UniversityofCalifornia,Davis
OfficeofStudentSupportandJudicialAffairs
Avoiding PLAGIARISM
MasteringtheArtofScholarship
In writing, we draw upon others’ words and ideas and the intellectual heritage underlying human progress.
Scholarshipentailsresearching,understanding,andbuildingupontheworkofothers,butalsorequiresthatproper
credit be given for any “borrowed” material. Under our Code of Academic Conduct, UC Davis students are
responsibleforethicalscholarship,andforknowingwhatplagiarismisandhowtoavoidit.
Whatisplagiarism?
“Plagiarism” means using another’s work without giving credit. If you use others’ words, you must put them in
quotationmarksandciteyoursource.Youmustalsoincludecitationswhenusingothers’ideas,evenifyouhave
paraphrasedthoseideasinyourownwords.
“Work” includes the words and ideas of others, as well as art, graphics, computer programs, music, and other
creativeexpression.Theworkmayconsistofwriting,charts,data,graphs,pictures,diagrams,websites,movies,TV
broadcasts,orothercommunicationmedia.
Theterm“source”includespublishedworks--books,magazines,newspapers,textbooks,websites,movies,photos,
paintings,plays--andunpublishedsources(e.g.,materialsfromaresearchservice,blogs,classhandouts,lectures,
or notes, speeches, other students’ papers). Using words, ideas, computer code, or any work without giving
propercreditisplagiarism.Anytimeyouuseinformationfromasource,ofanykind,youmustciteit.
Whybeconcernedaboutplagiarism?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Ifyouplagiarize,youarecheatingyourself.Youdon’tlearntowriteoutyourthoughtsinyourownwords,
andyouwon’treceivespecificfeedbackfromyourinstructorgearedtoyourindividualneedsandskills.
Plagiarismisdishonestand/ormisleading,becauseitmisrepresentstheworkofanotherasyourown.
PlagiarismviolatestheCodeofAcademicConductandcanleadtoSuspensionorDismissal.
Plagiarism devalues others’ original work. Using and submitting a professional’s work as your own is
takinganunfairadvantageoverstudentswhodotheirownwork.
Itiswrongtotakeoruseproperty(anauthor’swork)withoutgivingtheownerthevalueorcreditdue.
Further,copyrightviolationscanresultindamages,fines,orworse.
ThereputationofUCDavisaffectsthevalueofyourdegree;studentdishonestyhurtsUCD’sstandingand
candiminishtheworthofyourdiploma.
HowtoCiteSources:
In-TextCitationsidentifythesourceinthetext,puttingtheauthor’slastnameandpublicationyearinparenthesis
andgivingthepagenumberwherethecitedinformationappears.Theauthor’snamelinksthereadertoalistatthe
endofthepapergivingfullpublishinginformation.
Footnotesandendnotesuseraisednumbersattheendofanideaorquotedwordstolinkthereadertothesource
whichisgiveneitheratthebottomofthepage(footnote)orattheendofthepaper(endnote).
Forallthreemethods,youmustincludethesourceinareferencelistattheendofthepaper,fullyidentifyingeach
source by author’s name, title, publisher’s name, year of publication, and page numbers. Citations to electronic
resourcessuchaswebsitesshouldincludetheexactURL,thedatelastrevised,andanyavailableinformationabout
thewriter,publisher,and/orcreatorofthesite
ResourcesoncitationcanbefoundfromtheUCDavisUniversityLibraryat:http://guides.lib.ucdavis.edu/citations
GuidelinesforAvoidingPlagiarism:
• When using sources, take notes from the source material and include the necessary information about the
sourcethatwilllaterbeusedforyourreferencelistandyourcitations.
• When writing your paper drafts, include citations. Attempting to add citations after you've written your
paperwilllikelyleadtomissingorwrongcitationstosourcematerial.
• Useyourownwordsandideas.Practiceisessentialtolearning.Eachtimeyouchooseyourwords,orderyour
thoughts,andconveyyourideas,youcanimproveyourwriting.
• Give credit for copied, adapted, or paraphrased material. If you copy and use another’s exact words, you
mustusequotationmarksandcitethesource.Ifyouadaptachartorparaphraseasentence,youmuststill
citeyoursource.Paraphrasingisrestatingtheauthor’sideas,information,andmeaninginyourownwords.
• Avoidusingothersworkwithminor“cosmetic”changes.E.g.using“less”for“fewer,”reversingtheorderof
a sentence, or changing terms in a computer code. If the work is essentially the same as your source, give
credit.
• Thereareno“freebies.”Alwayscitewords,informationandideasthatyouuseiftheyarenewtoyou(learned
inyourresearch).Nomatterwhereyoufindit–evenifontheInternetorinacoursereader–youmustciteit!
• Don'tassumeinformationis“commonknowledge.”Itissafertocitethannot.
• Knowwhatplagiarismis:Unintentionalplagiarismmayresultfromnotknowinghowtocitesourcesproperly
orsloppyresearchandnote-takingbutitstillviolatestheUCDavisCodeofAcademicConduct.
Examples: PARAPHRASEVS.PLAGIARISM
OriginalSource:‘[Atotalitarian]society…canneverpermiteitherthetruthfulrecordingoffacts,ortheemotional
sincerity,thatliterarycreationdemands.…Totalitarianismdemands…thecontinuousalterationofthepast,andin
3
thelongrun…adisbeliefintheveryexistenceofobjectivetruth.’ StudentVersionA–Plagiarismx
Atotalitariansocietycanneverpermitthetruthfulrecordingoffacts;itdemandsthecontinuousalterationofthe
past,andadisbeliefintheveryexistenceofobjectivetruth.
Thestudenthascombinedcopiedpiecesoftheauthor’slanguage,withoutquotationmarksorcitations.
StudentVersionB--Improperparaphrase,alsoplagiarismx
A totalitarian society can’t be open-minded or allow the truthful recording of facts, but instead demands the
constantchangingofthepastandadistrustoftheveryexistenceofobjectivetruth(Orwell).
The student has woven together sentences and switched a few words (“open-minded” for “tolerant,” “allow” for
“permit”)hasleftoutsomewords,andhasgivenanincompleteandinaccuratecitation.
StudentVersionC--Appropriateparaphrase,notplagiarism
Orwellbelievedthattotalitariansocietiesmustsuppressliteratureandfreeexpressionbecausetheycannotsurvive
thetruth,andthustheyclaimitdoesnotexist(Bowker336-337).
Thisstudenthasparaphrasedusingherownwords,accuratelyreflectingandcitingtheauthor’sideas.
StudentVersionD--Quotationwithcite,notplagiarism
InhisbiographyofGeorgeOrwell,GordonBowkerdiscussesthethemesof1984,quotinga1946essaybyOrwell:
“‘Totalitarianism demands … the continuous alteration of the past, and in the long run … a disbelief in the very
existenceofobjectivetruth’”(337).
Thestudentintroducesthesource.Verbatimwordsareinquotationmarks,omittedwordsaremarkedbyellipses,
andboththebookusedandtheoriginalsourceofthequotearecited.
3
Bowkerp.337,quotingOrwell,G.,“ThePreventionofLiterature,”Polemic,No.2,January1946
GettingHelp
Readthesyllabusandassignment;askyourinstructorhowtocitesources;andcarefullycheckclassrulesoncitation
format. Use resources such as the UC Davis Student Academic Success Center at 530-752-2013
http://sasc.ucdavis.edu or UC Davis Library Instruction Services http://www.lib.ucdavis.edu/dept/instruc. For
questionscontactStudentSupportandJudicialAffairsat530-752-1128orvisithttp://ossja.ucdavis.edu.
UCDavis,DivisionofStudentAffairs,OfficeofStudentSupportandJudicialAffairs,October2015