Using Text in Your Writing How to avoid plagiarism and strengthen your writing Adapted by Lenelle Wylie (2007) from University of Houston, Victoria Copyright.

Using Text in Your WritingHow to avoid plagiarism and

strengthen your writingAdapted by Lenelle Wylie (2007)

from University of Houston, Victoria

Copyright 2003 by the Academic Center, the University of Houston-Victoria, and Summer Leibensperger.

Created 2003 by Summer Leibensperger.

Revised 2005.

Citation and Quotation

What is Plagiarism?Plagiarism is the use of information (words,

sentences, and/or ideas and even the structure of sentences and/or ideas) from another source that is not properly credited.

Plagiarism may be unintentional and may occur even if a source is credited but is done so improperly.

In this lesson, we will look at how to avoid plagiarism and improve your writing.

What Needs to be Cited?You must cite someone else’s words you quote,

words you summarize, words you paraphrase, idea (interpretation, opinion, conclusion), data, graph, photograph, drawing, table of information, experiment, example, unique concept, apt phrase, expression of common knowledge, solution to a problem, speech, video source (film, TV program), [and] the structure or sequencing of facts, ideas. or arguments. (p. 18)

Harris, R. (2002). Using sources effectively: Strengthening your

writing and avoiding plagiarism. Los Angeles: Pyrczak Publishing.

What is Common Knowledge? Common knowledge may consist of commonly

known dates and factual information (i.e. the Alamo fell on March 6, 1836, to Santa Anna; or the chemical composition of water is H20) or common sayings like proverbs or clichés

Common knowledge does not need to be cited

What About Opinions About Common Knowledge?

You will need to cite opinions related to the facts. It may be a well-known fact that the Alamo fell

on March 6, 1836, and that in Victoria the school district is consolidated, but you will need to cite someone’s opinion or interpretation of those facts.

Also, your sources may present both opinion and factual information. Because that factual information is part of an opinion, you will need to cite the source.

What is the General Rule About Citation?

If in doubt, cite the source.

What are Some Strategies to Avoid Plagiarism?

1. Take careful notes when you research and clearly document whether you’ve directly quoted, paraphrased, or summarized the material in your notes.

2. Keep photocopies of each source for easy reference. 3. Borrow from the source correctly. (Quoting, Summarizing,

Paraphrasing) 4. Credit the source of any ideas, whether directly quoted, paraphrased,

or summarized in your paper. 5. Make sure all cited information has an entry in your bibliography or

works cited page. 6. Give an adequate signal to your reader to show you are using

someone else’s words and include your own commentary to make your argument.

7. Review your paper and consider your use of documentation carefully.

Why Incorporate Text?By integrating source material into your

paper, you can add credibility, complexity, and support to your argument. In this lesson, we’ll look at how to decide when to quote, paraphrase, and summarize.

Rules for Incorporating Text1. Source material cannot make your points for

you. It can back up your points or provide material for you to argue against; therefore, you will typically have to introduce source material and comment on how it helps prove your point. Essentially, source material has no significance without your commentary to provide context and meaning.

Rules for Incorporating Text2. Choose important or significant information

that effectively relates to or supports your points. (Depending on the type of paper you are writing, you may need to present information that does not agree or support the points in your paper. Often times, you will have to present the dissenting view in order to show flaws, weaknesses, or other errors within the opposing position.)

Rules for Incorporating Text3. Always be faithful to the meaning of

the source material that you include in your paper. Do not take material out of context.

4. Cite appropriately and integrate the quote, paraphrase, or summary into the text effectively.

What is a QuoteA quote is the exact wording of the

source material (either written or spoken). Quotes match the original source word for word.

When to Quote?1. Accuracy: You are unable to paraphrase or summarize

the source material without changing the author’s intent. 2. Authority: You may want to use a quote to lend expert

authority for your assertion or to provide source material for analysis.

3. Conciseness: Your attempts to paraphrase or summarize are awkward or much longer than the source material.

4. Unforgettable language: You believe that the words of the author are memorable or remarkable because of their effectiveness or historical flavor.

Paraphrase

What is a Paraphrase?A paraphrase is a detailed restatement in your

own words of a written or sometimes spoken source material. Apart from the changes in organization, wording, and sentence structure, the paraphrase should be nearly identical in meaning to the original passage. It should also be near the same length as the original passage and present the details of the original.

When to Paraphrase? To change the organization of ideas for emphasis. You

may have to change the organization of ideas in source material so that you can emphasize the points that are most related to your paper. You should remember to be faithful to the meaning of the source.

To simplify the material. You may have to simplify complex arguments, sentences, or vocabulary.

To clarify the material. You may have to clarify technical passages or specialized information into language that is appropriate for your audience.

How to Paraphrase? Include all important ideas mentioned in the

original passage but not in the same order. Keep the length approximately the same as the

original. Do not stress any single point more than

another. Do not change the meaning by adding your own

thoughts or views. Do not use the original sentence structure

Five Steps to Paraphrasing1. Understand the meaning of the passage

thoroughly. You may have to read the passage several times and consult a dictionary.

2. Outline the passage or subdivide the information into smaller sections. Remember that the paraphrase must include all the important ideas mentioned in the original passage.

Five Steps to Paraphrasing3. Restate the information remembering the

following: 1. Replace as many of the words as possible with

appropriate synonyms. Sometimes you may have to substitute a phrase in place of a word, or a word in place of a phrase.

2. Change the order and structure of the ideas or argument.

3. Change the structure of the sentences. All of us have our own writing style. Change the sentences to reflect yours. Be careful not to change the meaning by adding or leaving out any important information.

Five Steps to Paraphrasing4. Make sure that you are faithful to the

meaning of the source and that you have accurately represented the main ideas.

5. Cite appropriately and integrate the paraphrase into the text effectively..

Paraphrase PracticeStatements that seem complimentary in one

context may be inappropriate in another. For example, women in business are usually uncomfortable if male colleagues or superiors compliment them on their appearance: the comments suggest that the women are being treated as visual decoration rather than as contributing workers. (p. 323)

---Locker, K. O. (2003). Business and administrative communication (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Irwin/McGraw-Hill.

Paraphrase PracticeStep 1: Reading the passage multiple times to

ensure understanding.Step 2: Identify the important ideas in this

passage: Appropriateness of statements is situational. Example is that working women may view

compliments about appearance as offensive. These compliments can be offensive because they

may imply women are decoration.Step 3: Restate the main points

Sample Paraphrase #1 Words or expressions which appear favorable in one

situation might be improper in a different situation. For instance, employed females are often uneasy when they are given positive comments on their looks. These remarks imply that the females are being viewed as adornment instead of as productive employees (Locker, 2003).

[Although this paraphrase does a good job of changing the wording, it is not effective for two main reasons. First, it follows the sentence structure of the original passage too closely. Second, it fails to mention anything about "male colleagues or superiors." It also follows the same order or structure of ideas.]

Sample Paraphrase #2 Some statements may be inappropriate in one context, even

though they are complimentary in another. Compliments by male colleagues or superiors regarding a female coworker ﾕ s appearance, for example, often make the woman feel uncomfortable. Instead of treating the women as contributing workers, men obviously think of them as visual decoration (Locker, 2003).

[While this paraphrase does a better job of changing the sentence structure, it also is uneffective. It uses too many of the words from the original passage. Further, it changes the meaning when it declares that "men obviously think of them as visual decoration." It also follows the same order or structure of ideas]

Sample Paraphrase #3 Women may feel uneasy upon receiving ordinarily

positive comments on their appearance from male coworkers or supervisors. To these women, the remarks carry an implied meaning: instead of being thought of as productive employees, they are actually being viewed as just a pretty part of the atmosphere. Depending on the situation, words or expressions which appear favorable may actually be unsuitable in a conversation (Locker, 2003).

[This paraphrase is the most effective. In addition to changing both the wording and sentence structure, it includes all points and retains the meaning of the original passage. It also changes the order of ideas.]

Exercise #1Using the Handout, Complete

Paraphrasing Exercise #1

Summarize

What is a Summary?A summary is a condensed version of a

passage. Similar to paraphrasing, summarizing involves using your own words and writing style to express another author's ideas. Unlike the paraphrase, which presents important details, the summary presents only the most important ideas of the passage.

When to Summarize? Summarize a passage when you simply want to give

your readers a brief overview of a text. To condense the material. You may have to

condense or to reduce the source material to draw out the points that relate to your paper.

To omit extras from the material. You may have to omit extra information from the source material to focus on the author’s main points.

To simplify the material. You may have to simplify the most important complex arguments, sentences, or vocabulary in the source material.

When do I Summarize?Summarize a passage when you

simply want to give your readers a brief overview of a text.

How do I Summarize?When summarizing, follow the

guidelines listed below: * Include only the main points of the

original passage * Do not worry about following the

original order of ideas. * Keep the length down to no more than

half the length of the original.

Four Steps in Summarizing 1. Identify the main points of the passage. You will

not include all the details, as you do in a paraphrase. Instead, only choose the most important.

2. Organize and present these main points in a coherent way. Be careful not to use the author's words or to follow the sentence structure of the original passage.

3. Make sure that you are faithful to the meaning of the source and that you have accurately represented the main ideas.

4. Cite appropriately and integrate the summary into the text effectively.

Sample Summary #1 Height connotes status in many parts of the world. Executive

offices are usually on the top floors; the underlings work below. Even being tall can help a person succeed. Studies have shown that employers are more willing to hire men over 6 feet tall than shorter men with the same credentials. Studies of real-world executives and graduates have shown that taller men make more money. In one study, every extra inch of height brought in an extra $1,300 a year. But being too big can be a disadvantage. A tall, brawny football player complained that people found him intimidating off the field and assumed he "had the brains of a Twinkie." (p. 301)

---Locker, K. O. (2003). Business and administrative communication (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Irwin/McGraw-Hill.

Find the Main PointsLet’s first identify the main points in the

original passage. Topic sentence:

Height connotes status in many parts of the world.

Main point: Even being tall can help a person succeed. Executive offices are usually on the topBeing too big can be a disadvantage

Sample Summaries Summary A:Throughout the world, being tall will lead to professional

success. In fact, research shows that employers are more likely to hire taller men and to pay them more, as compared to shorter men with the same qualifications (Locker, 2003).

[This summary is too brief. Further, it changes the meaning slightly, giving the impression that being tall guarantees success.]

Summary B: In most countries, height suggests status. For instance, higher executives normally use top floors of office buildings. Further, research shows that men over six feet tall are more likely to be hired than those shorter than them but with the same qualifications. Taller men also receive greater incomes, possibly as much as $1,300 a year more than those only one inch shorter than them. However, as a tall and muscular football player points out, a disadvantage to being tall is that some individuals may perceive you as threatening or even dumb (Locker, 2003).

[This summary is too long. Instead of focusing on the main points, it includes all of the details that are in the original passage.]

Sample Summaries Summary C: Though height may connote slowness to some

people, in the business world, it is almost universally associated with success. For example, taller men are more likely to be hired and to have greater salaries. Further, those in top positions within a company are more likely to work on the top floors of office buildings (Locker, 2003).

[This summary is the most effective. In addition to including all of the main points, it leaves out the unimportant details.]

Practice Summarizing SkillsUsing the Handout, Complete

Summarizing #1

Signaling the Use of Source Material

Introducing Source MaterialSource material cannot make your points

for you. Essentially, source material backs up your points; therefore, you will typically have to introduce source material and comment on how it helps prove your point.

The reader has to be able to distinguish source material from your commentary. (If the reader cannot, then you are guilty of plagiarism.)

Three Strategies to Signal the Use of Your Source

1. Introduce your Source with Dialog Tags, Phrases, and Sentences

2. Divide Your Sources3. Use Key Phrases

Strategy #1 Introduce Your Source

Dialogue tags can signal the use of source materials. You can try something as simple as John Doe says. To

punctuate a dialogue tag, when the source is directly quoted, you typically use a comma.

Let’s look at some examples: In the example below, the source material is directly quoted.

Shakespeare says, “that time of year thou mayest in me behold (line 1).

You also can use this strategy with summarized or paraphrased material.

Schayan (2001) indicates that minimal pair drills rely upon a contrast of sound to accomplish the goals of auditory training.

Vary Your Dialog TagsVerbs to Use Instead of “Says/Said or

States/Stated” addresses, analyzes, contributes,

critiques, defines, discovers, disproves, establishes, evaluates, examines, formulates, identifies, proposes, questions, recommends, reiterates, reports, suggests, thinks, urges

Strategy #1 Introduce Your Source

Phrases add information to your source introduction According to Locker (2001), author of Business and

Administrative Communication, women may feel uneasy upon receiving ordinarily positive comments on their appearance from male coworkers or supervisors.

Sentences are another option to introduce a source In The Power of Myth, a conversation about

mythology, Joseph Campbell enlightens Bill Moyers about how a dream differs from a myth: “Oh, because a dream is a personal experience of that deep, dark ground that is the support of our conscious lives, and a myth is the society’s dream. [...]” (p. 40).

Strategy #2Divide Your Sources

You can use this technique if you want to add emphasis to the source material, or cause your reader to mentally pause between two pieces of source material.

Two examples of this technique: “Despite changing membership over time,”

Dye (1995) states, “the Supreme Court has not altered its policy regarding affirmative action as a remedy for past discrimination” (p. 62).

“Men lack heart,” writes Pascal, “they would not make a friend of it” (p. 31).

Strategy #3Use Key Phrases

You may not need to quote entire sentences or passages of a source to get your point across. In this case, you may want to quote key phrases.

Let’s look at a few examples: Reporter Jack Nimeson (2000) speculated in his

Opinions column whether modern cinema should be “bemoaned for its lack of heart and intellect” (A-2).

Locker (2000) indicates that Web searches can yield thousands of results, unless the searcher is careful to employ “wild cards,” which are symbols (p. 380). These symbols allow for variations such as plural endings.

Signaling Commentary

Two Steps to Incorporate Commentary

Use Parenthetical Citing Shows the reader what information is

taken from others

Make a Transition Makes a clear distinction between cited

material and the ideas belonging to the writer

Using Parenthetical CitingDirectly Quoted Material Example

Signaling your commentary can be easy with directly quoted material because the quotation marks mark the end of the cited material

Example:Petrarch embarks on a physical journal hoping to

gain spiritual insight. He speaks of the mountain as a “very steep and almost inaccessible mass of stony soil,” and climbing it is a “most difficult task” (154). Ultimately, Petrarch is as lost in the temporal circuitous route as he is in the eternal route…

Using Parenthetical CitingParaphrased/Summarized Example

It can be more difficult to signal paraphrased or summarized material.

Example: Women may feel uneasy upon receiving ordinarily positive

comments on their appearance from male coworkers or supervisors. To these women, the remarks carry an implied meaning: instead of being thought of as productive employees, they are actually being viewed as just a pretty part of the atmosphere. Depending on the situation, words or expressions which appear favorable may actually be unsuitable in a conversation (Locker, 2003).

Making a TransitionWhether you choose to paraphrase,

summarize, or directly quote material, you will want to signal to your reader that you are moving from the paraphrased, summarized, or quoted material into your commentary about that material.

You can use transitional words or phrases or complete sentences to signal to your commentary of source material.

Examples of Transitional Words/Phrases

1. Among the most important problems preventing correct pronunciation of the English language is that of interference. Politzer and Politzer (1972) indicate that interference is when an individual has an acquired sound system in his or her native language, and that sound system interferes with second language acquisition. Perhaps the most obvious example of interference is when there is a phoneme in the English language that has no counterpart in the learner’s native language. In this example, we can see that the writer used “perhaps” to signal

commentary. He then goes on to discuss an example of interference.

2. Petrarch said he wished to climb Mount Ventoux “to see what so great an elevation had to offer” (172). Indeed, he got what he wished for in that the elevation of the body made Petrarch realize he should be more concerned with the elevation of the soul.

Complete Sentences without Transitions

You also can use a sentence without transitional words or phrases to signal that you’ve begun commenting on the source.

Example: The narrator sees a woman inside the wallpaper. She tells us “At night

in any kind of light, in twilight, candlelight, lamplight, and worst of all by moonlight, It becomes bars! The outside pattern I mean, and the woman behind it as plain as can be (584).” In this cry the narrator reveals herself as insane. What we have yet to learn is that in this insanity, she finds freedom.

I’ve bolded the transition sentence in the example above. In the paragraph from the paper about Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the writer refers to the quote (similar to referring to “the research”) to signal that she is beginning to comment on the quote.