Plagiarism
To Cite, or Not to Cite?
By Tabbitha Zepeda
RWLC Workshop Fall 2010
What is plagiarism?
Plagiarism is the
unauthorized use or
imitation of someone else’s
thoughts or ideas and using
them as one’s own.
Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010
Why is plagiarism important?
While taking college
courses, students are
influenced by class
discussion, text, and
lecture. Using such
influences in one’s own writing is
inevitable, but claiming that such ideas
are one’s own is dishonest and does not
give credit to the source.
Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010
What happens if a student is caught
plagiarizing?
Each college is different, but all take disciplinary measures
when approaching cases of plagiarism.
At San Joaquin Delta College, faculty members may enter a
failing grade for the assignment or exercise in question,
enter a failing grade for the entire course, give additional
coursework or other exercises, or recommend further
action to the Vice President of Student Services, such as
suspension from the college. The length of suspension may
be from one class up to and including the remainder of the
school term to all classes and activities of the community
college for one or more terms.
Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010
How does a student avoid plagiarizing?
To avoid plagiarism, you must give credit
whenever you use:
 Another person’s idea, opinion, or theory
 Any facts, statistics, graphs, drawings – any pieces of
information – that are not common knowledge
 Quotations of another person’s actual spoken or written
words
 Paraphrase of another person’s spoken or written words
Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010
5 Basic Types of Plagiarism
 Cut and Paste
 Changing a word or two
 Changing all of the words
 Quoting without source’s information
 Using a quote without showing where it begins and ends
Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010
Activity
Read the essay “Pow-Wow, Why We Dance” by
Melinda de Ocampo. Pay particular attention
to the second paragraph, which focuses on
where pow-wows are usually held, as we will
be discussing it later.
Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010
Cut and Paste
The cut and paste method of plagiarism is the most
obvious form, and as such, most people believe it is
the definition of plagiarism.
When a person takes a section of text and copies it word for
word without giving credit to the source, it is like cutting the
information from the book (or magazine,
website, etc.) and gluing it into the paper. These
words are not the words of the paper’s author,
but of the source, and therefore are being
plagiarized.
Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010
Example
Based on “Pow-Wow, Why We Dance”
Pow-wows are very important to Native American people,
and as such, the location of a pow-wow is similarly important.
Most local pow-wows have them at high schools or at some
colleges, while larger pow-wows are always held on Native plains
and vary in length from one to three days. For several years, a
pow-wow lasting two days was held on the field used for physical
education classes at Webster middle school in Stockton. The
location was decided upon by Mr. Hodges, a reading teacher and
strong member of the Native American community. Because powwows take a significant amount of planning, it is common for
locations to be found through outlets such as Mr. Hodges.
Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010
Change a Word or Two
Some believe that plagiarism can be avoided by changing a word
or phrase within a sentence used from an outside source. THIS IS
NOT TRUE. Plagiarism is like Christmas – it’s the thought that
counts!
Because the concept behind the words is what’s most important,
changing part of the sentence doesn’t make the idea original, or
the thought your own. Credit still must be given to the source.
Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010
Example
Based on “Pow-Wow, Why We Dance”
Pow-wows are very important to Native American people,
and as such, the location of a pow-wow is similarly important.
Most pow-wows are given at high schools or colleges, while
larger gatherings are always held on Native plains and vary from
one to three days. For several years, a pow-wow lasting two days
was held on the field used for physical education classes at
Webster middle school in Stockton. The location was decided
upon by Mr. Hodges, a reading teacher and strong member of the
Native American community. Because pow-wows take a
significant amount of planning, it is common for locations to be
found through outlets such as Mr. Hodges.
Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010
Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing is when
someone takes a piece
of text from a source and
rewrites the information
in his/her own words.
Sometimes paraphrasing is necessary, and easier to incorporate into
one’s paper than a direct quote. Unfortunately the idea behind the
words, no matter how they are arranged or expressed, stays the
same, and thus the source’s information is still required. Without
giving credit where credit is due, one is still guilty of plagiarism.
Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010
Example
Based on “Pow-Wow, Why We Dance”
Pow-wows are very important to Native American people,
and as such, the location of a pow-wow is similarly important.
Many times pow-wows are held on school campuses, especially if
they are small in size. Native lands, however, are always the
location for larger events that can last up to three days. For
several years, a pow-wow lasting two days was held on the field
used for physical education classes at Webster middle school in
Stockton. The location was decided upon by Mr. Hodges, a
reading teacher and strong member of the Native American
community. Because pow-wows take a significant amount of
planning, it is common for locations to be found through outlets
such as Mr. Hodges.
Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010
Quoting Without the Source’s Information
You’ve recognized that you are using a direct quote, so you put
quotation marks around it to avoid plagiarism… but you forgot
to name your source!
If you don’t tell your reader where your information is coming
from, it’s considered plagiarism.You can correct this by giving
the original author’s name, or, in the case that there is no author
listed, provide the name of the essay/book/website.
Remember to always cite when you write!
Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010
Example Based on “Pow-Wow, Why We Dance”
Pow-wows are very important to Native American people,
and as such, the location of a pow-wow is similarly important.
“Most local pow-wows have them at high schools or at some
colleges, while larger pow-wows are always held on Native
plains and vary in length from one to three days.” For several
years, a pow-wow lasting two days was held on the field used for
physical education classes at Webster middle school in Stockton.
The location was decided upon by Mr. Hodges, a reading teacher
and strong member of the Native American community. Because
pow-wows take a significant amount of planning, it is common
for locations to be found through outlets such as Mr. Hodges.
Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010
Using a Quote Without Boundaries
Quotation marks are used to indicate the use of a direct
quote, but they also tell your reader where your quote
begins and ends. If you are indeed using your source’s
words, you must show the reader that you are doing so.
Likewise, you must introduce where paraphrasing begins and ends,
by offering some form of indicator.
e.g.
According to Melinda de Campo, …
Melinda de Campo suggests …
Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010
Example 1
Based on “Pow-Wow, Why We Dance”
Pow-wows are very important to Native American people,
and as such, the location of a pow-wow is similarly important.
Most local pow-wows have them at high schools or at some
colleges, while larger pow-wows are always held on Native plains
and vary in length from one to three days (de Campo). For several
years, a pow-wow lasting two days was held on the field used for
physical education classes at Webster middle school in Stockton.
The location was decided upon by Mr. Hodges, a reading teacher
and strong member of the Native American community. Because
pow-wows take a significant amount of planning, it is common
for locations to be found through outlets such as Mr. Hodges.
Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010
Parameters Are Important
In this example, the quotation marks are left
off, which creates more than one problem.
Foremost, the direct quote is not documented,
so the reader might think that the information
is paraphrased.
Second, without the quotation marks, the
reader might assume that the first sentence of
the paragraph is also included in the quote.
Either way, your instructor would count this
error as plagiarism, because the author is not
being connected to her work properly.
Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010
Example 2
According to Melinda de Campo, Pow-wows are very
important to Native American people, and as such, the location
of a pow-wow is similarly important. “Most local pow-wows have
them at high schools or at some colleges, while larger pow-wows
are always held on Native plains and vary in length from one to
three days.” For several years, a pow-wow lasting two days was
held on the field used for physical education classes at Webster
middle school in Stockton. The location was decided upon by Mr.
Hodges, a reading teacher and strong member of the Native
American community. Because pow-wows take a significant
amount of planning, it is common for locations to be found
through outlets such as Mr. Hodges.
Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010
Example 2 Complications
Example 2 also has a couple of issues that need to be adjusted
for plagiarism.
With the introduction of the source at the very beginning, it
suggests that the information being used is the whole
paragraph, not just the direct quote. Also, without some
indicator that the information from the source has ended, the
reader has no way to know where the writer’s original
thoughts begin.
Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010
Something Else to Consider
If you need to alter a direct quote in any way for
clarity or sentence structure, you must let your
reader know that the quote you’re using has been
altered. To do this, include brackets around words
added or changed, as well as an ellipsis within
brackets if omitting a section of the quote.
Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010
Omitting Text
EXAMPLE: (original quote)
As de Ocampo describes, “If a pow-wow has a sponsor
such as a tribe, college or organization, many or all
members of the committee may come from that group.”
(edited quote)
As de Ocampo describes, “If a pow-wow has a sponsor
[…], many or all members of the committee may come
from that group.”
Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010
In Summary
When using outside information, you must include
the source (name of author, website, etc.), quotation
marks for direct quotes, and a clear indication of
where the borrowed text begins and ends.
If any of these details are not included, it’s
likely that you are plagiarizing.
Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010
ACTIVITY
Using the essay “Pow-Wow, Why We Dance,” write a paragraph
responding to one aspect of the piece. If you knew nothing about
pow-wows, you could write about one of the things you learned.
If you have attended a pow-wow in the past, you could compare a
part of the essay to your own experience. If your culture also
values dance, you might want to write a paragraph comparing
them.
The purpose of this exercise is to use the essay as a
source, and cite the quote or paraphrased section you
use appropriately.
Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010