Trojan Integrity

A Guide for Avoiding Plagiarism

Trojan Integrity

An Undergraduate’s Guide for Avoiding Plagiarism

Introduction

The following information, with minor modifications,is excerpted from the Student Guide to theExpository Writing Program. Students shouldassume these general principles apply to all coursesat USC unless an individual instructor gives explicitalternate instructions for his or her assignment.

By its very nature, writing involves both individualand collaborative activity. Even when a piece ofwriting has but one author, that author employs alanguage system that is shared with others and drawsupon ideas and values that are not his or hers alone.

Indeed, one of the most important parts ofbecoming a writer within the academic community islearning how to balance the obligations of individu-ality and collaboration.

As a college writer, you are expected to use writing todevelop and assert your own ideas and beliefs—tothink for yourself. At the same time, however, youare expected to integrate the thinking of others andplace your own criticisms and arguments within thecontext of academic discourse. This double obligationprovides a framework in which to discuss plagiarism.

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Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the unacknowledged and inappropriateuse of the ideas or wording of another individual.

Plagiarism undermines the intellectual collaboration— the exchange of ideas — that should markacademic discourse because it permits the writer toavoid any genuine involvement with the concepts oropinions of others.

Because the false discourse of plagiarism corruptsvalues to which the university community is funda-mentally committed — the pursuit of knowledge,intellectual honesty — plagiarism is considered agrave violation of academic integrity and thesanctions against it are correspondingly severe.The sanctions recommended by the university rangefrom a grade of “F” in the course to suspensionfrom the university.

Most simply, plagiarism can be characterized as“academic theft.”

As defined in the University Student Conduct Code(published in each year’s edition of SCampus), plagiarism includes:

• “The submission of material authored byanother person but represented as the student’sown work, whether that material is paraphrasedor copied in verbatim or near verbatim form;”

• “The submission of material subjected toeditorial revision by another person that resultsin substantive changes in content or major alter-ation of writing style;” and

• “Improper acknowledgment of sources in essaysor papers.” (§11.11)

It is important to note that the Student ConductCode applies the above standards to any written

A Guide for Avoiding Plagiarism 3

work submitted by a student, whether a draft or afinal version.

Avoiding Plagiarism

Because of the serious penalties for plagiarism, youshould ensure that any writing you submit representsyour own assertions and abilities and incorporatesother texts in an open and honest manner.

The best way to avoid plagiarism is to be careful todocument your sources, even when you are onlymaking use of data or ideas rather than an actualquotation.

In academic assignments, writing is assumed to bethe original words and thoughts of the studentunless otherwise noted (i.e.: material from othersources is clearly and properly cited).

The following pages of this guide contain examplesof situations where writers must be careful to avoidplagiarism, as well as advice and resources that maybe of use when writing academic papers at USC.

Properly Documenting Outside Sources

This section of the Trojan Integrity guide providesthree examples to illustrate some of the finer pointsof avoiding plagiarism.

In each case, original source material is presentedalong with both a correctly and an incorrectly docu-mented use of the source.

Remember: Improper documentation of your sourcesis not simply sloppy work, it is plagiarism!

Example 1:Repeating Another’s Words Without Acknowledgment

Sometimes, paraphrasing another writer’s words is aneffective tool for supporting a thesis. One must becautious, however, and ensure that all such refer-ences are properly documented as, the followingexample illustrates.

.

Plagiarized Version

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(From Neil Postman. Amusing Ourselves to Death. New York:Penguin, 1985. 127-128.)

Original Source

Plagiarized

‘‘

’’

The television commercial is the most peculiar andpervasive form of communication to issue forth fromthe electric plug....The move away from the use ofpropositions in commercial advertising began at theend of the nineteenth century. But it was not until the1950’s that the television commercial made linguisticdiscourse obsolete as the basis for product decisions.By substituting images for claims, the pictorial com-mercial made emotional appeal, not tests of truth, thebasis of consumer decisions.

Television commercials have made languageobsolete as a basis for making decisions aboutproducts. The pictorial commercial has substi-tuted images for claims and thereby madeemotional appeal, rather than tests of truth,the basis of consumer decisions.

Although the writer has changed, rearranged, anddeleted words in his version, the text is essentiallythe same as the original source. In paraphrasing,you take the writer’s ideas and put them in yourown words.

It is not a process of substituting synonyms or rear-ranging the order of words. Even if the versionabove gave credit to Postman for his ideas, thepassage would still be considered plagiarized.

In the correctly paraphrased and documented versionabove, most of the ideas have been paraphrased orrestated in the writer’s own words.

Quotation marks have been placed around a keyphrase that is taken directly from the original source.

In addition, the name of the author refers readers toa corresponding entry in the Works Cited page, andthe page number indicates the location of the infor-mation in the source cited.

A Guide for Avoiding Plagiarism 5

Postman argues that television commercialsdo not use language or “tests of truth” to helpviewers decide whether to buy a product.Instead, they rely on images to create anemotional appeal that influences consumers’decisions (127-128).

Correct

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Example 2Presenting Another Writer’s Argument or Point of View Without Acknowledgment

While it is essential to use your own words in youracademic writing, it is just as important to citeanother author’s specific ideas on a subject.

(From Arlene Skolnick. Embattled Paradise. New York: BasicBooks, 1991. 11.)

Original Source

‘‘

’’

The changes in larger society, as well as their reverber-ations in the family, call into question basicassumptions about the nature of American society, itsfamily arrangements, and Americans themselves. A“cultural struggle” ensues as people debate themeaning of change. One of these periods of culturalupheaval occurred in the early decades of the nine-teenth century; a second occurred in the decades justbefore and after the turn of the twentieth century. Forthe last thirty years, we have been living throughanother such wave of social change.

Three related structural changes seem to have set thecurrent cycle of family change in motion: first, theshift into a “postindustrial” information and serviceeconomy; second, a demographic revolution that notonly created mass longevity but reshaped the individualand family life course, creating life stages and circum-stances unknown to earlier generations; third, a processI call “psychological gentrification,” which involves anintrospective approach to experience, a greater sense ofone’s own individuality and subjectivity, a concern withself-fulfillment and self-development. This is thechange misdiagnosed as narcissism.

A Guide for Avoiding Plagiarism 7

The writer of the passage above correctly para-phrases Skolnick’s ideas but does not give her creditfor her ideas or line of argument.

A reader must be able to understand without muchdifficulty that the ideas you are stating were origi-nated by another author.

It is also important that a reader be able to locatethe book, article, or other source where the ideaswere stated by that author.

Plagiarized

Three periods of cultural upheaval in the nine-teenth and twentieth centuries have causedmajor changes in American society. The firstoccurred during the beginning of the nine-teenth century, the second during the decadesbefore and after 1900, and the third has beenunderway for the last thirty years. Three struc-tural changes occurring during the currentupheaval are primarily responsible for changesin American families. These include the devel-opment of a postindustrial information andservice economy, demographics changes(including longer life spans that have creatednew and different life stages), and an increasedsense of individuality including a desire forself-fulfillment and self development.

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Here, the writer references the original author,Skolnick, before presenting the ideas.

Readers can then look up the title of Skolnick’s bookon the Works Cited page at the end of the paper andfind her original ideas on page 11 of that book (thenumber indicated at the end of the paragraph).

According to Skolnick, three periods ofcultural upheaval in the nineteenth andtwentieth centuries have caused majorchanges in American society. The firstoccurred during the beginning of the nine-teenth century, the second during the decadesbefore and after 1900, and the third has beenunderway for the last thirty years. Threestructural changes occurring during thecurrent upheaval are primarily responsiblefor changes in American families. Theseinclude the development of a postindustrialinformation and service economy, demo-graphics changes (including longer life spansthat have created new and different lifestages), and an increased sense of individu-ality including a desire for self-fulfillmentand self development (11).

Correct

A Guide for Avoiding Plagiarism 9

Example 3Repeating Another Writer’s Particularly

Apt Phrase or Term Without Acknowledgment

When researching a subject, one often finds thatauthorities on that subject have created their ownterms to describe certain aspects of it.

While using these terms in an academic paper is notincorrect, it is another instance when vigilance mustbe excercised in properly citing the source.

(From Arlene Skolnick. Embattled Paradise. New York: BasicBooks, 1991. 11.)

Original Source

‘‘

’’

Three related structural changes seem to have set thecurrent cycle of family change in motion: first, theshift into a “postindustrial” information and serviceeconomy; second, a demographic revolution that notonly created mass longevity but reshaped the individ-ual and family life course, creating life stages and cir-cumstances unknown to early generations; third, aprocess I call “psychological gentrification,” whichinvolves an introspective approach to experience, agreater sense of one’s own individuality and subjectivi-ty, a concern with self-fulfillment and self-develop-ment. This is the change misdiagnosed as narcissism.

Plagiarized

The large number of “self-help” bookspublished each year attest to Americans’concern with self-improvement and achievingmore fulfilling lives. This process might bedescribed as “psychological gentrification.”

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As the example above illustrates, putting quotationmarks around a borrowed word or phrase is not suf-ficient documentation.

You must also acknowledge the author and give thepage numbers so a reader can consult the originalsource and locate the word or phrase.

In the original source, Skolnick takes credit (“aprocess I call”) for coining the term “psychologicalgentrification.” Quotation marks in the originalappear to be used for emphasis. Phrases in quota-tions should be cited unless they have becomecommon usage (e.g., “postindustrial” in the originalsource above).

The large number of self-help bookspublished each year attest to Americans’concern with self-improvement and theirdesire to have a more fulfilling life.Skolnick labels this process as “psycho-logical gentrification” (11).

Correct

A Guide for Avoiding Plagiarism 11

Electronic Resources

Increasingly, students rely on electronic resources (theInternet, World Wide Web, on-line documents, etc.)as reference materials.

It is important to remember that electronic resourcesmust be cited and, when appropriate, quoted, in thesame manner as traditional printed resources.

While canons of style for citing electronic resourcesare incomplete and evolving, the following should beof assistance to students:

Li, X., and Crane, N.B. (1996) Electronic styles: ahandbook for citing electronic information.Medford, N.J.: Information Today.

http://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/writing/tools/citation.html

http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cup/cgos/idx_basic.html

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Resources

Your professor. Instructors may require more specificstandards for documenting source materials inwritten assignments. Any questions or uncertaintyabout proper citation should be addressed to theinstructor of the course, either during establishedoffice hours or by arrangement.

The Writing Center. Part of The Writing Program,the Writing Center (THH 310, 740-3691) offerstutoring for writing papers and improving writingskills for students at all levels.

SCampus. All students should have received a copyof this student guidebook which contains theStudent Conduct Code, other policies applicable tostudents, and information about university resourcesavailable to assist students in their pursuit ofacademic success. SCampus is available in printedform at Topping Student Center or electronically at http://www.usc.edu/go/scampus.

Summary

Students should be aware that the informationcontained in this booklet addresses general standardstaught by The Writing Program concerning plagia-rism and citation of sources.

Individual instructors in all university courses mayspecify additional requirements for their assignments.Likewise, some academic departments or schools mayarticulate standards that vary from those stated inthis guide.

In either case, the instructor responsible for anassignment should be consulted when students havequestions regarding standards for that assignment.

University of Southern CaliforniaOffice of Student Judicial Affairs

and Community StandardsFigueroa Building (FIG) 107

Phone: (213) 821-7373Fax: (213) 740-7162

http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/student-conduct

Rev. Fall 2002