Plagiarism and Paraphrasing

Plagiarism

Plagiarism can be defined as taking someone else’s ideas, work, or information and using them as if they were your own, without giving any credit to the original source or creator. Plagiarism also includes copying a certain number of words (usually five or more in a row) without using quotation marks to indicate you are copying information.  The only information you can use routinely without citing your source is information considered common knowledge. View the images on this page for two examples of common knowledge.

There are many different possible consequences for someone if he or she is caught plagiarizing.  These consequences can range from a failing grade on an assignment in class all the way to being sued by the copyright holder.  Many colleges and universities have a strict policy against plagiarism and will permanently expel a student for this infraction. 

So why do people plagiarize in the first place?  Some students do not know the rules or do not think about the legal issues.  For students, though, the most common excuse is procrastination.  Some students wait until the last possible moment to work on a paper or project, and then they panic, making mistakes. The good thing is that plagiarism is very easy to avoid.  By simply giving credit to the original source through the use of citations, a writer can avoid being accused of plagiarism and can avoid the sometimes severe consequences associated with plagiarism.

 

Plagiarism Review

In this non-graded interactivity, test your knowledge on the rules of plagiarism. Decide whether each statement is true or false and then click SUBMIT. Click the player button to get started.

 

 

Paraphrasing

One easy way to avoid being accused of plagiarism is to learn how to paraphrase information.  It is important to remember that even when you paraphrase information, you still have to give credit to the original source.  Paraphrasing means taking someone else’s words and putting that information into your own words.  You want to make sure that you keep the main points and the author’s intent when you paraphrase information.

Paraphrasing is a very simple task. In this interactivity, you will learn how to properly paraphrase by looking at the original text and how it was changed in each paraphrasing example. Click each number or use the previous and next buttons to navigate through the activity. Click the player button to get started.

View a printable version of this interactivity.

 

Direct Quotations

When should you paraphrase information and when should you copy it directly into a paper or project using a direct quote?  A good rule to follow is to save direct quotes for those statements you read that are so powerful or have such a strong impact that you would have a hard time paraphrasing and keeping the author’s intended meaning.  Using too many direct quotes may overpower your own words in your papers or presentations. Learn more about direct quotations in the interactivity below. Click on each of the tabs to examine how to use direct quotations, and view both correct and incorrect ways to use direct quotations in your writing. Click the player button to get started.

View a printable version of this interactivity.

 

Paraphrase or Direct Quotations Review

Now that you have learned about how to avoid plagiarism using paraphrasing and direct quotations, take a look at the following statements in this non-graded interactivity. Then, decide whether each sentence should be paraphrased or quoted directly. To check your answer click SUBMIT. Click the player button to get started.

 

 

Citations

Your paper must contain parenthetical citations.  If you do not include them, your paper will be considered plagiarized and serious consequences will result. Remember to include a good variety of summarized, paraphrased, and quoted information.  Direct quotes, however, should be saved for those sentences that have a "wow factor." What does this mean? Save direct quotes for those sentences that you could not possibly reword and still retain the same meaning of the original.

You must cite paraphrased, summarized, and quoted information directly after using them.  Place your citations at the end of the sentence, and put your period after the parentheses.  If you use a direct quote, end the quote, add the citation, and then put the period at the end. If the original source was print (not computer), then be sure to include page numbers. If there is no author and the title is long, you can shorten it and only use the first three to four words of the title in your citation.  Be sure to put the entire title on the Works Cited page.

Gathering and Organizing Information from Sources

To avoid plagiarism, it is important to place the proper citation and create a Works Cited Page to document all of the sources of your information. While you are researching, it is important to get your information from a variety of resources. Use a variety of sources (at least one book, a periodical, and a form of multimedia) since using only one type of source, such as the web, is generally not acceptable. Once you have gathered research from a source, it is important that you write down and organize certain information that you will later place in your Works Cited page. In this interactivity, click each of the numbers or use the previous and next buttons to learn the steps in gathering and organizing information from the sources of your research paper.

View a printable version of this interactivity.

 

Avoiding Plagiarism

Since plagiarizing works has very serious consequences, it is important to review some guidelines to help you make sure you will never plagiarize. In this topic, you learned how to properly paraphrase, make direct quotations, and gather your sources for proper citations. What else can you do to avoid plagiarizing someone else’s hard work?

 

Source Information Review

Do you know the information needed to cite a source on a Works Cited page? In this non-graded interactivity, check your knowledge by labeling the information provided for a web resource on the following slides. After making your selection, click SUBMIT. Click the player button to get started.