Avoiding Plagiarism
Plagiarism is
• Using someone else’s words or ideas without
acknowledgement.
Plagiarism comes from
• A Latin word meaning kidnapper.
You can “kidnap”
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Words
Statistics
Source code
Music
Art work
Per Webster’s Collegiate (9th)
• to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another)
as one's own
• using a created production without crediting the
source
• to commit literary theft
• to present as new and original an idea or product
derived from an existing source.
What’s literary theft?
In a search engine, type
Ambrose vampire
http://slate.msn.com/?id=2060618
http://www.weeklystandard.com/
Content/Public/Articles/000/000/000/73
8lfddv.asp
Did Ambrose plagiarize?
• Up, up, up, groping
through the clouds for
what seemed like an
eternity. . . . No amount
of practice could have
prepared them for
what they
encountered. B-24s,
glittering like mica,
were popping up out
of the clouds all over
the sky.
—T. Childers
Up, up, up, he went,
until he got above the
clouds. No amount of
practice could have
prepared the pilot and
crew for what they
encountered—B-24s,
glittering like mica,
were popping up out of
the clouds over here,
over there, everywhere.
—S. Ambrose
What are the consequences?
• Published authors can be sued.
• Students can lose credit for the
paper (or the course).
• Professionals can lose their
degrees or licenses to practice
medicine or law.
What are the consequences?
• Published authors can be sued.
• Students can lose credit for the
paper (or the course).
• Professionals can lose their
degrees or licenses to practice
medicine or law.
• At Kaplan, a second offense
can get you expelled.
Types of plagiarism
• Turning in a paper written
by someone else
• Internet cut-and-paste
• Sloppy paraphrasing
Professional articles are
• Written for people who have background
or expertise in a field
• Filled with jargon and technical terms
Jargon
• Vocabulary used by a special group or
occupational class, often only partially
understood by outsiders
Jargon
• Cross-sectional research has suggested that
television viewing may be associated with
decreased attention spans in children. However,
longitudinal data of early television exposure and
subsequent attentional problems have been
lacking. The objective of this study was to test the
hypothesis that early television exposure (at ages 1
and 3) is associated with attentional problems at
age 7.
Christakis, D.A., Zimmerman, F.J., DiGiuseppe, D.L., & McCarty, C.A. (2004) .Early television exposure and subsequent
attentional problems in children. Pediatrics, 113(4).
To translate jargon
• Look away and try summarizing
in your own words
• Use Google’s define: command
e.g., define:longitudinal
• Build background
e.g., read an encyclopedia article
• Find an easier version
• Comments by someone who’s read the article
• An interview with the author
search for name + interview
Translate jargon: Google
define:longitudinal
Related phrases: longitudinal study longitudinal wave longitudinal studies longitudinal fissure
longitudinal crack longitudinal dune longitudinal redundancy check longitudinal stability
longitudinal research longitudinal waves
Definitions of longitudinal on the Web:
* refers to a study that follows participants over an extended period of time.
www.sfaf.org/treatment/beta/b35/b35glos.html
* a research study which follows a group of subjects over an extended period of time,
often several years.
www.crede.org/tools/glossary.html
What does this say?
Cross-sectional research has
suggested that television viewing
may be associated with decreased
attention spans in children. However,
longitudinal data of early television
exposure and subsequent attentional
problems have been lacking. The
objective of this study was to test the
hypothesis that early television
exposure (at ages 1 and 3) is
associated with attentional problems
at age 7.
“Early Television Exposure and
Subsequent Attentional Problems in
Children”
Scholar speak vs. layman’s terms
Cross-sectional research has suggested
that television viewing may be associated
with decreased attention spans in children.
However, longitudinal data of early
television exposure and subsequent
attentional problems have been lacking.
Conclusions: Early television exposure (at
ages 1 and 3) is associated with
attentional problems at age 7. Efforts to
limit television viewing in early childhood
may be warranted.
“Early Television Exposure and Subsequent
Attentional Problems in Children”
April 5, 2004 -- An important new study has
shown that the amount of children's
television exposure at ages 1 and 3
directly relates to later attention problems.
The report appeared in the April issue of
Pediatrics.
The lead author of the study, Dr. Dimitri
Christakis from the University of
Washington in Seattle, said: "We found
that watching television before the age of 3
increases the chances that children will
develop attentional problems at age 7.”
“Attention Problems Due to TV
Before 3”
Translate jargon: Interview
• Frederick Zimmerman of the University of Washington
in Seattle, one of the authors, said it was impossible
to say what a "safe" level of TV viewing would be for
children between the ages of 1 and 3.
• "Each hour has an additional risk," he said in an
interview. "You might say there's no safe level since
there's a small but increased risk" with each hour.
“Toddler TV Habits Tied to Attention Deficit”
Jargon can lead to plagiarism
• “I don’t know what it means,
but it sounds good.”
Jargon can lead to plagiarism
• “I don’t know what it means, but it
sounds good.”
• Using material that you don’t
understand forces you to rely too much
on the author’s words.
Rules of thumb
• If you can’t explain what a source
means in your own words, don’t use it.
Rules of thumb
• If you can’t paraphrase a source,
don’t use it.
• Neither the wording or the structure
of the original should be recognizable
in your paraphrase.
What is the point?
Original
…America’s fuel is
caffeine. Coffee is
the brew kickstarting a nation of
bleary-eyed, foggyheaded
sleepwalkers.
“Caffeine Nation”
Sunday Morning, 11/14/02
Paraphrase
Is this a good paraphrase?
Original
…America’s fuel is
caffeine. Coffee is
the brew kickstarting a nation of
bleary-eyed, foggyheaded
sleepwalkers.
“Caffeine Nation”
Sunday Morning, 11/14/02
Attempted Paraphrase
Coffee is the drink
that gives a nation
of foggy-headed
sleepwalkers a kickstart every morning.
This is dependent on original.
Original
…America’s fuel is
caffeine. Coffee is
the brew kickstarting a nation of
bleary-eyed, foggyheaded
sleepwalkers.
“Caffeine Nation”
Sunday Morning, 11/14/02
Attempted Paraphrase
Coffee is the drink
that gives a nation
of foggy-headed
sleepwalkers a
kick-start every
morning (no in-text
citation).
Original
Caffeine is one of the fastest acting
drugs known to man. When we drink it,
almost every cell in the body, including
the brain, absorbs it within minutes.
There, caffeine works its magic by
blocking something called adenosine, a
chemical the body releases to tell the
brain it’s tired. Caffeine intercepts the
adenosine, turning the "I’m tired,"
message into "I’m wide awake." The
result is an invigorating buzz coffee
drinkers crave.
“Caffeine Nation”
Sunday Morning, 11/14/02
Paraphrase/New Structure
Caffeine is stimulating for two
reasons: it is quickly absorbed,
and it blocks the chemical that
signals fatigue, adenosine.
“Caffeine Nation”
Sunday Morning, 11/14/02
Original
Caffeine is one of the fastest
acting drugs known to man.
When we drink it, almost
every cell in the body,
including the brain, absorbs
it within minutes. There,
caffeine works its magic by
blocking something called
adenosine, a chemical the
body releases to tell the
brain it’s tired. Caffeine
intercepts the adenosine,
turning the "I’m tired,"
message into "I’m wide
awake." The result is an
invigorating buzz coffee
drinkers crave.
Paraphrase
Caffeine is
stimulating for two
reasons: it is
quickly absorbed,
and it blocks the
chemical that
signals fatigue,
adenosine.
Paraphrase/Quotation
According to a CBS news report,
“Caffeine is one of the fastest
acting drugs known to man.” Once
absorbed, caffeine blocks the
body’s chemical signal of fatigue,
adenosine.
“Caffeine Nation”
Sunday Morning, 11/14/02
Paraphrase/Quotation
Caffeine is quickly absorbed. It
blocks the chemical that signals
fatigue, “turning the ‘I’m tired’
message into ‘I’m wide awake.’ The
result is an invigorating buzz coffee
drinkers crave” (“Caffeine Nation”).
“Caffeine Nation”
Sunday Morning, 11/14/02
Rules of thumb
• If you can’t paraphrase a source,
don’t use it.
• Neither the wording or the structure of the
original should be recognizable in your
paraphrase.
exception: “shared language,” such as names
of diseases or legal terms
—chronic allergic rhinitis
—habeas corpus
Rules of thumb
• If you can’t paraphrase a source, don’t
use it.
• Neither the wording or the structure of
the original should be recognizable in
your paraphrase.
• If you take more than three words
from the original, quote them.
Rules of thumb
• If you can’t paraphrase a source,
don’t use it.
• Neither the wording or the structure of the
original should be recognizable in your
paraphrase.
• If you take more than three words from the
original, quote them.
• Quote only when the original wording is
especially apt or when exact wording is
important.
More good/bad examples
• http://www.wisc.edu/writing/
Handbook/Documentation.html
• Path: Quoting and
Paraphrasing Sources
Paraphrasing Practice
• See if you can “translate” these
proverbs, or familiar sayings.
Proverbs to paraphrase
• Male cadavers provide no testimony.
What’s a synonym for cadavers?
Male? Testimony?
Proverbs to paraphrase
• Male cadavers provide no testimony.
What’s a synonym for cadavers?
Male? Testimony?
OR…
Dead men (cadavers) tell no tales
(testimony).
Proverbs to paraphrase
• It is futile to attempt to indoctrinate a
superannuated canine with innovative
maneuvers.
• Integrity is the superlative strategy.
• Everything is legitimate in matters
pertaining to ardent affection and
international armed conflicts.
More “Pompous Proverbs”
• Similar sire, similar scion.
• Precipitancy generates prodigality.
• Members of an avian species with
identical plumage congregate.
• The person emitting the ultimate
cachinnation possesses thereby the
optimal cachinnation (KAK'-e-na-shun).
Strategies for paraphrasing
• How did you figure out the proverbs?
Strategies for paraphrasing
• Pick out key words and look them up.
• Find the topic sentence of each
paragraph and restate it in your own
words.
• Pretend you’re explaining the subject
to a child.
Strategies for technical articles
• If you have to use a source you don’t
understand, build your background by
reading some easier articles first.
Strategies for technical articles
• If you have to use a source you don’t
understand, build your background by
reading some easier articles first.
• Take notes on unfamiliar terms.
Strategies for technical articles
• If you have to use a source you don’t
understand, build your background by
reading some easier articles first.
• Take notes on unfamiliar terms.
• When you go back to the harder source,
summarize what you’ve learned after
each section.
Strategies for technical articles
• If you have to use a source you don’t
understand, build your background by
reading some easier articles first.
• Take notes on unfamiliar terms.
• When you go back to the harder source,
summarize what you’ve learned after
each section.
• Create a new organization.
Rules of Thumb Review
• Neither the wording or the ________
of the original should be recognizable in
your paraphrase.
• If you take more than _______ words
from the original, quote them.
• Quote ______ when the original
wording is especially apt or when exact
wording is important.
Practice
• Go to
http://dianahacker.com/
writersref/flash/rs_menu.asp
• Choose APA E-ex APA 3-1
Integrating Quotations in APA Papers
More documentation sources
• Hamilton Style Sheet
• The APA Handbook
• www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite6.html
• www.dianahacker.com/resdoc