Avoiding Plagiarism

The process of academic writing, particularly at the college level, is guided by numerous rules regarding the originality of one's work. Often, these rules vary in slight degrees from institution to institution, and at times even from instructor to instructor. Violation of these rules, leading to plagiarism , will usually bring with it severe consequences, from automatic failure of the course, to, in some cases, expulsion. While the following is not an official set of guidelines specific to any given institution, it may well clarify some of the vague rules in place and help writers avoid the charge of plagiarism.

Degrees of Plagiarism, Intentional and Unintentional

As an initial exercise, rate the following on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 indicating the most severe, blatant instance of plagiarism, and 1 representing little if any plagiarism at all.

Paraphrasing a unique idea from a source without citing: _______

Hiring someone to write a paper: ______

Paraphrasing a commonly accepted and known idea from a source without citing: _____

Copying word for word a passage or idiom from a source without citing: _____

Downloading a paper from the internet and submitting it as your own: _____

Building on someone's ideas without citation: _____

Paradoxes of Academic Writing

Explain and present material in your own words, however , also improve our writing style by mimicking other writers.

Make an original contribution in your work, however , show that research has been done.

Improve upon, critique, and possibly disagree with experts/authorities, however , appeal to experts and authorities at the same time.

When, and When not to Document

-No Need to Document-

  • When writing of your own experiences, observations, thoughts or first-hand knowledge.

  • When enumerating generall4y accepted facts.

  • When compiling experimental data that you have collected.

  • When using knowledge that is commonly accepted either by the public at large, or within the relevant discipline.

-Need to Document-

  • When you include exact words, a unique idiom, or a table, chart, or picture from a source

  • When including information from an interview with another individual

  • When including or utilizing ideas or words from a source, be it a book, magazine, etc.

When is Something Common Knowledge?

  • If the same information is presented and undocumented in numerous other sources (five or six should be sufficient.

  • The information in question is easily found without searching in obscure sources.

  • The information is something with which your intended audience will undoubtedly be familiar.

Measures to Take to Avoid Plagiarism

  • When taking notes or drafting a paper, mark everything that is either a quote, or a paraphrase from another source (using shorthand abbreviations helps much here)

  • Indicate, whether in note or draft form, which ideas are your own (again, shorthand abbreviations work well here)

  • Any unique phrases or idioms coined or used by another source should always be in quotation marks (ex., when Benjamin mentions the "aura" of a work of art..)

  • When intending to paraphrase, do so by memory, without looking at the original source; verify your accuracy of the paraphrase by checking with the original text after you have written the paraphrase.

  • When citing, mention the name of the individual who you are citing (ex., Susan Sontag claims that "....").

  • Stylistically, use quotations inclusively, so that they flow grammatically and logically within your text.

Exercises-Answer "yes" or "no" to each, with regard to whether documentation is needed-discuss why or why not, and what sort of documentation is needed (or, in some cases, if more information is needed).

•  You include a popular idiom of modern culture in your text that was coined on a TV show several years ago.

•  You use ideas from a source without ever including exact wording or content within that source.

  1. You are writing a reaction to a journal article with which you disagree.
  2. You use within your paper an anecdote told to you by a friend.
  3. You include word-for-word several phrased used by your professor that are in your lecture notes.
  4. You are writing a narrative of a trip you took to Italy quite some time back.
  5. You mention that many people in your discipline accept a number of basic facts about that discipline.
  6. You offer a definition of a word.

(Adapted from the Purdue University Online Writing Lab http://owl.english.purdue.edu/)

Sources used in creating this handout:

Aaron, Jane E. The Little, Brown Essential Handbook for Writers . New York: HarperCollins, 1994.

Gefvert, Constance J. The Confident Writer, second edition . New York: Norton, 1988.

Heffernan, James A.W., and John E. Lincoln. Writing: A College Handbook, third edition . New York: Norton, 1990.

Howell, James F. and Dean Memering. Brief Handbook for Writers, third edition . Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1993.

Leki, Ilona. Understanding ESL Writers: A Guide for Teachers . Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook, 1992.

Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers, sixth edition . New York: HarperCollins, 1990.

Rodrigues, Dawn, and Myron C. Tuman. Writing Essentials . New York: Norton, 1996.

Swales, John, and Christine B. Feak. Academic Writing for Graduate Students . Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, 1994.

Walker, Melissa. Writing Research Papers, third edition . New York: Norton, 1993.

 

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