How to avoid the plagiarism trap

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How to avoid the plagiarism trap

• For Centennial High School Students and Teachers
• by
• Mrs. Mirka
• (Teacher Librarian)
• 2006

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The basics

• Always cite your sources
• Know what common knowledge is
• Understand how to properly borrow ideas by
  paraphrasing, quoting and summarizing
• Take really good notes!

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Do I have to cite everything?
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Nope!

• Facts that are widely known, or
• Information or judgments considered common
  knowledge
• Do NOT have to be documented.

Hooray for common knowledge!
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Examples of common knowledge

• Ralph Klein was elected Premier of Alberta in
  1993 is common knowledge.
• The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7,
  1941 is common knowledge

If you see a fact in three or more sources, and
you are fairly certain your readers already know
this information, it is likely to be common
knowledge.
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No need to document when

• You are discussing your own experiences,
  observations, or reactions
• Compiling the results of original research, from
  science experiments, etc.
• You are using common knowledge

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When in doubt, cite!!
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• You can borrow from the works of others in your
  own work!

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Use these three strategies,

• Paraphrasing
• Quoting
• Summarizing
• To blend source materials in with your own,
  making sure your own voice is heard.

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Whats the big deal?
Wrong! Paraphrasing original ideas without
documenting your source, is plagiarism too!
If I change a few words, Im okay, right?
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Paraphrasing

• Paraphrasing means rephrasing the words of an
  author, putting his/her thoughts in your own
  words. When you paraphrase, you rework the
  sources ideas, words, phrases, and sentence
  structures with your own. Like quotations,
  paraphrased material must be followed with
  in-text documentation and cited on your
  Works-Cited page.
• Paraphrase when
• You plan to use information on your note cards
  and wish to avoid plagiarizing
• You want to avoid overusing quotations
• You want to use your own voice to present
  information

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Example of Paraphrasing

• Original
• Most of the extra body fat that Canadians carry
  and the increasing incidence of Type 2
  (adult-onset) diabetes - is the result of
  consuming too many carbohydrates and snacking in
  the evening.
• Paraphrase
• The increase in obesity and diabetes reported
  among Canadians has been linked to their
  excessive intake of carbohydrates and poor eating
  habits.
• Paraphrasing does not mean playing with a few
  synonyms. Youll have to use your own words and
  change the structure of the sentences to be able
  to paraphrase. Even so, youll still need a
  citation to tell the reader the source of your
  inspiration

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Do you recognize this?

• The teeny-weeny arachnid
• Ascended the down flow pipe
• Precipitation down flow
• Then gave the bug a swipe

(New Foundations, 2003)
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Or this?

• And if you ever
• Observed that snout
• You would contend
• That it emitted radiation
• 
  
  (New Foundations, 2003)

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Quoting

• Quotations are the exact words of an author,
  copied directly from a source, word for word.
  Quotations must be cited!
• Use quotations when
• You want to add the power of an authors words to
  support your argument
• You want to disagree with an authors argument
• You want to highlight particularly eloquent or
  powerful phrases or passages
• You are comparing and contrasting specific points
  of view
• You want to note the important research that
  precedes your own

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Quotations 40 words or less

• Incorporate as part of the paper
• Use quotation marks
• Give page number
• He confirms our suspicions Because N-Gen
  children are born with technology, they
  assimilate it. Adults must accommodate a
  different and much more difficult learning
  process (Tapscott, 1998, p.40).

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Quotations More than 40 words

• No quotation marks
• Start quote on a new line, indent 5 spaces,
  indent each line
• At the conclusion of Lord of the Flies,
  Golding has Ralph and the other boys realize the
  horror of their actions
• The tears began to flow and sobs shook him.
  He gave himself up to them now for the first time
  on the island great shuddering spasms of grief
  that seemed to wrench his whole body. His voice
  rose under the black smoke before the burning
  wreckage of the island and infected by that
  emotion, the other little boys began to shake and
  sob too. (p.186)

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Summarizing

• Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) of
  one or several writers into your own words,
  including only the main point(s). Summaries are
  significantly shorter than the original and take
  a broad overview of the source material. Again,
  it is necessary to attribute summarized ideas to
  their original sources.
• Summarize when
• You want to establish background or offer an
  overview of a topic
• You want to describe knowledge (from several
  sources) about a topic
• You want to determine the main ideas of a single
  source

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Finallyas you take notes

• Include any direct quotes or unique phrases in
  quotation marks or mark with a big Q and make
  sure the speakers /writers name is identified.
• Make sure you note a paraphrase with the writers
  name and mark it with a big P
• Include page numbers and source references so you
  can go back and check for accuracy as you write.

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• This is the end of the slide presentation