Plagiarism…
What is that again…?
Agenda
O What is plagiarism
O How to avoid plagiarism
O Why students plagiarize
O How faculty detect plagiarized papers
What is plagiarism…
O Plagiarism is defined as appropriating
someone else’s words or ideas without
acknowledgment.
O There are two types of plagiarism…
O Direct Quotes
O Paraphrasing
What are direct quotes…
O Direct quotes are when you use someone else’s
writing word for word. “Say! I like green eggs and
ham! I do! I like them, Sam-I-am! And I would eat
them in a boat. And I would eat them with a goat…”
O Quotations can spice up a paper, tie your thoughts to
a text, and provide concrete examples of what you
are talking about.
O If you use direct quotes without putting them in
quotes, you have blatantly plagiarized. Even if you
add the source in you bibliography, it is still
plagiarism.
Seuss, Dr. Green Eggs and Ham. Party ed. New York: Beginner Books, 1988. 59. Print.
What is paraphrasing…
O Paraphrasing involves putting a passage
from a source material into your own words.
A paraphrase must also be attributed to the
original source. If your sentences use many
of the same words and grammatical
structure as the original source, it could be
constructed as plagiarism.
How to avoid plagiarism…
O Always put quotes from source material in
quotations. Never forget to do this; this is
the easiest way to get accused of
plagiarism.
O When paraphrasing be sure to use your own
words as much as possible; don’t just
rearrange or replace a few words. Be sure to
give credit to the original source.
O HINT: When in doubt cite!
Why do students plagiarize…
O One of the most common reason students plagiarize
is because they feel overwhelmed. Students also
engage in plagiarism for a number of other reason as
well; including fear of asking for help with
assignments, difficultly finding and analyzing
research materials, belief that unfair or
unsympathetic treatment from a professor justifies
cheating, or they get trapped into searching for the
‘one right answer’.
O Some students inadvertently plagiarize from online
sources, because they do not understand all the
rules for properly using and citing sources.
O HINT: Ask for help!
How faculty detect plagiarized
papers…
O Faculty will look at the writing style, language,
vocabulary tone, grammar, etc. to see if it’s
different then what is normally expected from
the student.
O Faculty will also notice is the writing style, tone,
language, etc. is different from other parts of the
paper.
O The use of commercial vendors will allow faculty
to scan papers against know cheat sites and
internet sources for a fee, such as Turnitin.
Questions??? Comments...
Contact Tracy Ponder at
417.447-8173
pondert@otc.edu