avoiding plagiarism
TRANSCRIPT
AVOIDING PLAGIARISM
IN THIS TUTORIAL WE WILL COVER:
• When and why to cite your sources• How to avoid plagiarism
PLAGIARISM: THE ACTION OR PRACTICE OF TAKING SOMEONE ELSE’S WORK, IDEA, ETC. AND PASSING IT OFF AS ONE’S OWN. -- OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY
Seems pretty straightforward, right?
It comes down to claiming work you didn’t do as your own.
In practice, it is more complicated. Plagiarism can be intentional or unintentional.
INTENTIONAL PLAGIARISM
Let’s look at some examples…
THIS IS THE BLATANT ATTEMPT TO CLAIM SOMEONE’S WORK AS YOUR OWN.
INTENTIONAL PLAGIARISM
SUBMITTING ANOTHER STUDENT’S WORK AS YOUR OWN
INTENTIONAL PLAGIARISM
PAYING ANOTHER STUDENT TO DO YOUR PAPER/PROJECT
INTENTIONAL PLAGIARISM
BUYING A PAPER/PROJECT ONLINE
INTENTIONAL PLAGIARISM
It is taken very seriously and can result in:• an “F” for the paper/project• an “F” for the course• suspension for the term/semester• expulsion from the college/university
THIS IS CHEATING AND THE WORST TYPE OF ACADEMIC FRAUD
UNINTENTIONAL PLAGIARISM
Let’s look at some examples…
THIS OCCURS WHEN YOU INADVERTENTLY CLAIM SOMEONE’S WORK AS YOUR OWN
UNINTENTIONAL PLAGIARISM
CUTTING AND PASTING WITHOUT GIVING CREDIT
UNINTENTIONAL PLAGIARISM
CUTTING AND PASTING FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES WITHOUT GIVING CREDIT
UNINTENTIONAL PLAGIARISM
FAILURE TO CITE ALL INFORMATION TAKEN FROM A SOURCE
UNINTENTIONAL PLAGIARISM
Usually caused by: • Bad note taking• Misunderstanding what information to cite• Errors in citing source materials
UNINTENTIONAL PLAGIARISM
Because it is difficult to distinguish between
intentional and unintentional plagiarism, they may
have the same consequences:
• an “F” for the assignment
• an “F” for the course
• suspension for the term/semester
• expulsion from the college/university
AVOIDING PLAGIARISM
These techniques can help:
• Develop a system to organize your research
• Learn when & how to cite outside sources
ORGANIZING YOUR RESEARCH
Problem: Confusing your ideas with someone else’s
Solution: Clearly separate your ideas from those in the
sources you’ve found
ARTICLE
“Why the PC Market is Suddenly so Weak.” By Hamm, Steve. Business Week 1/29/2009
“In a report issued on Jan. 14. market watcher IDC declared the fourth quarter a bust, with PC units sales down 0.4% IDC forecasts lean times ahead for PC makers, with a 5.3% decline in sales for 2009 and a slow recovery for 2010.” page 82
MY THOUGHTS
The mobile Internet market is having a negative effect on the market because people don’t need a PC to do tasks once limited to a desktop or laptop.
ORGANIZING YOUR RESEARCH
Citation Management software can help:
• Most allow you to annotate citations, so you can
keep track of your analysis and thoughts
• A great tool for building your bibliography
KNOWING WHEN TO CITE
Problem: Not sure when to cite?
Solution: If it comes from an outside source, you
should almost always cite it.
You must always cite:
Facts and ideas from a specific source
Direct quotations from a specific source
Paraphrases from a specific source
Summaries from a specific source
KNOWING WHEN TO CITE
Exception: Common Knowledge
Information that is well known, available in a number of
sources & accepted as fact does not need to be cited
Examples:
Bill Gates & Paul Allen founded Microsoft
Yuri Gagarin, a Russian cosmonaut, was the first
person to orbit the Earth
George Washington was the 1st U.S. President
NOT SURE IF SOMETHING IS COMMON KNOWLEDGE?
Ask yourself:
• Have I seen this fact in numerous places?
• Do others in this field consider it to be true?
If the answer to both is “yes” then it’s
probably common knowledge. If you are
unsure, be on the safe side and cite it.
NEED MORE INFORMATION?
Hamersley Library, Citation Guideswww.wou.edu/library/research/reference/style.php
The Writing Centerwww.wou.edu/writingcenter