Avoiding Plagiarism

Avoiding Plagiarism Quoting, paraphrasing and summarizing http://www.chinleusd.k12.az.us/chs/files/2008/08/student-sweating-aims.gif

What is plagiarism? • Plagiarism involves using somebody else’s words, ideas, or work and presenting them as your own. • Plagiarizing is considered academic dishonesty, a form of cheating, and the students who plagiarize receive a sanction (penalty). • All EAP students are defined as U of A students and are subject to the same sanctions as everyone else.

What does the U of A consider is plagiarism?( from A Guide to Academic Integrity for Graduate Students) • Cutting and pasting material from an online source without quotation marks and proper attribution, even if no author is clearly named on the website. • Using another’s idea as your own without attribution, including paraphrasing without a citation to the original source. • Following the format and/or argumentation of an article without attribution. • Copying material from another student either in an assignment or as part of an essay. • Using data you did not collect on your own, without attribution, as the basis for your work. • Allowing another person to correct or rewrite your work before submitting it to the point where it no longer reflects your own writing and/or intellectual abilities. • Using a logo, graphic or cartoon you did not create without permission and attribution.

What happens if you plagiarize? • There are different types of offenses. Plagiarizing the first time, a few words in a short assignment, is not the same as plagiarizing your whole PhD thesis, so, of course, the sanctions for these offenses will be different, too. Some sanctions for plagiarism follow, in order of severity: • Grade reduction • Failing the course. • A remark on the student’s transcript indicating “Inappropriate Academic Behaviour” • Suspension. • Expulsion. • Rescission of a degree.

So, what can we do to avoid plagiarizing? You can integrate someone else’s ideas, and even words, into your own work through quoting,paraphrasing , summarizing and citing.

Why use quotations, paraphrases, and summaries? Quotations, paraphrases, and summaries serve many purposes. You might use them to . . . • Provide support for your ideas or add credibility to your writing. • Give examples of several points of view on a subject. • Call attention to a point of view that you wish to agree or disagree with. • Highlight a particularly striking phrase, sentence, or passage by quoting the original. • Distance yourself from the original by quoting it in order to show readers that the words are not your own. • Expand the breadth or depth of your writing. http://staff.aub.edu.lb/~webwrite/pdf/pdf2010/Quoting_Paraphrasing_Summarizing.pdf

Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing • What are the differences between quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing? These three ways of incorporating other writers' work into your own writing differ according to the closeness of your writing to the source writing. Quotations must be identical to the original, using a narrow segment of the source. They must match the source document word for word and must be attributed to the original author. Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from source material into your own words. A paraphrase must also be attributed to the original source. Paraphrased material is usually shorter than the original passage, taking a few sentences from the source and condensing the information a little bit. Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including only the main point(s). Once again, it is necessary to attributesummarized ideas to the original source. Summaries are significantly shorter than the original and take a broad overview of the source material. http://staff.aub.edu.lb/~webwrite/pdf/pdf2010/Quoting_Paraphrasing_Summarizing.pdf

Practise recognizing and writing quotations, paraphrases and summaries in the worksheet “Quotation, Paraphrase and Summary”

Quotations There are several ways to integrate quotations into your text. Often, a short quotation works well when integrated into a sentence. Longer quotations can stand alone. Remember that quoting should be done only sparingly; be sure that you have a good reason to include a direct quotation when you decide to do so.

When to quote? Use quotations: • When another writer's language is particularly memorableand will add liveliness to your paper. • When another writer's language is so clear and economical that to make the same point in your own words would, by comparison, be ineffective. • When you want the solid reputation of a source to lend authority and credibility to your own writing. From: http://wps.ablongman.com/long_behrens_saw_1/0,5312,86390-,00.html

Quotations Follow these guidelines when you write direct quotations: • Include the last name of the writer or speaker, if more than one, include all last names. • Include the year of publication and the page number. • Record the exact words and punctuation of the source. • Put the writer or speaker’s words between quotation marks. • If a direct quotation is more than four typed lines, indent the whole quotation and do not use quotations marks. • (Practise in worksheet “Practice with quotations”)

Summarising (from “Real Essays” by Susan Anker, page 306) • Tips for a good summary • Don’t look at the source while you are writing your summary. • Check your summary against the original source to make sure you have not used the author’s words or copied the author’s sentence structure. • Make sure you have included the main point(s) of the section. Also make sure your summary is significantly shorter than the original. • Make sure you introduce the outside source. • Include the year of publication and page number(s) of the section you have summarised in parentheses. (Practise with handout.)

Paraphrase: Write it in Your Own Words A paraphrase is... • your own version of essential information and ideas expressed by someone else, presented in a new form. • one legitimate way (when accompanied by accurate documentation) to borrow information from a source. • a more detailed restatement than a summary, which focuses concisely on a single main idea. Paraphrasing is a valuable skill because... • it is better than quoting information from an undistinguished passage. • it helps you control the temptation to quote too much. • the mental process required for successful paraphrasing helps you to grasp/understand the full meaning of the original. From: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/2/

Steps to Effective Paraphrasing Reread the original passage until you understand its full meaning. Set the original aside, and do not look at the source while you are writing the paraphrase. Check your paraphrase against the original to make sure you have not used the author’s words or copied the author’s sentence structure. Make sure your version expresses the essential information included in the original version. Make sure you introduce the outside source – for example, Marie Winn says that... Use quotation marks to identify any unique term or phrase you have borrowed exactly from the source. Record the source (including the year of publication and the page number) of the section you have paraphrased. You will have to provide full publication details in the references section. Practise in worksheet

Avoiding Plagiarism