Avoiding Plagiarism
with MLA
Integrating and Citing Sources
Tamara Kessler
A Writer’s Reference,
th
6
Ed.
Hacker, Diana. A Writer’s Reference. 6th ed.
Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009. Print.
Essential Question
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How can I appropriately borrow from other
sources without violating my academic integrity?
Language Objective
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Read Diana Hacker’s MLA guide as a resource
document.
Write a correct citation for a website, using
MLA.
Appropriately integrate sources and in-text
citations in student’s own work.
Vocabulary
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Citation
Works Cited
In-text Citation
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Summary
Paraphrase
Quote
Embedding Quotes
A Working Bibliography
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All extended essays are submitted in MLA
format.
Use MLA format to compile bibliographical
information for any source consulted, whether
print, visual, or web.
The working bibliography is often larger and
more extensive than the final works cited page.
Annotate the working bibliography with a few
sentences for each source. Focus on key points
and the role of this source in your paper.
Avoiding Plagiarism in Notes
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Borrowing language in note taking can lead to
plagiarism.
Changing up a few words or mixing the source’s
words with your own is still plagiarism.
Place quotations marks around any quoted
materials, and avoid looking at the source when
summarizing. Use your own language.
3 Kinds of Note Taking
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Summarizing: Condensing information, for
example from a chapter to a short paragraph.
Paraphrasing: Retelling information without
reducing the content.
Quoting: Copying the text exactly, including
mechanics. Remember to place quotations
around this information in your notes so as not
to forget which information is a direct quote.
Quoting Sources (362)
Do not quote excessively.
 Focus on using your own words to summarize
and paraphrase sources, and to explain your own
ideas.
Do use quotes
 When language is especially vivid or expressive.
 When exact wording is needed for technical
accuracy.

Quoting Sources (362)
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When it is important to let the debaters of an
issue explain their positions in their own words.
When the words of an important authority lend
weight to an argument
When language of a source is the topic of your
discussion (as in an analysis or interpretation)
Embedding Quotes
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Use ellipsis mark (three periods, with spaces
between) to indicate what’s been removed, but
keep the sentence grammatical.
…
Do not use ellipsis marks at the beginning or the
end of a quote, as it is commonly accepted that
the quote is a part of a larger whole.
Embedding Quotes
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Use brackets to insert words or letters to keep
the quote grammatical and to clarify meaning.
[ ]
Use a signal phrase to introduce the author and
the purpose of including the quote.
Embedding Quotes
1.
2.
3.
The readers should always know whose
language they are reading.
Sentences you assemble with quotations
should read grammatically.
Your use of quotation (including splices,
ellipses, and brackets) should not distort the
original meaning of the quoted material.
(181)
Hjortshoj, Keith. Transition to College Writing, Chapter 6: Theft, Fraud, and the
Loss of Voice. Retrieved 24 August 2007,
fromhttp://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/ plagiarismtutorial/pages/bcsmain.asp?v=&s=01000&n=00470&i=01470.01&o=
MLA Format
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Give the author’s full name on first mention.
Give page numbers for all quoted, summarized,
and paraphrased materials.
Use present tense verbs to “evoke the
timelessness of a literary text” (349).
www.dianahacker.com/resdoc
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In orange: Humanities/MLA
On the left: Documenting Sources
MLA list of Works Cited
Works Cited entries are directly correlated to In
Text Citations
www.dianahacker.com/resdoc
Source for Vocabulary Terms
International Baccalaureate Organization.
Academic Honesty: Guidance for Schools. Geneve,
Switzerland: International Baccalaureate
Organization, 2003. Retrieved 23 August 2007,
from
http://www.okcps.org/hs/classen_sas/IB/Valer
ie/Academic%20Honesty.pdf
plagiarism
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“The representation of the ideas or work of
another person as the candidate’s own” (IBO,
2.1).
“Copying works of art, whether music, film,
dance, theatre arts or visual arts, also constitutes
plagiarism” (IBO, 2.3).
academic honesty
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Authenticity and Intellectual Property. IBO,
2.2, “all ideas and work of other persons,
regardless of their source, must be
acknowledged.”
Antonym: academic dishonesty
intellectual property—
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IBO, 1.3 “Forms of intellectual and creative
expression (for example, works of literature, art
or music) must be respected and are normally
protected by law.”
authentic authorship
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IBO, 1.2 “An authentic piece of work is one that
is based on the candidate’s individual and
original ideas with the ideas and work of others
fully acknowledged.”
malpractice
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“behaviour that results in, or may result in, the
candidate or any other candidate gaining an
unfair advantage in one or more assessment
component” and includes plagiarism, collusion,
duplication of work, etc. (IBO, 2.1).
Examples of Malpractice
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The following list is taken from IBO, 2.7:
Paraphrasing without acknowledging
Fabricating data
Taking unauthorized material into the examination
room
Misbehaving and disrupting an examination
Exchanging or helping to exchange information
about the examination—telling B-day what the test
covered
Examples of Malpractice
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Copying
Referring to unauthorized material—sparknotes,
bookrags, pinkmonkey
Failing to comply with instructions from test
supervisor, proctor, etc.
Impersonating another student
Offensive material with no academic or intellectual
purpose
Stealing exams
Talking about exams with others
Using unauthorized calculator during exam
collusion
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“supporting malpractice by another candidate, as
in allowing one’s work to be copied or submitted
for assessment by another” (IBO, 2.1)
This is different from collaboration in that the
assessment criteria requires each student to
produce an authentic and original product.
collaboration
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working together when approved by teacher or
assessment guidelines. This is different from
collusion in that the final product is allowed to
be a group effort.
duplication of work
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multiple submissions
“the presentation of the same work for different
assessment components and/or diploma
requirements” (IBO, 2.1).
paraphrase
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IBO, 4.9: “Paraphrasing is the rendition of
another person’s words presented in a new style
and integrated grammatically into the
writing.” (Emphasis Kessler’s.)
Intellectual Property
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IBO, 4.8: more than just regular print and
electronic sources, it “include[s] the use of
footnotes or endnotes to acknowledge the
source of an idea if that idea emerged as a result
of discussion with, or listening to, a fellow
student, a teacher or any other person.”
academic infringement
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IBO, 11.1—When a student’s work does not “conform to
the standard academic practice of clearly acknowledging
all ideas and words that are not the candidate’s own,” but
is not considered “a deliberate attempt by a candidate to
gain an unfair advantage.” Although not as serious,
because not intentional, as academic malpractice, this
offense can still affect a candidate’s score. IBO, 12.5, “No
marks will be awarded for the component part (or parts)
of the component,” but the student will still be able to sit
for the exams and be considered for the subject certificate
and the diploma. However, having lost the opportunity to
gain the points from the component part may adversely
affect the certificate score for the subject area.