Avoiding Plagiarism

IntroductionWhat is plagiarism?Identifying plagiarismWhat is “common knowledge”?Talk About ItYour Turn

Introduction

It’s obvious that the student in this photo is copying his classmate’s ideas.

There’s another kind of copying that might not be as easy to identify: plagiarism.

What is plagiarism?

Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s work or ideas as your own.

Many times, students don’t intentionally plagiarize. They just don’t know the correct way to take notes and cite sources.

When you write, it is very important to use your own ideas and to give credit to others when you use their ideas.

Is the note a paraphrase or plagiarism?plagiarism?

Plagiarism occurs when you copy information straight from a source without using quotation marks.

Look at the passage on the left and the note on the right.

6The story goes that when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man, she was tired and weary from a long day of work.

Identifying plagiarism

Identifying plagiarism

Avoid plagiarism by using your own words to paraphrase when you take notes. If you need to copy straight from a source, use quotation marks.

Is the note a paraphrase or plagiarism?

paraphrase or

3We are all familiar with the story of Rosa Parks, and her refusal to give her bus seat to a white man in 1955. As the story goes, she was too exhausted to relinquish her seat, but that version of the story downplays Parks’s courage.

6We are all familiar with the story of Rosa Parks, and her refusal to give her bus seat to a white man in 1955. As the story goes, she was too exhausted to relinquish her seat. But that story doesn’t do justice to the courageous woman who got the wheels of the civil rights movement rolling.

Is the note a paraphrase or plagiarism?

Plagiarism also occurs when you don’t change the author’s words enough to sound like your own ideas. When you paraphrase, put ideas into your own words.

plagiarism?

Identifying plagiarism

6On the day that Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat, she was tired from a hard day’s work, but that’s not why she wouldn’t give up her seat. She was even more tired of the unjust treatment of African Americans during that time period.

Using an author’s ideas without giving credit is another form of plagiarism. This makes it seem like you came up with those ideas on your own.

Is the note a paraphrase or plagiarism?plagiarism?

Identifying plagiarism

When you use an author’s original ideas, even if you put them into your own words, you must give credit to the author.

Identifying plagiarism

6According to Kira Albin, on the day that Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat, she was tired from a hard day’s work, but that’s not why she wouldn’t give up her seat. She was even more tired of the unjust treatment of African Americans during that time period.

Is the note a paraphrase or plagiarism?

paraphrase or

Research TipCrediting the author

It’s better to give credit unnecessarily than not to give credit when you should have.

If you are wondering whether you should give credit to an author for information you have used, go ahead and do it.

What is “common knowledge”?

Don’t worry. You don’t have to cite every single idea in your paper.

How do you know if a piece of information is common knowledge?

Ideas that are considered common knowledge do not have to be cited.

A piece of information found in three separate sources is considered to be common knowledge.

What is “common knowledge”?

In general, well-known facts are common knowledge. Lesser-known facts, opinions, and original ideas are not common knowledge.

• Rosa Parks began the Montgomery bus boycott.

• The boycott lasted 381 days.

• After the boycott, Parks moved to Detroit, Michigan.

• Parks died on October 24, 2005.

Common knowledge

• Before the boycott, Parks worked to change practices she felt were unjust.

• The bus driver asked four passengers to move; three of them moved, but Rosa Parks did not.

• Even forty years later, Parks didn’t believe she deserved credit for starting the boycott.

Lesser-known facts or ideas

Talk About It

Think about these questions.

1. Why do teachers and principals make such a fuss about plagiarism?

2. Why is it easy for students to plagiarize without meaning to?

3. Name three things you can do in your research to use information responsibly and avoid plagiarism.

Your Turn

Use this text about the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C., to complete the activities on your worksheet.

Your Turn

1. Complete the practice worksheet using the notecard on the previous slide.

2. Check your answers by continuing to the next slide.

Your Turn: Possible Responses

1. Notecard with plagiarism:

Construction of the Jefferson Memorial took four years to complete. Since metal was being rationed in World War II, a plaster statue of Jefferson was created. The plaster statue was replaced with a bronze one after the war was over.

2. This notecard is an example of plagiarism because too much of the paraphrase was taken directly from the source with no quotation marks.

Your Turn: Possible Responses

3. Correct notecard:

Construction of the Jefferson Memorial took four years to complete. Originally, a plaster statue of Jefferson was created due to the rationing of metal during the second World War. It was replaced with a bronze statue when the war ended.

4. This information is not an example of plagiarism because I used my own words to paraphrase the information.

The End