what is plagiarism? ( and why you should care !)

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What is plagiarism? (And why you should care!)

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Page 1: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

What is plagiarism?

(And why you should care!)

Page 2: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Definition:

Plagiarism is the act of presenting the words, ideas, images, sounds, or the creative expression of others as your own.

Page 3: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

How serious is the problem?

“A study of almost 4,500 students at 25 schools, suggests cheating is . . . a significant problem in high school - 74% of the respondents admitted to one or more instances of serious test cheating and 72% admitted to serious cheating on written assignments. Over half of the students admitted they have engaged in some level of plagiarism on written assignments using the Internet.”

Based on the research of Donald L. McCabe, Rutgers UniversitySource: “CIA Research.” Center for Academic Integrity, Duke

University, 2003 <http://academicintegrity.org/cai_research.asp>.

Page 4: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Students. If:

you have included the words and ideas of others in your work that you neglected to cite,

you have had help you wouldn’t want your teacher to know about,

Page 5: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Two types of plagiarism:

Intentional Copying a friend’s work Buying or borrowing

papers Cutting and pasting

blocks of text from electronic sources without documenting

Media “borrowing”without documentation

Web publishing without permissions of creators

Unintentional Careless paraphrasing Poor documentation Quoting excessively Failure to use your own

“voice”

Page 6: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Rationale for academic integrity(as if it were necessary!)

When you copy you cheat yourself. You limit your own learning.

The consequences are not worth the risks!

It is only right to give credit to authors whose ideas you use

Citing gives authority to the information you present

Citing makes it possible for your readers to locate your source

Education is not an “us vs. them” game! It’s about learning to learn!

Cheating is unethical behavior

Is your academic

reputation valuable to you?

Page 7: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Real life consequences: Damaged the reputation of two prominent historians,

Stephen Ambrose and Doris Kearns Goodwin, Kearns left television position and stepped down as

Pulitzer Prize judge for “lifting” 50 passages for her 1987 book The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys (Lewis)

Senator Joseph Biden dropped his 1987 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. (Sabato) Copied in law school and borrowed from campaign

speeches of Robert Kennedy Probe of plagiarism at UVA--45 students dismissed, 3

graduate degrees revoked

Page 8: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Consequences (cont’d)

New York Times senior reporter Jayson Blair forced to resign after being accused of plagiarism and fraud.

“The newspaper said at least 36 of the 73 articles he had written had problems with accuracy, calling the deception a "low point" in the newspaper's history.”

“New York Times Exposes Fraud of Own Reporter.” ABC News Online. 12 May, 2003.http://www.pbs.org/newshour/newshour_index.html

Page 9: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Possible school consequences: “0” on the

assignment Parent notification Referral to

administrators Suspension or

dismissal from school activities--sports and extracurricular

Note on student record

Page 10: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Is this important?

What if: Your architect cheated his way through math

class. Will your new home be safe? Your lawyer paid for a copy of the bar exam to

study. Will the contract she wrote for you stand up in court?

The accountant who does your taxes hired someone to write his papers and paid a stand-in to take his major tests? Does he know enough to complete your tax forms properly?

(Lathrop and Foss 87)

Page 11: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Is this important?

What if: Your doctor cheated his way through surgical

techniques class. Would he remove your appendix or spleen? How much would it matter?

Your lawyer paid for a copy of the bar exam to study. Will the contract she wrote for you stand up in court?

The accountant who does your taxes hired someone to write his papers and paid a stand-in to take his major tests? Does he know enough to complete your tax forms properly?

(Lathrop and Foss 87)

Page 12: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Do I have to cite

everything?

Page 13: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Examples of common knowledge

John Adams was our second president The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on

December 7, 1941

If you see a fact in three or more sources, and you are fairly certain your readers already know this information, it is likely to be “common knowledge.” But when in doubt, cite!

Page 14: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

No need to document when:

You are discussing your own experiences, observations, or reactions

Compiling the results of original research, from science experiments, etc.

You are using common knowledge

Page 15: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

What You Need to Know About Plagiarism

Page 16: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

What exactly is plagiarism?

From Webster's Third New International Dictionary:Plagiarize - \'pla-je-,riz also j - -\ vb -rized; -riz·ing vt [plagiary] : to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own : use (a created production) without crediting the source vi: to commit literary theft: present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source.

Page 17: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

In the real world, this means…..

Using another person's words without giving them credit.

Using another person’s ideas without giving them credit.

Using another person’s research, results, diagrams, or images without giving them credit.

Page 18: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Actions that might be seen as plagiarism

Buying, stealing, or borrowing a paper

Copying from another source without citing

Building on someone else’s ideas without citation

Using the source too closely when paraphrasing

Deliberate Plagiarism

Maybe Accidental Plagiarism

Page 19: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Identifying Plagiarism

Original Source:If the existence of a signing ape was unsettling for linguists, it was also startling news for animal behaviorists (Davis 26).

Student’s Paper:The existence of a signing ape was unsettling for linguists, and was also startling news for animal behaviorists.

Is this plagiarism?

Page 20: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Verdict: Plagiarism

The student should have used quotation marks around the words that he copied directly from the original source. Also, there is no parenthetical reference with the page number of the source statement.

Page 21: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Identifying plagiarism

Original Source:If the existence of a signing ape was unsettling for linguists, it was also startling news for animal behaviorists (Davis 26).

Student’s Paper:The existence of a signing ape unsettled linguists and startled animal behaviorists  (Davis, 26).

Is this plagiarism?

Page 22: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Verdict: Plagiarism

Even though the writer has cited the source, the writer’s words are not his own. Look at how closely the phrase "unsettled linguists and startled animal behaviorists"  resembles the wording of the source.

Page 23: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Identifying Plagiarism

Original Source:If the existence of a signing ape was unsettling for linguists, it was also startling news for animal behaviorists (Davis 26).

Student’s Paper:If the presence of a sign-language-using chimp was disturbing for scientists  studying language, it was also surprising to scientists studying animal behavior  (Davis, 26).

Is this plagiarism?

Page 24: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Verdict: Still Plagiarism

Even though the writer has substituted synonyms and cited the  source, the writer is plagiarizing because the source's sentence structure is  unchanged. It is obvious that the writer could not have written his sentence without a copy of the source directly in front of him.

Page 25: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Identifying plagiarism

Original Source:If the existence of a signing ape was unsettling for linguists, it was also startling news for animal behaviorists (Davis 26).

Student’s Paper:According to Flora Davis, linguists and animal behaviorists were unprepared for  the news that a chimp could communicate with its trainers through sign language  (Davis, 26).

Is this plagiarism?

Page 26: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Verdict: Not Plagiarism

The student has cited the source, and appropriately paraphrased the original source into his own words.

Page 27: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Strategies to avoid plagiarism

•Practice good research methods

•Know how to quote

•Know how to cite

•Know when something is common knowledge

•Know how to paraphrase

Page 28: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Practice good research methods

Be careful about paraphrasing while taking notes

Be sure to keep track of each source you use

Indicate in your notes which ideas are taken from sources (S) and which are your own insights (ME)

Record all of the relevant documentation information in your notes

Page 29: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Know how to quote

Mention the name of the quoted person in your text

Put quotation marks around the text you are quoting

Use brackets ([ ]) and ellipses ( … ) Use block quotes when necessary Quote sparingly

Page 30: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Cite your sources

Why should you cite your sources? Citations show you have done research As a courtesy to your reader Your arguments become stronger when

you can back them up Ensures others receive fair credit for

their work

Page 31: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Know how to cite

In-text: “A substance can usually be converted to a different state by adding or removing energy from a system” (Voet 1990).

Bibliography: Voet D. 1990. Biochemistry. New York: J Wiley. 1223p.

Page 32: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Citing Internet Sources

Material on the Internet is not “free.” It still needs to be cited.

Don’t avoid citing Internet sources and articles from electronic databases just because you don’t know how.

Page 33: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Know when to cite

• Always give a citation for quoted words or phrases.

• Always give a citation after paraphrased sentences.

• Always give a citation for specific statistics, percentages, and numbers given in your text.

• You don’t need to cite facts or ideas that are common knowledge.

Page 34: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Is it common knowledge?

Facts that can be found in numerous places and are likely to be known by a lot of people do not need to be cited.

Consider your audience when deciding whether a fact is common knowledge.

Example of common knowledge:

John F. Kennedy was elected President of the United States in 1960.

Page 35: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Know how to paraphrase

Paraphrasing means putting an idea into your own words.

Don’t just rearrange the sentences or replace a few words.

Be able to summarize the original source without having it in front of you.

Page 36: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Effective paraphrasing

Introduce your source at the point you begin paraphrasing the ideas of the other writer.

Cite your source in parentheses where you finish paraphrasing the source and resume presenting your own ideas.

Page 37: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Effective paraphrasing1. Read the original passage until you understand its

meaning 2. Set the book aside. 3. Write your paraphrase on note cards or a sheet of

paper. 4. Compare your paraphrase with the original to make

sure that the essential information is preserved. 5. Use quotation marks to identify any unique term or

phrase you have borrowed exactly from the source 6. Document your sources (include page numbers) on

your note cards so you can easily cite later.  

Page 38: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Why should you care about plagiarism?

Plagiarism ruins reputations, and could harm your career.

Page 39: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Legal aspects of plagiarism

Copyright law Trademark and unfair competition laws Fraud

Page 40: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Possible consequences

Having an academic degree rescinded, or professional status revoked

Loss of reputation

In most cases involving a student or professor, the court has

upheld punishment imposed by the college.

Page 41: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

“Cyber-cheating” in the digital age

Plagiarism before the Internet era: books, journals, fraternity test files, etc.

In the present day: far easier to cheat, but it’s also growing easier to detect

Page 42: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

“Cyber-cheating” in the digital age

Technology has made it easier to track down and identify cases of plagiarism – you won’t get away with it.

TurnItIn.com

Page 43: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Methods of detecting plagiarism

More accurate search engines Full-text journal articles in library

databases Commercial plagiarism-detection services

aimed at teachers As always, the professor may well

recognize the source.

Page 44: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Some telltale signs

It doesn’t sound like the student’s writing. It was printed from a web browser and still has a header/footer

on it. The free essay has a tagline at the end that the student forgot to

remove. Page numbers don’t make sense; fonts switch around; material is

off-topic or seems patched together References to charts, graphs, accompanying material that isn’t

there Dead links All citations are to old material – or historical events referred to in

the present tense Students can’t identify citations, provide copies of the cited

material, or answer questions about it

Page 45: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

CONCLUSION

Inadvertent plagiarism is as bad as the intentional kind.

If you plan ahead and use good research skills, you won’t have to run to the library at the last minute, make up citations, surf the web for all your research, falsify your data..

Learn from your past mistakes. Realize that an act of plagiarism might cost you

your reputation, your degree, or your professional career.

Page 46: What is plagiarism? ( And why you should care !)

Some slides are courtesy of Springfield School District, Oreland, Pa.

http://www.sdst.org/shs/library/powerpoint/plagiarism.ppt