Transcript Plagi - University at Albany

Preventing Plagiarism
 1.Understanding what it is
- Unacknowledged use of somebody else’s work
- Use of the same assignment for more than one class
- Buying information/term paper online
- Copying images, video, music without giving credit
http://tilt.lib.utsystem.edu/module3/images/plagiarism.GIF
Cut and Paste
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It is very easy to give in to the temptation of
Copying text verbatim and using it without giving
Credit to the source where you got the original
Information.
It is okay to use for notes, but to avoid plagiarizing copy the source
citation as well when you are taking notes
Consider what you are doing when you are copying without
giving credit……..
The purpose of a student project is for you gain a clear understanding of
the material you are researching. Ask yourself do you really know what
you are presenting if you only copy the information. When you are writing
In your own voice, you will gain understanding.
Paraphrasing:
Learning to write in your own voice
 Definition: Paraphrasing means absorbing
someone else’s ideas and putting it into your
own words.
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Question 2 of the survey asks you what the best choice(s)of paraphrasing are in
the examples given. Let’s look at them and analyze why they are right or wrong.
Kindertransport (children’s transport) was the informal name of a rescue effort
which brought thousands of refugee Jewish children to Great Britain from Nazi
Germany between 1938 and 1940.
The first children’s transport arrived in Harwich, Great Britain, on December 2,
1938, bringing about 200 children from a Jewish orphanage in Berlin. In all, the
rescue operation brought about 9000-10,000 children to Britain.
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/
1) Children’s transport was the name of a rescue effort which brought refugee
Jewish children to Britain from Germany. (Words were removed selectively and no
attempt at original thought.)
 2) According to the Holocaust Encyclopedia located at the U.S.
Holocaust Memorial Museum, Kindertransport was the name
given to the rescue effort to bring thousands of Jewish children to
relative safety in England starting in 1938 and ending in 1940.
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en
(This is a good example of paraphrasing as it gives credit to the
original source of the facts and put in the writer’s own words.)
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3) There were about 200 Jewish refugee children in the first
rescue attempt that arrived in Harwich, Great Britain according to
the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Holocaust Encyclopedia.
(This is an okay example; there is an effort at citation and gives
some information but not as complete as the example above.
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4) In all, the rescue operation brought about 9000-10,000
children to Britain.
This is straight word for word, with no effort at acknowledging that
it is someone else’s words.
COMMON KNOWLEDGE
Deciding if Something is “common knowledge”
Material is probably common knowledge if….
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You find the same information undocumented in at least 5 other sources
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You think it is information that your readers will already know
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Ask yourself, did I know this information before I took this class?
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Was this information /idea coming from my own brain?
 http://owl.english.purdue.edu/
This is an excellent site to go to for further information about plagiarism and other connected topics.
TYPES OF SOURCES CITED
• Question 5 of the survey asks you what types
of information does need to be cited……
• The answer is everything! That includes
images from Google (or any other online
source.
• A friend’s artwork
• Any artwork from print sources.
• Video, music, and any other multimedia form
Too Many Citations????
 Question 6 addresses the topic which can be a source
of much stress when doing a research project. If I use
too many citations then it looks like I don’t have an
original thought in my head, so I will cite only the most
important.
 The correct answer is as needed either per direction by
your teacher or by what is actually used in the final
presentation. Think of it as providing evidence for your
arguments. The more evidence you present, the more
solid is your case!
More examples of plagiarism
•You can not use the same paper for another class, that is self-plagiarism
• You can not borrow from a friend even if the friend has good intentions
Cartoon copied from The Plagiarism Handbook by Robert Harris.
Available @ The University of Dayton Library
http://academic.udayton.edu/elearning/onlineTraining/Plagiarism/images/PlagStudentEducate.gif
AVOIDING PLAGIARISM
 Now that you have a better understanding of
what plagiarism is you will be able to better
avoid it.
 Here are some other tips:
 Don’t wait until the last minute and give in to
the temptation of shortcuts.
 When you are gathering information, write
down your sources at the same time.
 Developing good research skills takes practice
& patience, patience, patience!
MORE STEPS TO AVOIDING
PLAGIARISM
 The answer to question 9 is all of the above!
 Remember to put quotation marks around
direct quotes.
 Cite the source of all borrowed artwork
including graphs, tables, or drawings
 Keep in mind the purpose of the assignment, to
help you develop important information skills
and knowledge.
 Sources are evidence of your research topic.
CITATION FORMS
 There are many versions of proper citation
forms. GHS uses the MLA citation form.
 Remember the purpose of a citation is to give
credit and a way of finding the original
document.
 So you need the author, title of article, then
book, and an address (like an URL web
address to get you there. The date of the
information is also important. For more
specifics ask you School library media
specialist and your English teacher.
Works cited & Further Links
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Duke University Libraries, Guide to Library Research. www.lib.duke.edu/liguide/plagiarism2.htm
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Harris, Robert. The Plagiarism Handbook: Strategies for Preventing, Detecting, and Dealing with
Plagiarism. Copyright 2001 by Pyrczak Publishing.
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Indiana University Bloomington, Writing Tutorial Services.
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MacDonnell, Colleen. “The Problem of Plagiarism.” School Library Journal. January, 2005. p.35
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McKenzie, Jamie. The New Plagiarism: Seven Antidotes to Prevent Highway Robbery in an Electronic Age.
From Now On, The Educational Technology Journal. Vol 7, No 8. May 1998. Available online @
http://www.fno.org/may98/cov98may.html
Purdue University Online Writing workshop http://owl.purdue.edu
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University Of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Writing Center. http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb
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University of Dayton
http://academic.udayton.edu/elearning/onlineTraining/Plagiarism/images/PlagStudentEducate.g
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