1

PoliticsNJ, The Pulblis Group, Hoboken, NJ. http://www.politicsnj.com/plagerism090903.htm.

The simplest definition of plagiarism:

2

According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (http://www.m-w.com), to plagiarize means:

“transitive senses : to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own : use (another's production) without crediting the sourceintransitive senses : to commit literary theft : present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source”

3

Did You Know? The word plagiarism comes from the Latin plagiarius meaning "kidnapper"

San Jose State University, Plagiarism Tutorial, http://130.65.109.143/plagiarism/tutorial/introduction.php.

4

Why is plagiarism important? Who really cares?

Plagiarism is theft of intellectual property.

Plagiarism is cheating.

Plagiarism may result in receiving an ‘F’ or zero for the assignment.

5

Alive or dead, it does not matter. If it is not your own idea, you must cite your source!!

6

What is the difference between SUMMARY and PARAPHRASE?

7

To Summarize means:to distill only the most essential points of someone

else's work

To Paraphrase means: to express someone else's ideas in your

own language

8

Do you know how to paraphrase correctly? Paraphrasing is more than simply rewording the original material!

It must be almost entirely in your own words. You must use new synonyms and new phrases. Only technical terms should be repeated.

Any exact words that are retained should have quotation marks around them.

The sentence structure should be yours, not the same as in the source.

Do not add ideas, interpretations, explanations, or assessments.

9

10

Examples:

John Doe, author of Economy states, “Unless steps are taken to provide a predictable and stable energy supply in the face of growing demand, the nation may be in danger of sudden power losses or even extended brownouts, thus damaging our industrial and information-based economies” (23).

John Doe, author of Economy states, “Unless steps are taken to provide a predictable and stable energy supply in the face of growing demand, the nation may be in danger of sudden power losses or even extended brownouts, thus damaging our industrial and information-based economies” (23).

11

John Doe, author of Economy states, “Unless steps are taken to provide a predictable and stable energy supply in the face of growing demand, the nation may be in danger of sudden power losses or even extended browoutd, thus damaging our industrial and information-based economies” (23).

12

John Doe, author of Economy states, “Unless steps are taken to provide a predictable and stable energy supply in the face of growing demand, the nation may be in danger of sudden power losses or even extended blackouts, thus damaging our industrial and information-based economies” (23).

Compare the following correct paraphrase:

John Doe, author of Economy believes that society must find a more reliable source of energy if it is to have a dependable electricity supply. Without this, the nation’s economic base may be damaged by brownouts (23).

13

Original Passage:James Lester, author of Writing Research explains that “Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a resultthey overuse quotations in the final paper. Probably only about 10% of your final draft should appear as directly quoted matter.Therefore, you should strive to limit the amount of exacttranscribing of sources while taking notes (46).

Correctly Paraphrased:According to James Lester of Writing Research students often quoteexcessively, failing to keep quoted material down to a desirable level. Since the problem usually originates during note taking, it is essential to minimize the material recorded verbatim (46).

14

Original:James Lester, author of Writing Research explains that “Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a resultthey overuse quotations in the final paper. Probably only about 10% of your final draft should appear as directly quoted matter.Therefore, you should strive to limit the amount of exacttranscribing of sources while taking notes (46).

Plagiarized with NO LEAD IN:Students often use too many direct quotations when they take notes,resulting in too many of them in the final research paper. In fact, probably only about 10% of the final copy should consist of directlyquoted material. So it is important to limit the amount of sourcematerial copied while taking notes (46).

15

ORIGINAL PASSAGE:But are we being good caretakers by holding a dolphin or sea lion in a tank? Yes, if two conditions are met: that they’re given the best treatment possible, and, no less important, that they’re displayed in a way that educates and informs us. Captive animals must be allowed to serve as ambassadors for their species.

Brownlee, Shannon. “First It Was ‘Save the Whales,’ Now It’s ‘Free the Dolphins’” Discover Dec. 1986: 70-72.

16

I. A PARAPHRASE THAT PLAGIZRIZESIn “First It Was ‘Save the Whales,’ Now It’s Free the Dolphins,’” Shannon Brownlee argues that it’s all right for people to hold animals in captivity as long as (1) that animals are treated as well as possible, and (2) the animals are displayed in a way that educates the public. Brownlee insists that animals be allowed to serve as “ambassadors for their species” (72).

**Note where the student uses language from the original in the paraphrase without showing us he did so with quotation marks. Even though this writer identifies the source and even the page number, he is still plagiarizing by borrowing language and presenting it as his own. Something you MUST avoid.

17

GOOD PARAPHRASE

Shannon Brownlee, author of “First It Was ‘Save the Whales,’ Now It’s Free the Dolphins,’” holds that two criteria are necessary in order for the captivity of wild animals to be considered worthwhile. First, the animals should be treated as well as possible. Second, their captivity should have educational value for the people who come to look at them. “Captive animals,” Brownlee claims, “must be allowed to serve as ambassadors for their species” (72).