Plagiarism and Citation Methods

What is Plagiarism?

Occurs when someone deliberately uses someone else’s language, ideas, or other original (not common-knowledge) material without acknowledging its source

The Importance of Intent

There’s a difference between intentionally presenting someone’s work as your own and misusing your sources

Some Examples of Deliberate Use

Using papers from a paper mill

Presenting someone else’s paper as your own

Copying large sections of text from a source without attribution

These are considered serious academic offenses

Misuse of Sources Academic conventions dictate certain

methods for citing sources

These conventions must be learned and mistakes will happen

Careless or mistaken use of citation conventions is not plagiarism

As long as some effort is made to indentify source material, it will be treated as a stylistic issue

What is Common Knowledge?

Anything your reader could commonly know or that is available in general sources

This sort of knowledge will vary from discipline to discipline

Generally, any sort of knowledge you see commonly repeated in the research you are reading is considered common knowledge

What Isn’t Common Knowledge?

Highly specific statistics Not all specifics are highly specific. Some are

common knowledge e.g. the population of the US

Controversial information or ideas that contradict prevailing opinions

Ideas that appear in only a few of your sources or that are specific to one source

Examples of Common Knowledge

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President

On Sep. 11th, Al-Qaeda attacked the United States

On average, Mars is 78 million km from the Earth

Not Common Knowledge

Some scholars believe Abraham Lincoln suffered from manic-depression

Currently, Al-Qaeda’s operational capacity has been reduced to the point where it is more a brand name than a centralized organization

Steven Hawking believes that colonizing Mars and other planets is the only way to preserve the human race

Other Points Where Problems Could Arise

Failing to enclose borrowed language in quotation marks

Also, if you quote someone, you must cite them and provide a reference

Summary vs. Paraphrase

A paraphrase reports information from a source in the same number of words

A summary reports information from you source in a condensed form

Possible Issues When summarizing or paraphrasing, you

must restate the author’s ideas in your own language

If you half-copy the author’s sentences, you have misused your source

This could happen if you mix the author’s phrases with your own or if you plug synonyms into the author’s sentence structure

Example from Hacker Original text

In an effort to seek the causes of this disturbing trend, experts have pointed to the rise in childhood obesity that are unrelated to media.

-Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, “The Role of Media in Childhood Obesity” (2004, p.1

Problem: Borrows Too Many Phrases

According to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (2004), experts have indicated a range of significant potential contributors to the rise in childhood obesity that are not linked to media (p. 1).

Problem: Same Structure

According to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (2004), experts have identified (pointed to) a variety (range) of significant (important) factors causing (potential contributors to) a rise in childhood obesity that are not linked (unrelated) to media (p. 1).

Solution to This Problem

Since it is easier to copy the source when it is in front of you, set the source aside and write a paraphrase or summary from memory

When you have finished your paraphrase or summary, check your source for accuracy and to make sure it isn’t too close to the original

Finally, if you are having a hard time, feel free to quote the source directly

Acceptable Paraphrase

A report by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (2004) claimed sources other than the media were responsible for the childhood obesity crisis.

If You Are In Doubt

Consult your Hacker Style Manual

Send me an email or ask me in class

Sources For This Paper

For this paper, you research should emphasize primary sources and scholarly research

For example, instead of reading two editorial opinions on a court decision you should actually go and read the court decision itself However, an editorial piece from an opposing

position could help you identify what assumptions your audience has and what arguments they are making

Where To Look? The library’s website has a comprehensive

database for scholarly articles

Government websites and non-profit websites usually have a wealth of information on a variety of public issue topics

Wikipedia could provide a good starting point as well

Perspective on Both Sides

Since your paper will be based on trying to convince an audience opposed to your position, you should include at least one source with an opposing position

Why Do This? This will allow you to reasonably address the

concerns and arguments of the other side of your issue and allow you a chance to address these concerns

It will also give you a better idea of the assumptions that your audience holds and allow you to make a more persuasive argument to that audience