Academic Integrity and Understanding Plagiarism

What it is and how you can avoid it

Academic Dishonesty/Cheating/Plagiarism

• Cheating is misrepresenting another person’s work as one’s own, or allowing one’s work to be used in such a manner. Students are expected to perform their own work. Where assignments require students to gather material from outside sources, teachers will instruct students of any restrictions regarding the use of other material (plagiarism). Any situation where a student is found to be cheating or plagiarizing may result in no credit for the particular assignment and the LST will be notified with each incidence of cheating. Repeated cheating incidents may result in a failing grade for the course and/or LST imposed consequences may impact participation in school activities/athletics.

*taken directly from page 41 of the 2012-2013 Libertyville High School Student Handbook

Plagiarism: Serious Consequences

A famous writer and historian’s reputation was seriously damaged and she was forced to resign from the Pulitzer Prize board after it was revealed that her book used numerous passages from other books without citing them.

• In 2003, an up-and-coming New York Times reporter was forced to resign when it was discovered that 36 of the 73 national news stories he had written included ethical infractions, such as making up content and copying passages from other journalists’ articles.

• “Two Students Kicked off Semester at Sea for Plagiarism”

http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/paper-trail/2008/08/14/two-students-kicked-off-semester-at-sea-for-plagiarism

• CBS news producer fired for plagiarism

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18045526/

“Men At Work Guilty Of Ripping Off ‘Land Down Under’ Melody”In 2010, the Australian band was found guilty of copying their song “Land Down Under” from a 70 year old children’s song “Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree.” The penalty could cost the writers of “Land Down Under” millions.

• Using an assignment, or part of an assignment for more than one class is also cheating. This is self-plagiarism.

Plagiarism beyond the obvious offenses

• It’s not just buying a term paper or “borrowing” a paper from a friend who took the same course…

An incorporation of another’s ideas without properly citing the source.

Failure to use quotation marks when it is a quote. Failure to acknowledge the original source when you paraphrase. Failure to provide citation information for the source. Note that you cannot reuse your own work. In other words, you can not use

portions of one assignment for more than one class.

To Cite or not to Cite?You should cite when…• you give statistics• the information is unique and

not known by most people the reader might ask “how

do you know that?”• you use a direct quotation

from someone else• you use someone else’s ideas• you paraphrase a direct

quotation from someone else

You don’t need to cite when…• the information is commonly

known (either by the general population, or commonly known within the particular discipline)

• most or all of your sources repeat the same general idea.

• it is your own original thought or opinion

Quoting and Paraphrasing: What’s the Difference?

A direct quote is taking a key phrase, or two or more words in order, from an outside source. Quotation marks are required. Quotes should not make up more than 10% of the text of your assignment. Otherwise, the paper is considered to be a mosaic of quotes. According to Hawkins, lemurs are “unlikely candidates to replace dogs as America’s favorite pet” (Robinson 5).

A paraphrase is rewording the idea of the original passage – it is NOT rearranging the author’s words. Quotation marks are not necessary but citations are. Paraphrases MUST be substantially different than the original sentences from your source.

Hawkins discusses at great length the efforts of the American Association for Lemur Acceptance (AALA) to raise Americans’ consciousness about the value of lemurs. He explains that lemurs are not only cute but also excellent dancers (Robinson 15).

• Rearranging, changing, or leaving out a word or two from an original passage does not make it a paraphrase – the entire passage must be rewritten in your own words.

Tips for Avoiding Plagiarism• Read a passage, and then write your interpretation of it with the

book closed. Do not attempt to paraphrase with the passage right in front of you if you feel unsure about how to do it. Double check to make sure you did not accidently copy phrases.

• Cite every piece of information that is not common knowledge. This includes opinions, arguments, and speculations as well as facts, details, figures, and statistics.

• Use quotation marks every time you use the author's words. Quotes of five lines or more are indented as block quotes and single spaced. In this case, quotation marks are omitted but the sources is cited. Block quotes should be used infrequently.

• The following examples are from the School of Education at Indiana University Bloomington’s “How to Recognize Plagiarism” website: https://www.indiana.edu/~istd/examples.html

Is this an example of plagiarism?

• Original Source Material: The concept of systems is really quite simple. The basic idea is that a system has parts that fit together to make a whole; but where it gets complicated -- and interesting -- is how those parts are connected or related to each other.

Student’s TextFrick states that “a system has parts that fit together to make a whole" but the important aspect of systems is “how those parts are connected or related to each other" (Frick 17).

Works Cited:

Frick, Theodore W. Restructuring Education Through Technology. Bloomington, IN: Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation, 1991.

Is this an example of plagiarism?Original Source Material: Technology has significantly transformed education at several major turning points in our history. In the broadest sense, the first technology was the primitive modes of communication used by prehistoric people before the development of spoken language. Mime, gestures, grunts, and drawing of figures in the sand with a stick were methods used to communicate - yes, even to educate. Even without speech, these prehistoric people were able to teach their young how to catch animals for food, what animals to avoid, which vegetation was good to eat and which was poisonous.

Student Paper: History has demonstrated that technology affects education profoundly. Considering the definition of technology broadly, one may say that prehistoric people used primitive technologies to teach skills to their young (Frick 93).

Works Cited

Frick, Theodore W. Restructuring Education Through Technology. Bloomington, IN: Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation, 1991.

QUESTIONS? ALWAYS ASK YOUR TEACHER!