Avoiding Plagiarism: Notes from IRIS Tutorial www.clark.edu/Library/iris2/plagiarism

No Excuses for Plagiarizing • “My professor won’t notice or care.”

Whether or not your professor notices or cares, you will still be a plagiarist.

• “I ran out of time.” Poor time management is not an excuse. You will be guilty of plagiarism. Ask for help with time management.

• “I don’t remember where I got it.” Failing to take proper notes and organize your research is not an excuse for plagiarizing. Ask for help learning how to organize your research notes.

• “It’s no big deal - I got by with it before.” It’s a big deal to have “plagiarist” attached to your student record. It means you are unethical and dishonest.

• “In my culture, using another’s work shows respect for that person. We honor cultural differences, but in most U.S. school the opposite is true. One shows respect by giving credit to the person we borrow or learn from.

• ”I didn’t know - no one every taught me.” This is the place to learn! If you still have questions, ask an instructor or librarian for help.

Potential Consequences of Plagiarism • receive disciplinary warning or reprimand • fail the assignment or fail the class • be put on academic suspension or possibly be expelled from college

Types of Information to Acknowledge You do not need to cite • information that is common knowledge • your own ideas, discoveries and reasoning

You may cite • common knowledge especially well

addressed in a particular source if it informs your work

You must cite • direct quotations • paraphrases and summaries • arguable assertions • all statistics, charts, tables, graphs • media, like images, videos, sound clips

Style Manuals Style manuals define specific rules describing how to write citations and how to refer to the citations in your project. Five common style manuals and disciplines: • MLA -- English and literature • APA -- nursing, dental hygiene, alcohol &

drug dependency programs, social sciences, and psychology

• CSE – biology • ACS – chemistry • Chicago -- art, humanities

Common Questions and Answers Q: Can I turn in a paper for one class that I wrote for another class?

A: No. But discuss it with your instructor. You may be able to use a similar topic. Q: Do I only cite sources in written papers?

A: No. Cite soruces in posters, speeches, slide shows, web pages, everything! Q: Can my friend write the paper, as long as I do the research and the ideas are mine?

A: No. Turning in work someone else wrote is academically dishonest, and plagiarism. Q: Does all this plagiarism stuff only count while I’m in college?

A: No. In the “real world” you could lose your job or be sued for plagiarizing. Q: Can I buy papers off the internet or hire someone else to write papers for me?

A: No. Buying papers or paying someone to write your papers is academically dishonest and plagiarism.

Q: Can I get help writing my paper? A: Yes, with limits. Others may read your work and provide input, but not rewrite it.

Plagiarism: using someone else’s work (words, ideas, images, etc.) without giving them credit.