HOW TO AVOID
PLAGIARISM
Presented By
Marvin Ridge High School
Media Staff
This presentation complies
with the Fair Use laws of
the U.S.
Image Source: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P8P5B56gI3c/TWHMV4bcLlI/AAAAAAAAA3M/2idEvlCXcwM/s1600/Plagiarism+comic.gif
Kuhlthau, C. (2004)
THE INFORMATION SEARCH PROCESS –
CAROL KUHLTHAU
As a student in this online class, I agree to the following guidelines:
* By the first day of classes, for this session, I will all finances, technology, materials, and assistive services
associated with taking this course or any course at NCCU (fees, fines, EOL account information, textbook, Student
Disability Services accommodations, etc.) dealt with. If for some reason, I am unable to access the course, it will
not constitute an excuse to make-up any missed assignments.
I will thoroughly review the course web site on a regular basis to ensure I am aware of announcements,
assignments, deadlines and/or meetings.
* I will complete assignments in a timely and professional manner, including readings, forum discussions, etc. I
will submit only my original work for this semester and not the work of other students, persons, or sources. I will
cite sources when using ideas from other persons and not be guilty of plagiarism. I will not recycle previous
assignments
* I will communicate with the course instructor or appropriate helpdesk staff (Instructional Technology or
Blackboard) if I need assistance, after having reviewed the Blackboard site to determine if I have followed
instructions properly.
* I will complete my field experiences hours during this semester and will NOT combine hours from other courses.
* I will not send documents prepared in in formats other than Microsoft Word unless I save it in richtext (.rft) or
.pdf format first. I understand that if I fail to do this, I may not be allowed to resubmit my documents. I will not
submit work to the instructor’s email account unless given permission to do so. I understand that if the assignment
has been removed from the Blackboard site after the published due date I should not send it to the instructor’s
email account because it will not be graded.
*I understand that it is my responsibility to notify the instructor immediately of any verifiable medical occurrence
that may prevent the student from completing any assignment on time. Any delay, longer than 2 days, in such
notification, may result in me still receiving a zero or grade reduction on the assignment(s). I will be allowed up to
an additional 48 hours to complete assignments, with an instructor approved excuse. Any approved excuse MUST
COVER entire time that the window was open for an assignment and not just the due date.
* I agree to withdraw from the course in a timely and appropriate manner if I am unable to keep up and complete
assignments.
* I understand that Incomplete grades (“I”) are only granted for unforeseen emergencies and only after I have
completed at least 80% of the work for the class. Therefore, I will complete work well in advance of the end of the
course, to the best of my ability, so as not to require this consideration.
* I understand that LATE WORK will be accepted only under special conditions.
* I understand that no work will be submitted in the comment box. All documents will be submitted as attachments
through the Assignment section of the Blackboard site.
* I understand that I will not receive a grade higher than a “D” if I do not complete and submit the Field
Experience information as requested by the posted due date.
* I understand that no work in this course will be graded until I have submitted this document (Ethics Agreement
Statement) as a digitally signed attachment to the Assignment section of this Blackboard site.
* I understand that the syllabus will serve as the contract between the instructor and me.
*I have located and read the syllabus. If I have any questions, with regards to the syllabus, I will email the instructor
immediately.
(Type information below. Use “save as” and rename your document – YOURNAME Ethics Agreement.
Then submit your document to the Blackboard site)
Name:
Date:
Course:
* I will complete assignments in a timely
and professional manner, including
readings, forum discussions, etc. I will
submit only my original work for this
semester and not the work of other
students, persons, or sources. I will cite
sources when using ideas from other
persons and not be guilty of plagiarism. I
will not recycle previous assignments
PLAGIARISM – WHAT IS IT??
“The unauthorized use or close imitation of the
language and thoughts of another author and the
representation of them as one's own original
work.”
 Plagiarism is the act of stealing ideas, language
and information and passing them off as one’s
own. Although research requires us to refer to
another person’s ideas, we must reference these
ideas and give credit to the sources where we
found this information.

(http://www.arlington.k12.ma.us/ahs/docs/plagarism.pdf)
EXAMPLES OF PLAGIARISM

Paying someone to complete your assignment

Failing to use footnotes and/or a bibliography

Cutting and pasting from the internet

Copying from a printed book

Copying from a friend
HOW DO YOU AVOID PLAGIARISM?

Direct quotations

Paraphrasing

Includes summarizing and referencing the works of
others within your paper or project

Even when paraphrasing – YOU STILL MUST CITE!
WHAT DO I NEED TO CITE?
This chart will help
you decide what
must be cited
 It was created by
Robert A. Harris in
The Plagiarism
Handbook

(from Mt Lebanon School District
Media page
http://www.mtlsd.org/highschool/hig
hschoolplagiarismlessons.asp)
Did you
think of
it?
Yes.
No.
Is it
common
knowledge?
Yes.
No.
Cite it.
Do not cite it.

So – the rule is:
If you created it, you do
not need to cite the
source
If you did not create the
content, you must cite
the source
Did you
think of
it?
Yes.
No.
Is it
common
knowledge?
Yes.
No.
Cite it.
Do not cite it.
EXCEPTION!


You do not need to cite common knowledge
You do not need to cite the source of an
unoriginal piece of information IF

An educated person should know the information
OR

It is a provable fact that could be found in a general
encyclopedia
EXAMPLE
Jennifer Lawrence is the actress who plays
Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games
(don’t have to cite this – well-known fact)

o
o
Amandla Stenberg (2012) states “Jen has some of
Katniss’ qualities in her.”
(cite the source of any ideas that are not your
own, and any time you use the exact words of the
source)
WHY SHOULD YOU BOTHER?
Four good reasons for citing sources in your work:
 Citing reliable information gives credibility to your
work

Cheating is unethical behavior

It is only fair to give credit to the source – otherwise,
you are stealing the source’s ideas

The consequences are severe – plagiarism is not
worth the risk!
(from Mt Lebanon School District Media page
http://www.mtlsd.org/highschool/highschoolplagiarismlessons.asp)
REAL LIFE CONSEQUENCES

Joe Biden – forced to quit the 1988 presidential race due to
allegations of plagiarism throughout law school
(http://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/18/us/biden-admits-plagiarism-in-school-but-says-it-was-not-malevolent.html)

Michael McAdoo – UNC-Chapel Hill football player
received an F in a course, academic probation and academic
suspension. Kept off the football team.
(http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/07/17/1349691/mcadoo-paper-case-looks-bad-for.html)
Kaavya Viswanathan – Harvard University student
published debut novel How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got
Wild, and Got a Life. Found out she plagiarized (cut &
paste from other novels) – book was recalled and sequel
was cancelled
(http://www.strose.edu/academics/academic_integrity/article3218)
 Melissa Elias – President of Madison School Board, NJ
plagiarized a commencement speech. Forced to resign.

(http://www.strose.edu/academics/academic_integrity/article3218)
HOW TO CITE
MLA or APA ?
 Purdue Owl – USE IT!


https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
MLA uses parenthetical citation – placing
relevant source information in parenthesis after
a quote or paraphrase
 Follows the author-page method of in-text
citation
 This means that the author’s last name and page
number must appear in the text, and a complete
reference should appear on your Works Cited
page

EXAMPLES
Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was
marked by a "spontaneous overflow of powerful
feelings" (263).
Romantic poetry is characterized by the
"spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings"
(Wordsworth 263).
Wordsworth extensively explored the role of
emotion in the creative process (263).
(from Purdue Owl https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/02/)
REVIEW




When do you use in-text citations?
Do you have to cite when you put things in your
own words?
What is included in the in-text citation?
What is the last page of your paper called that
contains all your sources?
WORKS CITED
Dionne, E. J. “Biden Admits Plagiarism in School but Says it was not Malevolent”
The New York Times. 18 Sept 1987: Web.
Harris, Robert A. The Plagiarism Handbook: Strategies for
Preventing, Detecting, and Dealing with Plagiarism. Pyrczak Publishing: Los
Angeles, 2001. Print.
Kane, Dan. “UNC Honor Court Failed to Find McAdoo’s Obvious
Plagiarism.” News & Observer. 17 July 2011: Web.
Kramer, Michelle. Mt. Lebanon High School Library. Mount Lebanon
School District, (2014). Web. 06 Nov. 2014.
Kuhlthau, Carol C. Seeking Meaning: A Process Approach to Library
and Information Services, 2nd edition, Libraries Unlimited, Westport, CT.,
2004. Print.
Wordsworth, William. Lyrical Ballads. London: Oxford UP, 1967.
Print.