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Learn how to avoid plagiarism by following three basic rules, including using proper citations and avoiding common myths. Discover resources and tools to help you maintain academic integrity.
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Three Basic Rules for Avoiding Plagiarism: • Make sure all word-for-word quotes have quote marks showing where they begin and end. Also, make sure to make the difference between your ideas and your sources’ ideas clear when paraphrasing or summarizing. • Identify where each quote OR paraphrased idea came from in the body of your paper using in-text citations. • Make sure that each source you quote or paraphrase in your paper is correctly listed on your Works Cited page.
To Cite, or Not to Cite • You do not have to cite facts that are undisputed common knowledge that you are expressing in your own words. • Ex: The Battle of Gettysburg began on July 1, 1863. • Ex: Water is made up of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. • Ex: Dublin is the capital of the Republic of Ireland. • However, once you start needing to use ideas about these common, everyday facts that you found in your sources, you must cite the source of the idea. • When in doubt, cite! And if you have time, ask!
Some Myths about Plagiarism • Myth 1: As long as I have a source on my works cited page, I don’t have to mention it in the body of my paper. • WRONG! Any time you use ideas or words from a source, you must include an in-text citation. • Myth 2: As long as I change one or two words in a quote, I don’t have to put quote marks around it or do a citation. • WRONG! Changing one or two words in a quote and replacing them with synonyms is STILL PLAGIARISM if you keep the original ideas and/or sentence structure. • Myth 3: As long as I paraphrase correctly, using my own words and sentence structure to express an idea, I don’t need an in-text citation. • WRONG! Even if you use your own words, if the idea originally came from somewhere else, you must cite it.
Myths about Plagiarism • Myth 4: I don’t need to cite exact words, ideas or information I find on the internet. • WRONG! Treat your internet sources with the same respect you have for your print or online database sources. • Myth 5: It is appropriate to use an old essay from a friend, buy an essay, or have someone help me write an essay using his or her wording instead of mine. • WRONG! All of these are called collusion, and they are all plagiarism. • Myth 6: I won’t get caught if I plagiarize. • WRONG! Plagiarism is quite obvious to most professors, and many of them use plagiarism detecting software.
Resources to Help you Avoid Plagiarism • P. 451-456 of Rules for Writers for avoiding plagiarism. • P. 458-459 for a directory of MLA citation information. • P. 479-523 for MLA references. • P. 523-532 for example research paper. • Example research paper from the Purdue OWL • Online plagiarism tutorial and quizzes from Simon Fraser University • Plagiarism Self Test from Western Carolina University • University of Southern Mississippi’s Plagiarism Tutorial
How to Use TurnItIn to Check for Plagiarism • After you have uploaded your essay to turnitin, you will have the ability to check YOURSELF for any plagiarism. • Your originality score should be less than 25%. This means that no more than 25% of your essay should be identified as word for word from a source, even if sources are quoted correctly. • Any portions of your essay that turnitin highlights should be enclosed in quotes and given a correct MLA parenthetical citation.
What Happens if TurnItIn Finds Plagiarism? • If you have time before the due date, you can fix the problem and upload a new, corrected file that will replace the old one. • This means that it would be a good idea to give yourself time to correct any errors before the due date. • If you discover accidental plagiarism after the due date, it is too late to revise, but all that will happen is that you will lose some points in the “use of sources” category.
What about intentional plagiarism? • Intentional plagiarism is cheating that is not the result of an accident, a lack of knowledge, or a citation error. For example, uploading an entire essay you bought or copied from a website is not an accident. Nor is the insertion of entire paragraphs of uncited material. • What happens if turnitin identifies intentional plagiarism? • Hope you’ve given yourself enough time to take it down and upload something you actually wrote before the due date. • Because if I catch you, I will fail you on the assignment with no hope of revision so fast it’ll make your head spin.
The Answer Hat At this point in your research, I know that people in this class are coming across a variety of questions/obstacles, and I want to know what they are. EVERY person needs to put at least one question or concern on a note card (no names needed). I will look through the questions and answer them as best I can for everyone.
Annotate Printed Sources • Highlight and comment on important or intriguing information: • Facts/statistics important to your argument • Well-stated points to which you can respond using a quote sandwich • Common threads across all research • Facts/points in one source that relate to information from another source • Content that will help you to use a balance of logos/ethos/pathos
Outline Research Paper • I have placed an outline on the course website. • Know your thesis. What is the big claim about pop culture you are making? Make sure this claim has a clear point of view and a preview of how your essay will support the claim. • What are the major points of support for your thesis? Each of these points will require a paragraph of explanation (or several paragraphs, if the point is complicated). • Each body paragraph of your paper should have quotes or paraphrases from your sources integrated smoothly. Begin grouping quotes/info and deciding how you will group them into paragraphs so you can weave them together and with your own ideas.
