PGDP Anti-Plagiarism Handout #1:
Is this plagiarism?
Text and some examples taken from http://www.csub.edu/ssricrem/howto/plagiarism.htm
This original text is the first sentence from a book review written by Lisa R. Staffen, published
in Contemporary Sociology (March, 1996, Vol. 25, No., 2, pp. 154-156).
"It has become fashionable to reject the notion of absolute objectivity on the
grounds that objectivity is simply unattainable or, even if attainable, is
undesirable."
Here is a correct way of paraphrasing and citing, with no plagiarism:
Quotation marks
Student version:
In her review of Porter's book, Lisa Staffen says the idea of absolute objectivity is
now commonly rejected as "simply unattainable or, even if attainable, [as]
undesirable" (Staffen, 1996, p. 154).
Citation
Are these plagiarism? Why or why not?
“Student” writes:
I feel it has become fashionable to reject
the notion of absolute objectivity on the
grounds that objectivity is simply
unattainable.
Why is this plagiarism?
According to Lisa Staffen (1996), it has
become fashionable to reject the notion
of absolute objectivity on the grounds
that objectivity is simply unattainable.
I feel it has become stylish to reject the
idea of absolute objectivity on the
grounds that objectivity cannot be
achieved.
It has become stylish to reject the idea
of absolute objectivity on the grounds
that objectivity cannot be achieved
(Staffen, 1996).
Types of plagiarism:
1. “word-for-word” plagiarism (copy-and-paste)
2. Paraphrasing plagiarism (attempt at paraphrasing, but doesn’t get far enough away from
original; or it’s a good paraphrase, but the person whose idea it was is not cited)
Handout #2:
Plagiarism: common mistakes
Why shouldn’t you plagiarize? Because it prevents you from reaching educational goals:
1. Developing and expressing your own ideas.
2. Developing skills for understanding others’ ideas, critically analyzing others’ research,
and writing well.
Do not let these common mistakes lead you to plagiarism:
1. “I don’t have enough time! It’s hard to think of my own words and ideas… let me just
copy this person’s words… or say something very similar…”
This is the most common reason that students plagiarize. Writing a paper properly
and thoughtfully takes some time. Start your paper early, and when reading
outside literature, take notes that indicate clearly a) the difference between your
own words and someone else’s and b) where your information is from (including
page # for direct quotations).
2. “My English isn’t as good as this person’s! Wouldn’t it be better to use their words?”
The answer is: No. Practice your English by writing! And don’t use other’s
phrases, however nice they sound, unless you put them in quotation marks.
Don’t be beaten by these common misunderstandings:
1. A word-for-word copy of someone else’s phrase(s) ALWAYS needs to be put in
quotation marks, as well as cited (with a page number). Even if you cite the person, you
must also put quotation marks around the part that is their words. If you don’t, it is
plagiarism.
2. A paraphrase needs to be very different from the original. You can’t just change some
words for synonyms; you can’t just change the order of different parts of the sentence.
These will be plagiarism, even if you cite the source. Remember that the purpose of
writing is to develop and show your own original ideas.
3. Everything that you cite within the text should be listed in your References section at the
end of the paper. Also, everything in your References section should be cited within the
text. (Don’t list things in your references that you read, but did not cite in your paper.)
One final small point: If you use them in your paper, your teacher’s lecture notes also need to
be cited and listed in your References, e.g.:
Buchtel, E.E. (2011). PGDP Anti-Plagiarism Workshop. Unpublished lecture notes, The Hong
Kong Institute of Education.
Handout #3:
Can you correct their APA style?
To find the correct format, look at the IEd’s student handbook section on APA style, which is
online at: http://www.ied.edu.hk/reg/student_handbook/chap_en15.html
Their version:
In-text citations:
…is very important (Buchtel, 2010) (Guan, 2007).
…in the classroom (Emma E. Buchtel, 2010).
…online (E. E. Buchtel, 2010).
…in the world (Emma, 2010).
…in psychology (Buchtel, 2010, Guan, 2007).
… “this is a direct quote” (Buchtel, 2010).
Reference list:
Nesdale, Drew (2002). Acculturation attitudes…
Drew Nesdale (2002). Acculturation attitudes…

Nesdale, D., Maass, A., Kiesner, J., Durkin, K.,
Griffiths, J., & James, B. (2009). Effects of peer
group rejection and a new group’s norms on
children’s intergroup attitudes. British Journal of
Developmental Psychology, 27, 799-814.

Nesdale, D., Milliner, E., Duffy, A., Griffiths, J.A.
(2009).Group membership, group norms,
empathy and young children’s intentions to
aggress. Aggressive Behaviour, 35, 244-258.

Nesdale, D., Griffiths, J., Durkin, K., & Maass, A..,
Kiesner, J. (2008). Effects of group norms on
children’s intentions to bully.Social
Development,17,(4), 889-907
Correct version (or just write down what’s wrong):