Avoiding PlagiarismChapter 22

What is plagiarism?

◦ In order to avoid plagiarism, first we must clearly define it: Plagiarism is using someone else’s work as your own, whether it be an idea, a sentence, or an entire essay.

Using sources and citing the work of others in your own paper is a good thing, however, you must give credit where credit is due.

Avoiding Plagiarism

There are three ways in which information is used from sources:

1. Direct Quotation◦ To quote a source, the words must be exactly as they are in the original work. In

other words, the quote must be verbatim and be surrounded by quotation marks. 2. Summary

A summary is a condensed version of the original work, paying attention to all major points.

3. ParaphraseA paraphrase is a report of the original in your own words, and it will be about the same length (or number of words) as the original.

In any case, you must always include an in-text citation and a citation on your Resources page.

Avoiding Plagiarism

An in-text citation is made up of the author’s last name and the year of publication of the work referenced.

Notes: ◦ There is a comma between the author’s name (last name only) and the year of publication. ◦ The citation appears in parentheses, immediately after the cited material, but always before the

period at the end of the sentence. ◦ You will often use a signal phrase when you are citing another’s work. For example, you might

write, “Dr. Edward Johnson (2009) of the Anytown Hospital claims that…” You can see that this citation called only for the year of publication as the name of the author you cite is in the signal phrase.

◦ However, when a signal phrase is not used, you’ll include the name and year of publication like this: (Johnson, 2009).

◦ There are different formats used to cite sources, and at Concorde Career College we use APA, which is the format created by the American Psychological Association, and is used in scientific publications and institutions.

◦ Your textbook has comprehensive instructions to guide you through APA format, and your instruction will also guide you to additional resources.

Avoiding Plagiarism

Typically, plagiarism occurs by accident when a student does not include in-text citation when citing source material.

As a student, instead of opting out of including this information, if you feel unsure of how to properly create in-text citations and when to use them, the first solution is to ask your instructor for help. Secondly, it is better to try and not get it quite right than to not try at all!

Another way that plagiarism occurs is when students purchase or borrow papers. This choice is unwise because professors have access to sophisticated plagiarism detection software; rarely does a plagiarized paper go undetected.

Additionally, academic integrity is of the utmost importance. Why pay to attend college or university if not to produce your own work?

There are serious consequences for plagiarism, which include the possibility of: Failed assignments Failed courses A scar on your permanent academic record The possibility of being expelled from school

Avoiding Plagiarism