How to Cite Sources and Avoid Plagiarism
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is copying even one sentence from a source, “semi-copying” or altering just a few words
from a source, or taking someone else’s ideas and not giving them explicit credit. Plagiarism is a
serious offense and will result in an F for this entire research paper. Here are some tips to help you
avoid that trap:
What information should I cite? (See last page for examples on HOW to cite)
History is the study and interpretation of events, people, and ideas. As a result, most of the
information about your topic will come from a source other than your own mind. Much of your
paper will be cited and that’s okay. Anytime you utilize information from a source, you should cite it,
but you should also provide your own analysis of the information.
For example, the following helpful hints come from another source: (See citation at end of list.)
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“Document EVERY quotation, paraphrase, or crucial idea that you borrow from a source.”
“Document those facts which you cannot consider common textbook knowledge—
especially those which could be controversial or which are crucial to the development of
your argument, thesis, or narrative”.
“If there get to be too many citations, combine some or all that refer to a given paragraph.
However, next make one citation cover material in more than one paragraph. When in
doubt, footnote.” (Schlabach 10)
Rules for Avoiding Plagiarism1
IF….
The information is common knowledge
THEN…
You do not need a citation.
The words are your own
AND
the idea is your own.
You do not need a citation.
The words are someone else’s.
Place them in quotation marks AND include
a citation.
The words are your own BUT the idea is
someone else’s.
Acknowledge the author of the idea by
referring to him or her in the text AND
include a citation.
How do I cite quotations effectively?
Keep quotations to a minimum, and use only those that add a particular flair to your paper or are
needed because paraphrasing them would make them lose their meaning. You should only quote
someone who was directly involved in the history, not the author of a textbook. You should always
mention who said or wrote the quotation. (Rampella 37)
In addition, quotations from sources cannot simply be dropped into your paper; even if a quotation
is relevant, you cannot assume that its significance is immediately obvious to your readers. Always
make it clear to your readers how your quotation supports your argument.
CITING SOURCES CORRECTLY: WHAT IS WRONG WITH
THIS PASSAGE? WHAT PARTS ARE NOT CITED
CORRECTLY? CAN YOU SPOT THE PLAGIARISM? WHAT
PART OF THIS STICKS OUT?
Many people say we are now in the Internet Age. This means people use the
internet for everything: from finding a restaurant to researching a long paper
for history class. You might say that we could not live without the internet!
But does the internet make it too easy to plagiarize? The shifting
premodern, modern, and post-modern understandings of text and authorship
show how the dominant modernist paradigm has always been filled with
tensions and ambiguities. These confusions around plagiarism lead to
difficulties and hypocrisies in how textual borrowing is understood.
Plagiarism is “academic dishonesty” and it could result in being kicked out
of school. In order to not allow this to happen it is important to understand
the meaning of plagiarism. Plagiarism is “The act of appropriating the
literary composition of another author, or excerpts, ideas, or passages
therefrom, and passing the material off as one's own creation.” However,
there are plagiarism supporters who use others’ work and refuse to cite
sources. “I think plagiarism should be OK, it is ridiculous how nit-picky
teachers and publishers are.” Sadly for this supporter, plagiarism is not
going to be acceptable any time soon.
MUCH BETTER…..
Many people say we are now in the Internet Age. This means
people use the internet for everything: from finding a restaurant to
researching a long paper for history class. You might say that we
could not live without the internet! But does the internet make it
too easy to plagiarize? Sometimes it is confusing to even know
what plagiarism is. According to Alistair Pennyworth, plagiarism
expert from the University of Melbourne, in our modern world it is
hard to tell what is plagiarism and what is not. Because it is so
muddled and confusingw to borrow text without plagiarizing.
(Pennyworth 201) , there are many difficulties that people have in
understanding ho
Plagiarism is “academic dishonesty” and it could result in being
kicked out of school. In order to not allow this to happen it is
important to understand the meaning of plagiarism. According to
the Oxford English dictionary, plagiarism is taking words from
another source without quoting and giving credit (561). Bob Smith
of the organization “Students in Support of Plagiarism” –speaks
out on his website against the harsh punishment afforded
plagiarizers: “I think plagiarism should be OK, it is ridiculous how
nit-picky teachers and publishers are.” (Students in Support of
Plagiarism). Sadly for this supporter, plagiarism is not going to
be acceptable any time soon.
1. You got it – it was obvious that I plagiarized the section about “postmodern text
and authorship” because the “voice” was different than my own. I could have
quoted that passage, but since it is in high level academic language I preferred to
make it more understandable in my own words. HOWEVER, it’s not my own
idea. This is why I gave credit to Mr. Pennyworth.
2. I needed to give credit to the Oxford English dictionary. Because I already said it
was the dictionary in the sentence above, I only needed to write the page #.
3. It makes it more understandable that the person in support of plagiarism belongs
to an organization dedicated to plagiarism. You, the reader, gain more
understanding of his point of view now that it has been cited correctly.