18. PLAGIARISM 18.1 Good Academic Practice Introduction Good academic practice involves completing your academic work independently, honestly and in an appropriate academic style, while referencing and acknowledging the sources you use. Your university induction and this guide will explain in more detail what Good Academic Practice means and the consequences of not engaging in it. Your Responsibilities It is important that you: 1. Read the University guidance on academic practice. 2. Read the guidance on referencing and other academic conventions issued by your School and always follow these conventions. 3. If you are unsure, ask for help and clarification at an early stage. See ‘sources of help’. Why should I reference my work? At university, you need to show your understanding of the existing body of knowledge in your subject. It is vital that you know how to reference this material correctly. You'll need to engage with a variety of other ideas and texts, and make sure you acknowledge where these ideas have come from, by telling the reader what these other texts are. This is important in order to: Give credit to the people who came up with the arguments you're using and responding to Demonstrate that you have engaged with a topic Enable readers to follow up a topic by investigating your source material Avoid accusations of plagiarism What should I reference? Each reference must appear in two places: firstly in the text of your assignment, each time it is used (these are called citations) and, secondly, listed in full in the reference list at the end of the assignment. You may also list works you haven’t used and cited but have read as background; this list is called a bibliography. When you quote another person’s work you should put it in quotation marks and reference it. When you paraphrase or summarise another person’s work, reference it. When you refer to another person’s ideas or theories, reference them. When you copy a diagram, graph or table from someone else's work, reference it.
Referencing Tips 1. Give yourself plenty of time to research and write your work. This will avoid last minute ‘panic’ plagiarism. 2. Keep a record of all the books and articles you find as you find them - always complete your references as you write your assignment, rather than filling in missing references at the end. 3. Follow carefully any guidelines provided by your tutors or in course material. 4. Put yourself in the place of the reader and ask yourself: do I have all the information they need to find that source again? 5. Always cite the sources used in your assignments – both direct quotes and ideas you have paraphrased or summarised. This is the basis of 'good academic practice'. Summary Checklist of Information for References
Book
Chapter from Book
Journal article
Electronic journal article
Internet site
Newspaper article
Author Year of publication Title of article or chapter Title of publication Issue info e.g. volume Place of publication Edition Page nos. URL Date accessed De Montfort University (Sept 2007) De Montfort University: Department of Library Services. Available at: http:// http://www.library.dmu.ac.uk/Support/Heat/index.php?page=475 (Accessed 3 May 2011) Final checks for avoiding plagiarism Follow this checklist before submitting your assignment: 1. Are all the sources you have used acknowledged consistently using an established referencing system (e.g., Harvard, APA)? 2. Are all the sources that appear in your reference list referred to (cited) within your work? 3. Have you, to the best of your knowledge, used your own words throughout? Is it clear where all direct quotes start and finish? 4. Has the wording of all direct quotes been copied accurately?
18.2 Academic Misconduct Students are sometimes tempted to gain an unfair advantage in their assessments. This is known as academic misconduct, and the most common form of misconduct is plagiarism. Plagiarism Plagiarism is defined as “To take and use as one’s own the thoughts, writings or inventions of another” (Oxford English Dictionary). It has two elements: 1. taking another’s work; and 2. using the work as your own. If you take another’s work but do not use it as your own – because you reference it correctly – it is not plagiarism. If you follow the guidance in this section, you should avoid plagiarism. However, there are other forms of academic misconduct that are just as serious, and carry the same penalties if proven : Collusion includes helping another student to cheat, e.g. by letting them copy your work, in part or in whole. Cheating in Examinations includes taking unauthorised materials into the exam room or allowing someone else to sit your exam for you. Having the notes in the examination room or elsewhere with the intention of referring to them during the examination is itself an offence. Falsification may include the falsification of results, mitigating circumstances, a doctor’s certificate or any other document to gain an unfair advantage. Contract Cheating occurs when a student gets someone else to complete an assignment for them and then hands it in as their own work, e.g. by posting an assignment on an essay mill website. Impersonation consists of a substitute taking the place of a student in an examination or other form of assessment. What happens if you are accused of academic misconduct Where a School suspects academic misconduct they will in the first instance write to you or ask you to meet with them to discuss the allegations, and you will be asked to respond to those allegations. If they do not accept your explanation, your case will be referred to the Vice-Chancellor’s Representative or to a Disciplinary Panel to determine whether or not you are guilty of a disciplinary offence. The Advice and Representation Centre, http://www.brunelstudents.com/advice , can assist you in understanding the disciplinary procedures and in writing your statement.
What happens if you are found guilty of academic misconduct If found guilty of an academic offence, there is a range of penalties that might be applied. This includes expulsion from the University. Full details of the disciplinary process and the range of penalties can be found in Senate Regulation 6: http://dev.brunel.ac.uk/about/administration/university-rules-and-regulations/senate-regulations Where to get help If you have concerns about your ability to reference correctly, or any personal issues that may be affecting your academic performance (however complex they may appear), seek help promptly. In the first instance you are advised to speak to your personal tutor in your School. However, you can also get help from the sources shown below: The Academic Skills Service (ASK) is based on the ground floor of the library and you can attend workshops, access drop-in advice services and access resources to help you improve your learning at university. Find out more at: http://www.brunel.ac.uk/library/ask The Counselling Service offers free appointments, arranged either by going to the Counselling Reception, opposite the Medical Centre (drop in without an appointment between 2 - 3pm Mon-Fri), or by phoning 01895 265070. Find out more at: http://intranet.brunel.ac.uk/student_services/counselling.shtml The International Pathways and Language Centre (IPLC) provides international students with English support through a range of courses and one-to-one tutorials. Find out more at: http://www.brunel.ac.uk/international/englishcourses/currentstudents The Subject Area Librarian for your School will be happy to answer any questions that you have and help you find the information you need. Find out more at: http://www.brunel.ac.uk/library The Graduate School provides skills training, online access to research skills training courses and a Saturday school for part-time research students. Find out more at: http://intranet.brunel.ac.uk/graduateschool/ Additional information is also available here: http://intranet.brunel.ac.uk/registry/QS/Intro%20students.shtml
Turnitin速UK Turnitin速UK is an electronic, "text-matching" service used by the University to assist in the identification of plagiarised work submitted for assessment. This process generates what is known as an Originality Report but this alone will not be advanced as the only grounds for suspecting that a piece of work is plagiarised or, indeed, as conclusive evidence against an accusation of plagiarism. The University expects all students to comply with the requirements of submitting work to Turnitin速UK; this includes agreeing with Turnitin速UK that it can be electronically checked for matches with existing sources and that an Originality Report can be generated.
Work submitted to Turnitin, for the purpose of receiving an Originality Report, is automatically added to the Turnitin database. Any work submitted will be matched against numerous online sources, web pages and other student papers and the Originality Report will indicate the percentage of the submitted text that matches with the sources. All final submissions to Turnitin will remain on the Turnitin database. Work held on the Turnitin®UK database may be used for the purpose of detecting future plagiarism and in any investigation of a suspected academic offence. Turnitin®UK has a Privacy Pledge and a Usage Policy. The University advises that students should familiarise themselves with the contents of these. For further information concerning the use of Turnitin®UK please contact the Head of Registry at Helen.Emerson@brunel.ac.uk.
18.3 Referencing Styles Harvard Reference Style – this is the School of Social Sciences preferred style of referencing and should be used for all assessments submitted by students within the School. NOTE: THIS DOES NOT APPLY TO PSYCHOLOGY STUDENTS! – Psychology students please refer to your Student Handbook for information on the referencing style that you are to use. HISTORY STUDENTS - may use EITHER the Harvard or the footnoting system for referencing. The following information is not definitive. It is intended to demonstrate how the Harvard referencing system can be used to avoid committing plagiarism. There are two parts to referencing: 1. The citation is included in the text. It shows that what you have written is not your own idea (or research). If you do not correctly cite other people’s work, you are plagiarising. 2. The reference is included in a list at the end (or sometimes as a footnote to the page). It gives the full details of what you have cited, so that someone else can read what you have read. To Cite a Source The following are examples of the three types of citations. Citation There is some dispute about who invented the Internet, but usually the same three names are mentioned. (Jones, 2002). This indicates that this idea was published by Jones in 2002. The student has used their own words, so it is not a quote. Direct quote “The most important invention in Man’s evolution is not the Internet, but the bicycle.” (Brown & Smith, 1997, p.69). This is a direct quote. The student uses quotation marks to show this. The quote is from page 69 of the work published by Brown and Smith in 1997.
Secondary source If mathematicians had preferred drinking tea to coffee, the Internet may never have been invented. (Watts, 1991 cited in Miller et al., 2000, p.228). The student has shown that the idea was published by Watts in 1991. However, the student has not read Watts’s work – they read Miller’s work of 2000. Watts’s idea was used by Miller on page 228.
To Reference a Book Books are one of the easiest items to reference, as all the information that you need is usually included in the title page of the book. For each reference, you should include the following information:
Authors/Editors - Surname first, followed by initials. If the book has an editor or editors, this must be signified by using '(ed.)' after their name.
Date
-
The date follows the author(s), in brackets.
-
Quote the full title, including sub title if there is one, as given on the title page of the book. The title should be written in italics or bold or underlined in order to distinguish it from other information.
-
Include the edition number if it is not the first.
Title
Edition
Other Publication Details - Place of publication, followed by a colon (:) then publisher.
Example: Pilcher, J. (2002) Age and generation in modern Britain. Oxford: Oxford University Press. To Reference the Chapter of a Book To reference the chapter of a book you should include the title, author(s) and date of the chapter, and the full details of the book. Example: Smith, P. H. (1951). The overall allocation of resources. In: D.N. Chester, ed. Lessons of the British war economy. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1999, pp34-57.
To Reference a Journal Article Author - Use the same style as before: author’s surname, followed by initials.
Date -
Give the year of the article in brackets after the author’s name.
Article Title - Quote the full title of the article, as given at the beginning of the article.
Title of Journal - Quote the full title of the journal, as given on the front cover. Do not use abbreviations. The journal title should be written in italics or bold or underlined.
Other Details - The volume number should be as given on the journal, and the issue number (if there is one) should be in brackets. Give the start and finish page numbers. If the journal article you read was in an electronic format, you should include [www] after the journal title.
Example: Matthews, H. (1999) The geography of children: some methodological considerations for project work and dissertation work. Journal of geography in higher education, 22 (3) 311-324. To reference a website A website should be cited in the same way as a book, except for one important feature. As well as stating when the website was published, you must also note when you accessed it. You should also give the location of the document. Example: Brunel Library (2004) Searching the library catalogue [www] Available from: http://www.brunel.ac.uk/library/guides/skills/guide3.html [Accessed 20th July 2004] To reference something you have not read As a principle you should read everything that you wish to cite in your work. However, sometimes that is not possible - maybe the work was not published, or it was a personal communication between two authors, or it is not written in a language you can read! If you wish to refer to work that you have not read but that is quoted in someone else's work you should mention the author(s) of the work, but cite the source author(s). Example: Smith's work (cited in Jones, 1999, p.43) Jones (1999, p.43) argues that the work of Smith shows ... Only the source (in the above examples this is Jones, 1999) should be listed in the references.
18.4 Examples of Plagiarism Below are two examples of the sort of approach to be avoided in writing essays. They are based on the following essay topic and extract from the book by Lipsey, An Introduction to Positive Economics. 'The determinants of movements along a demand curve must be distinguished from the factors which shift a demand curve'. Explain. From: R.G.Lipsey, Introduction to Positive Economics, 4th edition, R.G. Lipsey (1975, p.84.) "THE EFFECT ON THE DEMAND CURVE OF A CHANGE IN THE PRICES OF OTHER GOODS: Here the effect depends on whether the good, whose price changes, is a complement or a substitute. Consider, for example, the effect on the demand curve for electric cookers of a rise in the price of electricity. Electricity and electric cookers are complementary commodities and the rise in the price of electricity makes cooking with electricity more expensive than previously. Some households will switch to gas when they come to replace their existing cookers and some newly formed households will buy a gas rather than an electric cooker when they are setting up their household. Thus the rise in the price of electricity leads to a fall in the demand for electric cookers. Now consider the effect of a rise in the price of gas cookers. Gas and electric cookers are substitutes for each other and when gas cookers rise in price some households will buy electric rather than gas cookers, and the demand for electric cookers will thus rise. Example 1 Here the effect depends on whether the good, whose price changes, is a complement or a substitute. Consider, for example, the effect on the demand curve for electric cookers of a rise in the price of electricity. Electricity and electric cookers are complementary commodities and the rise in the price of electricity makes cooking with electricity more expensive than previously. Some households will switch to gas when they come to replace their existing cookers and some newly formed households will buy a gas rather than an electric cooker when they are setting up their household. Thus the rise in the price of electricity leads to a fall in the demand for electric cookers. Now consider the effect of a rise in the price of gas cookers. Gas and electric cookers are substitutes for each other and when gas cookers rise in price some households will buy electric rather than gas cookers, and the demand for electric cookers will thus rise. Example 2 A second factor which can shift the demand curve is a change in prices of other goods. Here the effect depends on whether the other good is a substitute or a complement. Take the example of the effect of a rise in the price of gas on the demand curve for gas cookers. Obviously, gas cookers and gas are complements, so with the rise in the gas price cooking with gas is made more expensive. Some households will switch to electricity when they decide to buy a new cooker, and some newly formed households will buy an electric rather than a gas cooker. Thus there is a fall in the demand for gas cookers. Now suppose the price of gas cookers were to rise. Because electric cookers are substitutes for gas cookers, the rise in the price of the latter will cause the demand for electric cookers to rise.
Comments Example 1: This is blatant plagiarism. The writer has simply copied the text from the source without any alterations or amendments and has not referenced or acknowledged the source in any way. Example 2: This is also plagiarism. Minor alterations, additions and omissions have been made with the intent to disguise the source. No knowledge of economics is required to do this and the result of this is likely to be a zero mark. How it should be done “Here the effect depends on whether the good, whose price changes, is a complement or a substitute.� This is the opinion of Lipsey (1975) who continues “Consider, for example, the effect on the demand curve for electric cookers of a rise in the price of electricity. Electricity and electric cookers are complementary commodities and the rise in the price of electricity makes cooking with electricity more expensive than previously. Some households will switch to gas when they come to replace their existing cookers and some newly formed households will buy a gas rather than an electric cooker when they are setting up their household. Thus the rise in the price of electricity leads to a fall in the demand for electric cookers. Now consider the effect of a rise in the price of gas cookers. Gas and electric cookers are substitutes for each other and when gas cookers rise in price some households will buy electric rather than gas cookers, and the demand for electric cookers will thus rise." At the end of the work the reference will be given as: Lipsey, R.G. (1975) Introduction to Positive Economics, 4th edition, Weidenfeld and Nicolson. If you still feel unsure Contact your personal tutor, or another appropriate tutor for advice. You might also contact ASK if you are confused about how to seek advice about these important matters. The ASK website provides useful links to guidance on these matters at: http://www.brunel.ac.uk/services/library/ask
Harvard Citation and Referencing: Quick Guide TYPE
REFERENCE
IN-TEXT CITATION
Books with 1 author
Greetham, B. (2001) How to write better essays. Basingstoke: Palgrave.
Greetham (2001, p. 5) or (Greetham, 2001, p. 5) (this applies to all)
Books with 2-3 authors Books with more than 3 authors Books with later editions
Henderson, P. and Salmon, H. (2001) Social exclusion and community development. London: Community Development Foundation.
(Henderson and Smith, 2001, p.89)
Blaxter, L., Hughes, C. and Tight, M. (1996) How to research. Berkshire: Open University Press.
(Blaxter et al, 1996, p. 100)
Banks, S. (2006) Ethics and values in social work 3rd edn. Basingstoke: Palgrave.
(Banks, 2006, p. 3)
Edited Books
Jeffs, T. and Smith, M. (eds) (1987) Youth work. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
(Jeffs and Smith, 1987)
Classical Texts
Carroll, L. (1984) Alice’s adventures in wonderland. London: Gollancz. (Original work published 1863).
(Carroll, 1863/1984)
E- Books
Larkey, S. (2007) Practical sensory programmes for students with autism spectrum disorders. University of Wales Institute Cardiff E-Content Collection. Available at: www.netlibrary.com [Accessed: 28 November 2008].
(Larkey, 2007, p.20)
Chapter in a book
Manning, N. (1998). ‘Social needs, social problems and social welfare’. In Alcock, P., Erskine, A. and May, M. (eds) The student’s companion to social policy. Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 31-36.
(Manning, 1998, p.32)
Journal article
Lillis, T. and Turner, J. (2001) Student writing in Higher Education: Contemporary confusion, traditional concerns. Teaching in Higher Education 6 (1), pp. 57-68.
(Lillis & Turner, 2001, p.57)
Online journal article
Imel, S. (1998) Using adult learning principles in adult basic and literacy education. Educational Resources Information Centre Ohio, USA [Online]. Available at: http://ericacve.org/docs/pab00008.htm [Accessed: 26/11/08].
(Imel, 1998, p. # if you have it)
Bloom, A. (2008) ‘Pupils behave better now than for 20 years’, Times education supplement, 28 November, p.1. Newspape r
Or if the author is unknown TES (2008) ‘Pupils behave better now than for 20 years’, Times education supplement, 28 November 2008, p.1. If no date is given put (n.d.) or (no date) in place of the year
(Bloom, 2008, p.1) If author is unknown: (TES, November 2008, p.1)
Online Newspape r
Lipsett, A. (2008) ‘More teachers facing discipline for bad behaviour outside school’, The Guardian (28 November) [Online]. Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/nov/28/teacherbad-behaviour-schools [Accessed: 28 November 2008].
(Lipsett, 2008, p.2) If author is unknown: (The Guardian, 2008, p.2)
Blog
Lucas, C. (2011) How palm oil jeopardises global efforts to reduce emissions. Guardian Environment Blog, 1 June [Online]. Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2011/jun/01/pal m-oil-global-emissions [Accessed: 10 June 2011].
(Lucas, 2011)
Website
National Literacy Trust (2011) Policy. Available at: http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/policy [Accessed: 7 January 2011].
Film
The boy in the striped pyjamas (2008) Directed by Michael Herman [Film]. London: BBC Films.
DVD/Vide o
The Matrix reloaded (2003) Directed by A. and L. Wachowski [DVD]. Los Angeles: Warner Brothers Inc.
Television / Radio Programm e
The culture show (2008) BBC 2 Television, 28 November.
(The culture show, 2008)
Podcast
BBC Radio 4 (2008) You and yours: disability-programme highlights [Podcast]. 5 December. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/podcasts/directory/ station/radio4/ [Accessed: 5 December 2008].
(You and yours, 2008)
Lecture
Huyton, J. (2007) Critical thinking [Lecture presented to BA Community Education]. 14 March.
(Huyton, 2007)
Image
MacMillan, I. (1969) The Beatles: Abbey road [Photograph]
(Abbey road, 1969)
Image (Online)
Map
Magritte, R. (1928) The empty mask [Oil on canvas] National museum of Wales: online gallery [Online]. Available at: http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/art/ online/?action=show_item&item=1264 [Accessed: 3 December 2009]. Ordnance Survey (2008) Chester and North Wales, sheet 106, 1:50000. Southampton: Ordnance Survey (Landranger series). Smith, J. (2008) Email to John Stephens, 3 August.
(National Literacy Trust, 2011) (The boy in the striped pyjamas, 2008) (The Matrix reloaded, 2003)
(The empty mask, 1928)
(Ordnance Survey, 2008) (Smith, 2008)
Interview Works by authors in the same year or with similar names
Blair, A. (2003) Interviewed by Jeremy Paxman for Newsnight BBC Two Television, 2 February.
(Blair, 2003)
Moon, J. (1999a) Reflection in learning and professional development. London: Kogan Page.
(Moon, 1999a)
Moon, J (1999b) Learning journals: a handbook for academics, students and professional development. London: Kogan Page.
(Moon, 1999b)
ASK Advice Sheet, produced by ASK, May 2011, ask@brunel.ac.uk