Name: ____________________________________ Per: ________ Date: _________________
**WHAT IS PLAGIARISM?**
This is a question that many people think is simple to answer, but is actually more complex than it
initially appears.
Before you continue, in the space below, explain your understanding of plagiarism, in your own words.
Plagiarism is: __________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
The dictionary definition of plagiarize appears to be fairly simple.
Plagiarize: (v) to take (the work or an idea of someone else) and pass it off as one's own.
Many people don’t consider plagiarism to be a serious offense, usually because terms like “copy” or
“borrow” are used as synonyms to explain what it is. You may have used words like this in your
explanation above!
The truth, however, is that plagiarism is a serious offense, and it is prohibited by the Academic Code of
Conduct that you agreed to as a student of Triton Regional High School.
The simple truth is this: Plagiarism is intellectual theft.
Harvard’s College Writing Program has this to say:
“In academic writing, it is considered plagiarism to draw any idea or any language from someone else
without adequately crediting that source in your paper. It doesn't matter whether the source is a published
author, another student, a Web site without clear authorship, a Web site that sells academic papers, or any
other person: Taking credit for anyone else's work is stealing, and it is unacceptable in all academic
situations, whether you do it intentionally or by accident.”
-
From “Harvard’s Guide to Using Sources”, 2015
**BUT, MRS. STELLING, CAN WORDS AND IDEAS REALLY BE STOLEN?**
YES.
“According to U.S. law, the answer is yes. The expression of original ideas is considered intellectual property and is
protected by copyright laws, just like original inventions. Almost all forms of expression fall under copyright
protection as long as they are recorded in some way (such as a book or a computer file).”
–
From “What is plagiarism?” Plagiarism.org
**OKAY, SO WHAT IS PLAGIARISM, THEN? LIKE, EXAMPLES, PLEASE?**
ALL OF THE FOLLOWING ARE CONSIDERED PLAGIARISM:
 turning in someone else's work as your own
 copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit
 failing to put a quotation in quotation marks
 giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation
 changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit
 copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether
you give credit or not
**WHAT, IS EVERYTHING PLAGIARISM? HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO AVOID IT?!**
Stop freaking out. Most cases of plagiarism can be avoided by citing sources! MOST of the time,
acknowledging that parts of your writing are from a source, and providing proper documentation about
how to find that source is enough to avoid plagiarism.
HOWEVER.
The key word here is PROPER documentation! If you do not cite your sources CORRECTLY,
following the rules of format, you can still be guilty of accidental plagiarism.
YOUR INTENT DOES NOT MATTER, ONLY THE DOCUMENTATION WILL SAVE YOU.
So, don’t be lazy about keeping track of and documenting your sources!
**ALRIGHT, FINE. SO WHAT’S A CITATION AND HOW DO I MAKE A PROPER ONE?**
The following information comes from a fabulous resource that I will continuously direct you to that is
named the Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue, from Purdue University. They give in depth directions,
explanations, and examples of all aspects of the writing process, and will become invaluable to you as a
reference. Another useful source is the website Plagiarism.org, if you are looking specifically for info on
plagiarism and citation.
Now, on with the breakdown!
1. What’s a citation?
A "citation" is the way you tell your readers that certain material in your work came from another
source. It also gives your readers the information necessary to find that source again, including (but not
limited to!):
 information about the author
 the title of the work
 the name and location of the company that published your copy of the source
 the date your copy was published
 the page numbers of the material you are borrowing
2. When do I need to cite?
The key to avoiding plagiarism is to make sure you give credit where it is due. This may be credit for
something somebody said, wrote, emailed, drew, or implied. Such as:
 Words or ideas presented in a magazine, book, newspaper, song, TV program, movie, Web page,
computer program, letter, advertisement, or any other medium
 Information you gain through interviewing or conversing with another person, face to face, over
the phone, or in writing
 When you copy the exact words or a unique phrase
 When you reprint any diagrams, illustrations, charts, pictures, or other visual materials
 When you reuse or repost any electronically-available media, including images, audio, video, or
other media
3. When do I not need to cite?
Anytime it is your own original content, you do not need a citation. Examples would be:
 Writing your own lived experiences, your own observations and insights, your own thoughts, and
your own conclusions about a subject
 When you are writing up your own results obtained through lab or field experiments
 When you use your own artwork, digital photographs, video, audio, etc.
 When you are using "common knowledge," things like folklore, common sense observations,
myths, urban legends, and historical events (but not historical documents)
 When you are using generally-accepted facts, e.g., pollution is bad for the environment,
including facts that are accepted within particular discourse communities, e.g., in the field of
composition studies, "writing is a process" is a generally-accepted fact.
4. What does a citation look like?
That depends on the style of format, as well as the type of source. In my class, you will be using MLA
format, and your sources will be varied. (The OWL can really help with figuring out what your citations
should look like for various sources). However, here are some examples of citations for common
sources:
– Book from a single author:
Kozol, Jonathan. Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools. New York: Crown Publishers,
Inc., 1992. Print.
– Short Piece in a Printed Anthology or Collection:
Harris, Muriel. "Talk to Me: Engaging Reluctant Writers." A Tutor's Guide: Helping Writers One to
One. Ed. Ben Rafoth. Portsmouth: Heinemann, 2000. 24-34. Print.
– Article from a Scholarly Journal:
Wheelis, Mark. "Investigating Disease Outbreaks Under a Protocol to the Biological and Toxin
Weapons Convention." Emerging Infectious Diseases 6.6 (2000): 595-600. Web. 8 Feb. 2009.
– Article from a Database:
Langhamer, Claire. “Love and Courtship in Mid-Twentieth-Century England.” Historical Journal 50.1
(2007): 173-96. ProQuest. Web. 27 May 2009.
– YouTube (or other online) video:
Shimabukuro, Jake. "Ukulele Weeps by Jake Shimabukuro." Online video clip.
YouTube. YouTube, 22 Apr. 2006. Web. 9 Sept. 2010.
– Article in a Magazine:
Poniewozik, James. "TV Makes a Too-Close Call." Time 20 Nov. 2000: 70-71. Print.
– An Interview:
Amis, Kingsley. “Mimic and Moralist.” Interviews with Britain’s Angry Young Men. By Dale Salwak.
2012. Podcast.
As you can see, there are many different sources you might need to reference during the research
process, and each one is slightly different in terms of what you need to include. I do not expect you to
memorize this information! In fact, I don’t even bother memorizing this information, because it is so
easy to look up how to do it!
But because it is easy to look up how to do it, I will expect you to do that, and hold you accountable for
correct citations.
**WHAT’S THIS GOING TO LOOK LIKE IN TERMS OF MY PAPER?**
A citation comes in two parts: The full citation (which look like the examples above), and the in-text or
parenthetical citation (which is found in the body of your paper.)
The full citations for each of your sources are gathered together in alphabetical order on a WORKS
CITED page that is attached to the end of your paper. This is the reference list that I (and any other
reader) will use in order to double check your facts, and to find the original context for your quotes.
The in-text (or parenthetical) citations are placed directly after quoted or paraphrased material in the text
of your paper, and act like a key on a map for your Works Cited page.
That’s why they are called in-text: They are placed IN the TEXT of your paper!
Here’s what it would look like:
Citizens of the United States like to think that it is a land of unfettered freedom and oppourtunity;
unfortunately, this was not always the case, and, even more unfortunately, the racial and economic
disparities are harder to combat now. The book Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools
examines this issue, and argues that racial segregation is still alive and well in the American educational
system, due to the gross inequalities that result from unequal distribution of funds collected through
both property taxes and funds distributed by the State in an attempt to "equalize" the expenditures of
schools. (Kozol 4-10)
That end bit there, inside the parentheses? That’s my in-text citation! And that is why it is also
sometimes called a parenthetical citation---because it is differentiated from the rest of your text by
parentheses!
**GROAN…THIS SOUNDS TEDIOUS, BORING AND TIME CONSUMING!**
Oh, it totally is! Yeah, not gonna lie, this is not fun. Here’s the thing though—you MUST do it if you
want to pass my class, so groan all you want, but do it! And do it right.
Here are some tips for making the process easier:
 As soon as you read a source, copy the URL or bookmark the page, or write down the books
publishing information so that you do not need to go back and search again if you decide to use
it.
 When taking notes or creating an outline, always mark someone else's words with a big Q, for
quote, or use big quotation marks
 Indicate in your notes which ideas are taken from sources with a big S, and which are your own
insights (ME)
 When paraphrasing or summarizing, use a statement that credits the source somewhere in the
paraphrase or summary, e.g., According to Jonathan Kozol, ...).
Phew! Hopefully I’ve answered many, if not all of your questions. Now it’s time for you to answer some
of mine!
Name: ______________________________ Per: ___________ Date: _______________________
Plagiarism and Citations: What have you learned?!
1. What constitutes plagiarism? Summarize the information in the packet.
2. What is the best way to avoid plagiarism?
3. What is commonly included in a citation?
4. What kinds of things are necessary to cite?
5. When is it unnecessary to include a citation?
6. What’s the difference between a full citation and an in-text citation?
7. List any other questions you may still have about plagiarism or citations.