How to avoid plagiarism

1. How to avoid plagiarism Dr. Emma Coonan Research Skills Librarian, Cambridge University Library Image credit: Wikipedian protestor http://xkcd.com/285/

2. Q1. What’s different about academic writing?

3. We use evidence to ... • distinguishone point of view from another • create a link between a cause and an effect • refutesomeone else’s argument • substantiateyour logic or claim • compare one thing with another Australian National Universityhttps://academicskills.anu.edu.au/resources/handouts/using-evidence-your-essay

4. Q2. How many ways can you think of to commit plagiarism?

5. Examples of plagiarism • quoting verbatim another person’s work without due acknowledgement of the source • paraphrasing another person’s work by changing some of the words, or the order of the words, without due acknowledgement of the source • using ideas taken from someone else without reference to the originator • cutting and pasting from the Internet to make a pastiche of online sources • submitting someone else’s work as part of a candidate’s own without identifying clearly who did the work • colluding with another person Cambridge University (2011)www.cam.ac.uk/plagiarism

6. What is it? … submitting as one’s own work, irrespective of intent to deceive, that which derives in part or in its entirety from the work of others without due acknowledgement. (Cambridge University, 2011, emphasis mine) “ ” www.cam.ac.uk/plagiarism

7. … passing off someone else’s work as your own, whether intentionally or unintentionally, for your own benefit. (Carroll 2002, p.40) “ ”

8. Give creditfor the work you have built on • Get creditfor the work you have done yourself

9. Varsity, 31 October 2008

10. Case study 1 Student lost track of time and could not locate scholarly resources close to deadline • Found general information on open web sources • Made a ‘patchwork’ of assertions from her sources, without citing where she found them

11. What went wrong?

12. What went wrong? Student didn’t know about in-text referencing Used general/factual sources, not academic ones

13. A citation has two ‘ends’ ... In-text entry Sigmund Freud argues that dreams are the "royal road to the unconscious" (1915, p47). • A short pointer to the full entry at the point in your text where you quote or paraphrase Reference list entry Freud, S., 1915. The interpretation of dreams, trans. by A.A. Brill, 3rd. ed. London: George Allen & Unwin. • All the details needed for a reader to follow up your source

14. Academic sources

15. Academic sources Clear authorship ...

16. Academic sources Clear authorship ... ... and informed argument

17. Citation styles Do you know which one you should use?

18. Case study 2 • Two masters students decided to collaborate on an essay for their course • Used good academic practice in every other regard

19. What went wrong?

20. What went wrong? Students failed to understand that they were expected to work independently - and that their marks would be calculated on this basis

21. Assess whether collaboration is appropriate for the task at hand • Get authorisation (approach your supervisor in the first instance) • Acknowledge the contribution

22. Case study 3 Tutor noticed change of voice and phrasing mid-essay, just after a quotation The unattributed material was copied almost directly from the same source as the quotation Student failed to recognise the quotation in his notes - thought it was his own work

23. Spot the difference In these hearings, the teacher always is presumed innocent until proven guilty, just like in a criminal case. The burden of proof that the teacher has failed to live up to a clearly defined standard lies squarely on the administration; the teacher does not have to prove that he or she has been very competent. In these hearings, the teacher always is innocent until proven guilty, just like in a criminal case. The burden of proof that the teacher has failed to live up to a clearly defined standard is squarely on the administration; the teacher does not have to prove that they have done their job.

24. Spot the difference In these hearings, the teacher always is presumed innocent until proven guilty, just like in a criminal case. The burden of proof that the teacher has failed to live up to a clearly defined standard lies squarely on the administration; the teacher does not have to prove that he or she has been very competent. In these hearings, the teacher always is innocent until proven guilty, just like in a criminal case. The burden of proof that the teacher has failed to live up to a clearly defined standard is squarely on the administration; the teacher does not have to prove that they have done their job.

25. What went wrong?

26. What went wrong? Bad notemaking Student didn’t understand paraphrasing

27. Futureproof your notes Make sure you can identify: • Which parts of your notes are quotations (including single significant words) • Which parts are paraphrases of the author’s points • Which parts of your own writing are a response to the argument or directly inspired by ideas in the text Will you be able to tell the difference in a month’s time?

29. Paraphrasing Rephrasing someone else’s argument in your own words Ensure your version is sufficiently different from the original If you can’t make it different enough, use a direct quote Remember: paraphrases need to be cited - both in your text and in your reference list

30. A citation has two ‘ends’ ... In-text entry According to Freud, actual but unacceptable desires are censored internally (1915, 21). • A short pointer to the full entry at the point in your text where you quote or paraphrase Reference list entry Freud, S., 1915. The interpretation of dreams, trans. by A.A. Brill, 3rd. ed. London: George Allen & Unwin. • All the details needed for a reader to follow up your source

31. Paraphrasing vs. quotation • Rephrasing someone else’s argument in your own words: • shows you have assimilated the required reading • strengthens your argument • lets you analyse and compare points of view • allows you to maintain your ‘flow’ of writing and own voice

32. Paraphrasing vs. quotation • Rephrasing someone else’s argument in your own words • gives less weight to the original author, more to your ‘voice’ • uses someone else’s words in the service of your argument

33. Paraphrasing vs. quotation • How significant is this work in your argument? • Does the author deserve greater representation? • Key concepts, phrases or even words from the original source should be placed in quotation marks if you use them

34. Recap: how to avoid plagiarism • Always have two ends to your reference! • Know where to find appropriate/scholarly resources • Be aware of citation styles (and be consistent) • Assess whether collaboration is appropriate • Practice active notemaking • Consider when to paraphrase and when to quote

35. Where do you draw the line?

36. One situation where you don’t need to reference

37. Common knowledge You don’t need to cite a source if you’re stating a fact that: • is widely accessible and accepted • is likely to be known by a lot of people • can be found in a general reference resource, such as a dictionary or encyclopedia www.cam.ac.uk/plagiarism

38. Common knowledge Statement: Pterosaurs were the flying reptiles of the dinosaur age Citation: ‘Everyone' knows this (or can find it out), so no citation is needed. Statement: Even the largest pterosaurs may have been able to take off simply by spreading their wings whilst facing into a moderate breeze (Wilkinson et al., 2005, p.124) Citation: Wilkinson, M.T., Unwin, D.M. and Ellington, C.P. (2005). High lift function of the pteroid bone and forewings of pterosaurs. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B www.cam.ac.uk/plagiarism

39. Scenarios

40. Scenario 1 I copied the material straight from the web because my English is not very good, and I wanted to make sure you understood what I was trying to say. “ ” (Carroll 2002, p.21)

41. Scenario 2 I forgot to write down the page numbers, so I couldn’t use quotes – so I just put the ideas in my own words. But I’ve put everything in the bibliography! “ ”

42. Scenario 3 I said it was in the Times, 1999. Surely that’s enough? “ ” (Carroll 2002, p.51)

43. Scenario 4 I had a student this week who admitted the plagiarism but said he wasn’t to blame because the person he copied from didn’t tell him it was plagiarised … “ ” (Carroll 2002, p.5)

44. http://training.cam.ac.uk/cul research-skills@lib.cam.ac.uk theUL Cambridge University Library

45. References and further reading Ballenger, Bruce .The Curious Researcher:a Guide to Writing Research Papers. 7th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2012. Carroll, Jude. A Handbook for Deterring Plagiarism in Higher Education. Oxford: Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development, 2002. Li, Xia. Electronic Style: A Guide to Citing Electronic Information. Westport: Meckler, 1993. Lipson, Charles. Doing Honest Work in College: How to Prepare Citations, Avoid Plagiarism, and Achieve Real Academic Success. 2nd ed.Chicago: U of Chicago P, 2008.

46. Neville, Colin. The Complete Guide to Referencing and Avoiding Plagiarism. 3 January 2007. http://www.myilibrary.com/Browse/open.asp?ID=112960&loc=i (accessed 30 January 2009). Pears, Richard, and Graham Shields. Cite Them Right: the Essential Referencing Guide. Rev. ed. Newcastle: Pear Tree, 2008. Stothard, Michael. “‘1 in 2’ Admits to Plagiarism.” Varsity 31 Oct. 2008: 1-2. Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. 7th ed. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 2007.