complete.
After the compiled project is submitted,
you are surprised to learn your group is
asked to speak to the instructor about
potential plagiarism in one of the sections.
Can you be charged with plagiarism even if
your section is properly footnoted?
Case Studies
You are frustrated about not getting the
results you should during a lab
experiment You notice others at your lab
table are finished and cleaning up their
materials. You decide to change your lab
results to the expected outcome and begin
to clean up your lab area. Is this
considered falsification of data?
Case Studies
You are to include seven references in your
essay assignment. You run out of time and
add two articles to your bibliography that
you did not use to write your paper. Is
this considered dishonest?
Case Studies
Your friend asks to look at the paper you wrote last
year because she is taking the same course this
year. She says she wants it only as a guideline to
help her get started. You see her finished paper
a few days later and notice she copied large
sections from your paper. Could you be charged
with dishonesty if the teacher remembers your
paper?
Case Studies
Your friend agrees to help you with your paper. She
re-writes sections of your paper and you think her
changes to your paper are excellent. She was able
to write what you were unable to clearly explain .
You hand in your paper confident of a high grade.
Is this considered academic dishonesty?
Case Studies
You are stumped on an assignment while working in a
computer lab on campus. You notice two of your
classmates discussing the same assignment behind
you. You join them and work through the
assignment together while one student types in
the information on his computer. You each copy
and paste the assignment onto your own disks and
print off copies of the assignment to hand in to
the instructor. Could this collaboration be called
into question?
Definitions of Plagiarism
How do you define
Plagiarism or Academic
Dishonesty?
Definitions of Plagiarism
MLA (Modern Language Association) defines plagiarism as:
"To use another person's ideas or expressions in your writing
without acknowledging the source is to plagiarize.
Plagiarism, then, constitutes intellectual theft and often
carries severe penalties, ranging from failure in a course to
expulsion from school." [taken from the MLA Handbook for
Writers of Research Papers, 4th ed.] (bold and underlining
added)
Definitions of Plagiarism
The student handbook AND Honor Code [GCS] also
define Plagiarism:
Simply put, plagiarism is improperly using someone
else’s words or ideas in your work; “the wrongful
act of taking the product of another person’s mind
and presenting it as one’s own.”
What counts as "other
people's ideas"?
• All words quoted directly from another source.
• All ideas paraphrased from a source
• All ideas borrowed from another source:
statistics, graphs, charts.
• All ideas or materials taken from the Internet
What doesn't count?
You do not have to cite sources for knowledge that
is generally known (Common Knowledge), like the
dates of famous events in history or the names of
past Prime ministers. Common knowledge: facts
that can be found in numerous places and are
likely to be known by a lot of people; for example:
John F. Kennedy was elected President of the
United States in 1960. This is generally known
information. You do not need to document this
fact.
What else doesn't count?
Also, within a certain field, there may be terms
which are "common knowledge" because they are
part of the knowledge shared by people in that
field, like the "language experience approach' for
educators, or the term "Impressionism" for art
enthusiasts.
What can I do to avoid
Plagiarism?
• Learn how to cite your sources using the
appropriate style manual.
• Using a sequence of sentences or word language
of another author's work is considered an act of
plagiarism.
• Keep careful notes and documentation as you do
your research.
What can I do to avoid
Plagiarism?
• It is advisable not to "overquote" in your paper.
Remember the paper should be made up of your
own ideas and arguments.
• Downloading information from the Internet or any
other electronic database product to include in
your paper, without citing its source, is
considered an act of plagiarism.
• Cite ideas from other sources when they add
weight to your own argument or ideas.
• Learn how to paraphrase wisely using your own
words and citing the source appropriately.
What can I do to avoid
Plagiarism?
• Use quotation marks even if a footnote is
provided.
• Know the difference between a bibliography and a
works cited list. Your Works Cited is where your
source material cited in your paper is listed. The
bibliography includes general background material
which you read but did not cite in your paper.
• Paraphrasing does not mean you do not need cite
the source.
What can I do to avoid
Plagiarism?
• Always quote the exact words of an author and
surround them in quotation marks, citing the
source within the body of the text and in the
reference list.
• If you are not sure whether to cite a source, cite
it.
• Changing a few words of another author's work is
still considered an act of plagiarism.
• Do not start your paper the night before your
paper is due. This may cause you to stress out
enough to "cut corners."
What can I do to avoid
Plagiarism?
In Simple Terms…
Know what plagiarism is:
– Ignorance will not excuse a violation.
– Intentional plagiarism is deliberate copying or use of another's
work without credit.
– Unintentional plagiarism can result from not knowing citation
standards ("I thought the Internet was free!"), from sloppy
research and poor note-taking, or from careless "cutting and
pasting" of electronic sources.
Both intentional AND unintentional plagiarism are violations
of our Honor Code
So, how do I paraphrase?
Before we even get to paraphrasing, let’s be clear…
• When you are using someone else's exact words, you need
to place quotations marks (". . .") around the words to show
this.
• You also need to be careful not to rephrase or reorganize
these words; otherwise you would be guilty of
misrepresenting that author.
• If you want to leave out part of the author's sentence you
can use three ellipsis points (...) to show that words have
been omitted.
• Directly after the quotation, you should indicate where the
information comes from, using MLA parenthetical
documentation techniques.
So, how do I paraphrase?
Paraphrase is stating someone else's ideas in your
own words. If you think about it a little, you will
realize that it's something that we all do, all the
time. You watch the NBA finals on TV, you tell me
the story of how Malone fell short and Jordan
was a hero again, and I retell the story to my
friend in my own way.
So, how do I paraphrase?
It is not acceptable to take the original phrasing and
just rearrange a few of the original words in
order to produce a paraphrase; neither is it
acceptable to use the same sentence structure
but just rephrase a few key words.
So, how do I paraphrase?
Example One…
Original Source:
Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes,
and as a result they overuse quotation in the final research
paper. Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript
should appear as directly quoted matter. Therefore, you
should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of
source materials while taking notes (Lester 46-47).
So, how do I paraphrase?
Example One…
Acceptable paraphrase:
In research papers, students often quote
excessively, failing to keep quoted material down
to a desirable level. Since the problem usually
originates during note taking, it is essential to
minimize the material recorded verbatim.
So, how do I paraphrase?
Example One…
A plagiarized version:
Students often use too many direct quotations when they take
notes, resulting in too many of them in the final research
paper. In fact, probably only about 10% of the final copy
should consist of directly quoted material. So it is
important to limit the amount of source material copied
while taking notes.
So, how do I paraphrase?
Example Two…
Original source: If the existence of a signing ape was unsettling for
linguists, it was also startling news for animal behaviorists (Davis
26).
Version A: The existence of a signing ape unsettled linguists and
startled animal behaviorists (Davis, 26).
Comment: Even though the writer has cited the source, the writer has
not used quotation marks around the direct quotation "the
existence of a signing ape." In addition, the phrase "unsettled
linguists and startled animal behaviorists" closely resembles the
wording of the source.
So, how do I paraphrase?
Example Two…
Original source: If the existence of a signing ape was unsettling for
linguists, it was also startling news for animal behaviorists (Davis
26).
Version B: If the presence of a sign-language-using chimp was
disturbing for scientists studying language, it was also surprising
to scientists studying animal behavior (Davis 26).
Comment: Still plagiarism. Even though the writer has substituted
synonyms and cited the source, the writer is plagiarizing because
the source's sentence structure is unchanged.
So, how do I paraphrase?
Example Two…
Original source: If the existence of a signing ape was unsettling for
linguists, it was also startling news for animal behaviorists (Davis
26).
Version C: According to Flora Davis, linguists and animal behaviorists
were unprepared for the news that a chimp could communicate
with its trainers through sign language (Davis 26).
Comment: No plagiarism. This is an appropriate paraphrase of the
original sentence.
So, how do I paraphrase?
Example Three…
Original source:
The rise of industry, the growth of cities, and the expansion of
the population were the three great developments of late
nineteenth century American history. As new, larger, steampowered factories became a feature of the American landscape in
the East, they transformed farm hands into industrial laborers,
and provided jobs for a rising tide of immigrants. With industry
came urbanization the growth of large cities (like Fall River,
Massachusetts, where the Bordens lived) which became the
centers of production as well as of commerce and trade (Williams,
Joyce 1).
So, how do I paraphrase?
Example Three…
•
Here's an UNACCEPTABLE paraphrase that is plagiarism:
The increase of industry, the growth of cities, and the explosion of the population
were three large factors of nineteenth century America. As steam-driven companies
became more visible in the eastern part of the country, they changed farm hands into
factory workers and provided jobs for the large wave of immigrants. With industry
came the growth of large cities like Fall River where the Bordens lived which turned
into centers of commerce and trade as well as production.
What makes this passage plagiarism?
•
the writer has only changed around a few words and phrases, or changed the order of
the original's sentences.
•
the writer has failed to cite a source for any of the ideas or facts.
If you do either or both of these things, you are plagiarizing.
So, how do I paraphrase?
Example Three…
•
Here's an ACCEPTABLE paraphrase:
Fall River, where the Borden family lived, was typical of northeastern
industrial cities of the nineteenth century. Steam-powered production had
shifted labor from agriculture to manufacturing, and as immigrants arrived
in the US, they found work in these new factories. As a result, populations
grew, and large urban areas arose. Fall River was one of these
manufacturing and commercial centers (Williams 1).
Why is this passage acceptable?
• accurately relays the information in the original
• uses her own words.
• lets her reader know the source of her information.
So, how do I paraphrase?
Example Three…
Here's an example of quotation and paraphrase used together, which is also ACCEPTABLE:
Fall River, where the Borden family lived, was typical of northeastern industrial cities of the
nineteenth century. As steam-powered production shifted labor from agriculture to manufacturing,
the demand for workers "transformed farm hands into factory workers," and created jobs for
immigrants. In turn, growing populations increased the size of urban areas. Fall River was one of
these manufacturing hubs that were also "centers of commerce and trade" (Williams 1).
Why is this passage acceptable?
This is acceptable paraphrasing because the writer:
•
records the information in the original passage accurately.
•
gives credit for the ideas in this passage.
•
indicated which part is taken directly from her source by putting the passage in quotation marks and
citing the page number.
Note that if the writer had used these phrases or sentences in her own paper without putting
quotation marks around them, she would be PLAGIARIZING. Using another person's phrases or
sentences without putting quotation marks around them is considered plagiarism EVEN IF THE
WRITER CITES IN HER OWN TEXT THE SOURCE OF THE PHRASES OR SENTENCES SHE
HAS QUOTED.
So, how do I cite
sources?
• Use MLA Style of parenthetical documentation. Generally,
this is the author's last name and the page number of the
text from which it was taken. This must be done accurately.
Form and punctuation count.
• You must also include a complete list of sources (Works
Cited and bibliography) at the end of your paper. This is not
only to show your reader you have done your research, but
to provide the reader with other sources in case s/he wants
to read more on the subject. Again, this must be done
according to established rules.
What must be cited?
All facts, figures, statistics that are not common
knowledge
Silver prices reached a nine-year high of $7.28 an ounce on
February 5, 1998. Some analysts predict it will go to $10.00
an ounce in the next two months
(Fuerbringer D1).
This must be cited, as it is not general knowledge.
The Declaration of Independence was written in 1776.
This is common knowledge, and does not need to be cited.
What must be cited?
Specific theories or ideas that have been put
forth by another person
It is not the poor pronunciation of discrete vowel
and consonant sounds that interferes with
communication so much as the use of the wrong
intonation and stress patterns (Gilbert 21).
What must be cited?
Any specific information that is NOT general
knowledge
It is estimated that death from gunfire will soon
take over from car accidents as the number one
cause of traumatic death in America (Davidson
A31).
The best policy is: when in doubt as to whether
something is common knowledge or not, cite your
source.
Can't I avoid problems just by
listing every source in the
bibliography?
No, you need to integrate your
acknowledgements into what you're saying.
Give the reference as soon as you've
mentioned the idea you are using--don't
wait till the end of the paragraph. That
may mean naming authors ("X says" and "Y
argues against X,") and then going on to
make your own comment.
If I put the ideas into my own words,
do I still have to clog up my pages with
all those names and numbers?
Sorry--yes, you do. In academic papers, you need
to keep mentioning authors and pages and dates
to show how your ideas are related to those of
the experts. It's sensible to use your own words
to save space and to help connect ideas smoothly.
But whether you quote a passage directly in
quotation marks, paraphrase it closely in your own
words, or just summarize it rapidly, you need to
identify the source then and there.
But I didn't know anything about the subject
until I started this paper. So do I have to give
a reference for every point I make?
You're safer to over-reference than to skimp. But you can cut down
the clutter by recognizing that some ideas are "common
knowledge" in the field--that is, taken for granted by people
knowledgeable about the topic. Facts easily found in reference
books are considered common knowledge: the date of the
Armistice for World War I, for example, or the present population
of Canada. For such facts, you don't need to name a specific
source, even if you learned them only when doing your research. In
some classes, information covered in lectures doesn't need
acknowledgement. Some interpretive ideas may also be so well
accepted that they don't need referencing--that Picasso is a
distinguished modernist painter, for instance, or that smoking is
harmful to health. Check with your teacher if you're in doubt
whether a specific point is considered common knowledge in your
field.
How can I tell what's my own idea and
what has come from something I read?
Careful note-taking helps, so you know what names and dates
to attach to specific ideas. It's worthwhile to write
summarizing notes in your own words, putting quotation
marks around any specific wordings you might want to quote.
And make a deliberate effort, as you go through your
readings, to note connections among ideas, especially
contrasts and disagreements, as well as jotting down
questions and thoughts of your own. If you find as you write
that you're following one or two sources too closely,
deliberately look back in your notes for other sources that
take different views--then write about why the differences
exist.
They Said It So Much Better.
Shouldn't I Use Their Words?
Yeah, and Michael Jordan can hit a fadeaway jump shot
better than you can, and Miles Davis could play a
better blues than you do on the trumpet. Learning to
write is learning to think. Sure you won't have a lot of
original thoughts, very few of us do. But you will have
your original way of looking at things, which is a
combination of everything you have done to this point
in your life. As you read others' works and ponder,
argue with, distill, reconcile yourself to, or reject
them, you are growing intellectually, just as you would
grow physically by lifting weights or playing the piano.
Why shouldn’t I Plagiarize?
•
If you plagiarize, you are cheating yourself. You
don't learn to write out your thoughts in your own
words, and you don't get specific feedback
geared to your individual needs and skills.
Plagiarizing a paper is like sending a friend to
practice tennis for you - you'll never score an ace
yourself!
• Plagiarism is dishonest because it misrepresents
the work of another as your own.
• Plagiarism violates the Northern HS Honor Code
[GCS] and can result in Suspension or Dismissal.
Why shouldn’t I Plagiarize?
• Plagiarism devalues others' original work.
Submitting a professional writer's work as yours
is taking an unfair advantage over students who
do their own work.
• It is wrong to take or use property (an author's
work) without giving the owner the value or credit
due. Further, copyright violations can result in
fines or damages.
• Northern HS’s reputation affects the value of
your work; student dishonesty hurts our standing
and can make your diploma worth less.
What do I have to lose by cheating? It’s easy and
sometimes I just
don’t have the time to do all the work that teachers
give us…
• Plagiarism shows you don’t care about learning.
• Time management and the ability to find,
document and interpret data are critical skills in
the work place and in universities. If you don’t
learn these skills NOW, when will you?
• It suggests you don’t respect yourself, your
classmates or your teacher.
• Often, the essays and other papers available over
the internet are of inferior quality.
In conclusion…
"The only difference between a scholar and a thief
is a footnote.“ --Bill Stanbury
As Samuel Johnston once admonished a student: "I
found your speech to be good and original.
Unfortunately, the part that was original was not
good. And the part that was good was not
original."
Bibliography
•
•
•
•
•
•
"Are You Playing Games of Chance with Your Academic Career." University
of Manitoba, Canada,
http://www.umanitoba.ca/student/advocacy/IntegrityQuiz4.html, June
2001, accessed March 18, 2005, modified from the brochure "A Word to
the Wise from the Student Advocates", published by Advocacy and
Support Services, Concordia University, September, 1998
“Avoiding Plagiarism.” Student Judicial Affairs, University of California,
Davis. http://sja.ucdavis.edu/avoid.htm, June 2002, accessed March 18,
2005.
“Avoiding Plagiarism.” Student Learning Services, Concordia University,
http://cdev.concordia.ca/CnD/studentlearn/Help/handouts/WritingHO/Av
oidingPlagiarism.html, May 2002, accessed March 18, 2005.
Brennecke, Patricia. “Expository Writing for Bilingual Students,”
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Libraries,
http://libraries.mit.edu/guides/courses/fall2001/21f.222/plagiarism.html,
May 2002, accessed March 18, 2005.
Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers. 2nd ed. [1976] 46-47.
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed.
Bibliography
•
•
•
•
•
•
“Plagiarism: What It is and How to Recognize and Avoid It.” Indiana
University Writing Tutorial Services,
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/wts/plagiarism.html, February 2001,
accessed March 18, 2005.
Procter, Margaret. “How Not to Plagiarize,” University of Toronto, Canada,
http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/plagsep.html, March 2001, accessed March
18, 2005.
“What is Plagiarism?” Georgetown University Honor Society Council,
http://www.georgetown.edu/honor/plagiarism.html#getstuff, June 2002,
accessed March 21, 2005.
“What is Plagiarism?” Old Dominion University Libraries,
http://www.lib.odu.edu/research/Plagiarism/StudentHandout.htm, August
1999, accessed March 18, 2005, adapted from the StarQuest tutorial,
ethics module, by Elizabeth Hogue,
http://www.lib.odu.edu/research/tutorials/starquest/ethicsmodule .
Williams, Joyce, Lizzie Borden: A Case Book of Family and Crime in the
1890’s, Page 1).
Willliams, Sharon. “Avoiding Plagiarism,” Hamilton College,
http://www.hamilton.edu/academics/resource/wc/AvoidingPlagiarism.html,
June 2002, accessed March 18, 2005.
Case Study Answers
1.
Yes, it's called 'duplicate submission'. It may be difficult to
understand why you cannot submit work that is your own.
However, there are reasons why this is a academically dishonest.
There is the expectation when you take a course that you will do
new and original work for the course requirements. A student in
the course is expected to do the same amount of work as all
other students. Further, if a student is to submit previously
completed work a second time, that student has the unfair
advantage of receiving feedback from the instructor who
originally marked the paper. Adding onto previous work (yours
or others) is part of scholarship, however, even a researcher
must reference him/herself when mentioning their previously
completed work, published or unpublished. If you are in this
situation and you want to write a paper on the same topic as
before, speak to your professor. Take your original paper and
discuss what you might do to satisfy the course requirements,
but still focus on the same topic. i.e. research a different
aspect.
Case Study Answers
2.
3.
Yes. When work is submitted by a group of individuals it is
expected that all will share in the responsibility of ensuring the
work meets the assignment requirements and that it is
appropriately referenced. Make sure all the group members
read and agree with each others' sections before compiling the
project and submitting it to the instructor. Keep copies of all
the work you completed individually.
Yes. Although it may be tempting to simply write in the results
that are well-known, it is wrong to falsify your lab results. You
can appreciate the potential for serious consequences if a
student began this practice of 'fudging' their data in first year
undergraduate courses and carried it into graduate school and
into research labs. The honest thing to do in this situation is to
state the results you did get and offer some reasons why your
experiment did not work out.
Case Study Answers
4.
5.
6.
7.
Yes. It is called 'padding' your bibliography or reference list. Do
not include materials that you did not use or refer to in your
paper.
Yes. You are responsible for safeguarding your own work. You
might be seen as assisting your friend to plagiarize or to cheat.
Yes. These sections of the paper are not authored by you, but
by your friend. You would be misrepresenting yourself. It is
good practice to have someone proofread your paper before
submitting, but it is bad practice to have someone make direct
changes to your paper.
Yes. If the expectation was for all students to submit their own
individual work. In this example the assignment was not worked
on individually, it was worked on by three students. If you are
having difficulties with an assignment, speak to your teacher.
Always keep rough drafts of your assignments to show that you
did your own work.