Plagiarism

OR, THE WORST ACADEMIC CRIME

WHAT IS PLAGIARISM?The use by paraphrase or direct quotation of the published or unpublished work

of another person without giving full and clear acknowledgment.

It also includes the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic materials.

http://lrdudc.wrlc.org

CONSEQUENCES

• DESTROYED REPUTATION – ACADEMIC, PROFESSIONAL

• LEGAL – AUTHOR’S CAN SUE PLAGIARISTS

• GRADES

• SUSPENSION OR EXPULSION

• WHATEVER THE SCHOOL OR EMPLOYER WANTS TO DO

EXAMPLESJayson Blair plagiarized 36 news stories for the New York Times. He was forced to resign, and then two of his bosses had to resign, too.

An Ohio University student plagiarized by failing to cite a source during a semester at sea. She was expelled from the class and sent home early.http://libraries.ucsd.eduA Michuhol student plagiarized just a few sentences out of a two page story. He did not receive credit for the 6 week course, and he was not published with all the other students.

IS THIS PLAGIARISM?

At the start of the Great Depression, many Americans wanted to believe that the hard times would be only temporary.

At the beginning of the Great Depression, a lot of Americans wanted to think that the hard times would be only temporary.

Devices in the iPod range are primarily digital audio players, designed around a central click wheel — although the iPod shuffle has buttons also.

An iPod is an MP3 player that lets you choose and play songs to listen to using a click wheel (or on older versions, buttons).http://www.readwritethink.org

TWO METHODS TO AVOID PLAGIARISM

PARAPHRASING

•Attribute – “According to Sam Landfried…”

•Sentence and paragraph structure CANNOT mirror the source.

•Use quotations in paraphrases for unique or valuable phrases.

QUOTATION

•Keep the author’s name in the same sentence as the quote.

•Only quote when you cannot say it better yourself.

•Use ellipsis (…) and brackets ([]) to indicate changes you make to a quote.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/

IMPORTANT

Whenever you quote or paraphrase a source, you HAVE to accurately convey the source’s idea. You cannot misrepresent a source for your convenience.

ONE MORE IDEA

When you take notes:

•Mark quotes with a big Q or “.

•Mark sources with a big S.

•Mark your ideas with “ME”.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/

PARAPHRASING EXAMPLES

“Plagiarism is exceptionally stupid because it is so easy to avoid.”-Sam Landfried

• According to Sam Landfried, the act of plagiarism can be easily avoided.

• Sam Landfried says that the ease with which one can avoid plagiarism makes it an, “Exceptionally stupid,” mistake.

• Sam Landfried argues that copying other people’s work is dumb because it is not hard to find a way around it.

Which one is plagiarism?

QUOTATION EXAMPLES

“There is theft, and there is deceit. It combines both of them in a sinful union to make a heinous crime unparalleled in academia.”-Sam Landfried

• “There is theft, and there is deceit. [Plagiarism] combines both of them… to make a heinous crime…” writes Sam Landfried.

• Sam Landfried does not like plagiarism. “[Plagiarism] is a sinful union that makes a heinous crime.”

• Sam Landfried states, “There is theft, and there is deceit.” He continues to say that plagiarism, “Combines both of them in a sinful union…”

Which one is plagiarism?