Plagiarism: What is it? Joyce Scott, Head Librarian Duncanville High School January, 2005
Agenda
Plagiarism defined Copyright Why do people plagiarize? Consequences of plagiarizing Who is hurt? What constitutes plagiarism? How to avoid
What is Plagiarism?
Plagiarize: 1 : to steal and pass off as one’s own (the ideas or words of another) 2 : use (a created production) without crediting the source……to commit literary theft 3 : present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source.
“Webster’s Third New International Dictionary”
Why People Plagiarize
Ignorance Pressure/Fear Lack of confidence Perceived lack of consequences Laziness Competition Lack of interest Everybody else is doing it
Consequences of plagiarism
Verbal warning 0 for a paper 00 for a paper Fail the course Written reprimand Detention Expulsion from school (colleges with honor system often expel students for plagiarism)
Some recent examples:
Jayson Blair – NY Times reporter 2003 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jayson_Blair Chad Greenfield – TTech student 2006 http://media.www.dailytoreador.com/media/stor age/paper870/news/2006/10/18/News/Student. Regent.Greenfield.Resigns-2373192.shtml Harvard prospect Blair Hornstine http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/libweb/elib/do/docu ment?urn=urn%3Abigchalk%3AUS%3BBCLib %3Bdocument%3B76290349&rendition= Permission to use by Mary Roberts
Who is hurt?
The person who wrote the paper. You.
Development of skills Development of details Skills developed by doing research papers will help in promotions.
Copyright
Copyright exists from the time the work is created in fixed form. A publication need not have the copyright symbol © to be copyrighted.
What Constitutes Plagiarism?
Buying or downloading a paper from the internet. Turning in another student’s work as your own. Copying material from a source with proper documentation, but leaving out quotation marks. Paraphrasing ideas from a source without giving the original author credit. Copying any portion of another’s work without proper documentation.
How to avoid plagiarism
Cite your sources. Use your own words and ideas. Cite paraphrased statements. Use quotation marks when quoting word for word from a source and cite the source. Summarize and cite the source.
Ways to write your paper
Quote passages – write word for word selected information from the original source surrounded by quotation marks and cited. Paraphrase – express, interpret, or translate with latitude: give the meaning of (a work or passage). Must give credit to the original source. Summarize – a short restatement of the main points of a passage for easier remembering, for better understanding or for showing the relation of the points (main idea). Must give credit to the original source.
“Webster’s Third New International Dictionary”
Use quotations, paraphrases and summaries to:
Support your own ideas. Emphasize an important piece of information by quoting the passage. Itemize several points of view. Call attention to information you wish to agree or disagree with. Inform readers the information is not yours by quoting the original.
You do not have to cite:
Common knowledge: - The sun rises in the East. - Earth is a planet. - George Washington was the 1st president of the U.S.A. Familiar proverbs: - You can’t judge a book by it’s cover. Well known quotations: - We shall overcome. Your original ideas and opinions. Permission to use by Mary Roberts
One college English professor states: “So, to start, on the very first day, when I hand out the syllabus, I point out the obvious, in obvious language: ‘Plagiarism is turning in stuff that other people wrote-no matter who those others were-and putting your name on it as if you wrote it. Plagiarism is therefore a capital offense in a writing class, since you cannot be getting any better as a writer if you are not doing the writing. And all of this being true, the penalty is death to your grade: anyone I catch plagiarizing gets an automatic F for the course. Not for the paper, but the class. The first time. Every time. No appeals, no excuses, nada: if I catch you, it is an F and you’re out.’” Mahon, Robert Lee. “Try the guillotine!” Community College Week 79.2(2006): 271.
Summary
Be informed Always cite your sources.