Avoiding Unintentional Plagiarism in the Research

8/13/2019 Avoiding Unintentional Plagiarism in the Research

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8.28.12AVOIDING UNINTENTIONAL PLAGIARISM IN THE RESEARCH PROCESS MODULE1

In short, plagiarism refers to not giving proper credit to somebody else's words or ideas. Although clients often tend tothink of plagiarism as stealing,! a more common form of plagiarism is unintentional. In other words, without theknowledge and use of accepted methods of adding source material to their te"t, students fre#uently commit plagiarismaccidentally. $hat is, even if they do not intend to plagiari%e & to use another writers words or ideas withoutappropriately crediting them & a paper full of sloppy or careless short cuts can look (ust like a paper deliberatelycopied from unacknowledged sources. $herefore, always encourage your clients to borrow carefully and honestly,fully acknowledging their debt to writers from whom they borrow anything.

)nintentional plagiarism* + ailing to cite #uotations and borrowed ideas.+ ailing to enclose borrowed language in #uotation marks.+ ailing to include a signal phrase to each #uotation.+ ailing to put summaries and paraphrases in your own words.

-ow to avoid unintentional plagiarism*

o ncourage your clients to do the following during the research process*o /aintain an accurate working bibliograph. $his will help them when they need to give credit to the

authors from whom theyre borrowing ideas and words.o 0hen taking notes,!i"#ing$i"h "o$r%& 'a#&rial (ro' a %li&n#)" own r&(l&%#ion"by using #uotation

marks, codes, andor separate columns or note cards. $hat is, clients should identify the source of

information, an idea, a summary, a paraphrase, or a #uotation in their notes.o )se &*i!&n%& %har#"to record different types of evidence they have gathered.

o ncourage your clients to do the following during the writing process*o 0hen drafting a paper, #ran"(&r "o$r%& 'a#&rial %ar&($llby coding material that will be integrated

into the papers discussion.o Always gi*& %r&!i#to the author from whom they borrow ideas or words. lients should do this

always when they #uote, paraphrase, or summari%e.o Always $"& "ignal phra"&"to give the reader information about a #uotations origin, author, and

purpose in the te"t.

A*oi!ing plagiari"' E+&r%i"& ,1- $o illustrate plagiarism 3both intentional and unintentional4, lets first look at a

passage from historian 5arbara 0. $uchmans The Distant Mirror: The Calamitous Fourteenth Century 36ew 7ork*nopf, 19:84. 0hen you have read the passage, complete the e"ercises that follow.

A greater ha%ard, built into the very nature of recorded history, is overload of the negative* thedisproportionate survival of the bad side & of evil, misery contention, and harm. In history this is e"actlythe same as in the daily newspaper. $he normal does not make news. -istory is made by thedocuments that survive, and these lean heavily on crisis and calamity, crime and misbehavior, becausesuch things are the sub(ect matter of the documentary process & of lawsuits, treaties, moralistsdenunciations, literary satire, papal 5ulls. 6o ;ope ever issued a 5ull to approve of something.6egative overload can be seen at work in the religious reformer 6icolas de lamanges, who, indenouncing unfit and worldly prelates in 1o you think the plagiarism is intentional orunintentional?

@ometimes its difficult for historians to learn the truth about the everyday lives of people from pastsocieties because of the disproportionate survival of the bad side of things. -istorical documents, liketodays newspapers, tend to lean rather heavily on crisis, crime, and misbehavior. eading the

1As academic discourses and practices vary around the world and can be very different from those in the U.S., it is

important to explain to ESL students that Western academia puts heavy emphasis on originality of scholarship,ownership of ideas and nowledge, and independent analysis. !or more on woring with ESL students, please see theESL module.

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8.28.12newspaper could lead one to e"pect a world consisting entirely of strikes, crimes, power failures,muggers, drug addicts, and rapists. In fact, though disaster is rarely so pervasive as recorded accountscan make it seem.

.0/>oes the following passage include plagiari%ed thoughts? If yes, where?

Its not always easy to determine the truth about the everyday lives of people from past societiesbecause bad news gets recorded a lot more fre#uently than good news does. -istorical documents, like

todays news channels, tend to pick up on malice and disaster and ignore flat normality. If I were tobase my opinion of the world on what I see on the seven oclock news, I would e"pect to see death anddestruction around me all the time. Actually though, I rarely come up against true disaster.

.C/$he following passage is an e"ample of plagiari%ed ideas with faulty credit. In other words, the author hasunintentionally plagiari%ed thoughts. "plain what revisions you could make to avoid plagiarism.

5arbara $uchman e"plains that it can be difficult for historians to learn about the everyday lives ofpeople who lived along time ago because historical documents tend to record only the bad news.$odays newspapers are like that, too* disaster, malice, and confusion take up a lot more room on thefront page than happiness and serenity. Bust as the ins and outs of our everyday lives go unreported,we can suspect that upheavals do not really play so important a part in the making of history as they

seem to do.

Mho! o( A!!ing an! Cr&!i#ing So$r%& Ma#&rial ,1PARAPHRASING

A paraphrase is your own rendition of essential information and ideas e"pressed by someone else that are presentedin a new form. It is a more detailed restatement than a summary, which focuses concisely on a single main idea.0hen you paraphrase a passage, you cast and recast its key terms into near synonyms, translating it into a parallelstatement.

In addition to encouraging your clients to state something in their own words, the goal of paraphrasing is to open upthe possible meanings of the words. Canguage doesnt merely reflect realityD what we see as reality is shaped by the

words we use. $herefore, when you have your clients paraphrase language, either their own or language theyencounter in their reading, you are not (ust making them define terms but open out the wide range of implicationsthose words inevitably possess.

ncourage your clients to follow these steps when paraphrasing*

o R&a! #h& original pa""ag&a couple of times so that you understand its full meaning.o Un!&rlin& k& %on%&p#".o Think o("non'"for the key concepts. onsulting a thesaurus often helps.o $ake a look at the original passage and think of ways to *ar i#""&n#&n%& "#r$%#$r&.o @et the original aside and wri#& o$r paraphra"&-o Co'par&the original and your paraphrase. Assure that the originals meaning has not changed.

Paraphra"& E+&r%i"& ,1- ;lagiarism or not?

ead the following e"cerpt from /arin Cuther ings Cetter from the 5irmingham Bail!*

7ou deplore the demonstrations taking place in 5irmingham. 5ut your statement, I am sorry to say,fails to e"press a similar concern for the conditions that brought about the demonstrations. I am surethat none of you would want to rest content with the superficial kind of social analysis that deals merelywith effects and does not grapple with underlying causes. It is unfortunate that demonstrations aretaking place in 5irmingham, but it is even more unfortunate that the citys white power structure left6egro community with no alternative.!

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8.28.126ow read the following e"cerpts from student papers on ings letter and discuss the following* .1/-as the studentcommitted plagiarism? If yes, why? .2/Is their paraphrase effective? .3/-ow could their paraphrase be improved?

1. ing argues that unfortunately 6egros had to demonstrate because the citys white power structures left noalternative.

2. /artin Cuther ing was certain that nobody would want to be contended with a type of social analysis that concernsitself only with effects and doesnt deal with root causes.

E. /artin Cuther ing wrote that the city of 5irminghams white power structure! left African+Americans there noalternative! but to demonstrate.!

o ;araphrase " E. $hat is, paraphrase one of the #uotes three times by finding synonyms for all the key terms.

1.

2.

E.

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3-eflect. 0hat have you come to recogni%e about the original passage on the basis of repeated restatement?

Mho! o( A!!ing an! Cr&!i#ing So$r%& Ma#&rial ,24UOTING

S&l&%#ing 4$o#&"@tudents should #uote sparingly. 7ou should encourage your clients to use their own words to summari%e andparaphrase their sources, and to e"plain their ideas. $hey should avoid e"cessive #uoting in their papers and only#uote when necessary. -owever, sometimes #uotations are a great tool that can help your clients make theirargument stronger and more persuasive. Guotes can also provide support for claims and add credibility to your clientswriting.

As a general rule, you should encourage your clients to use direct #uotations when*

o language is especially vivid or e"pressiveo e"act wording is needed for technical accuracy

o it is important to let the debaters of an issue e"plain their positions in their own wordso the words of an important authority lend weight to an argumento the language of a source is the topic of your discussion 3as in an analysis or interpretation4

$o select #uotes, ask your clients to follow these guidelines*

o Ski' the te"t for basic structure and main ideas. $his first reading is brief and cursory, so no underlining ornote taking should take place.

o R&a! #h& &n#ir& #&+# %ar&($ll, noting the key points and main ideas. $his step is crucial, so slow down andlook at each individual idea, underlining and making marginal notes about what each paragraph is about. 7ourgoal here should be to identify the main evidence the author provides for her argument.

o S$''ari5&in your own words what the single main idea of the essay is 30hat is the authors central claim orthesis?4. Paraphra"& important supporting points that come up in the essay 3-ow does the author support themain claim?4

o Con"i!&rany words, phrases, or brief passages that you believe should be 6$o#&! !ir&%#l.

o emember to!i"#ing$i"h "o$r%& 'a#&rial (ro' o$r own r&(l&%#ionby using #uotation marks, codes,andor separate columns or note cards

o Cook back at your notes and i!&n#i( "&%#ion" #ha# will h&lp "$ppor# o$r own arg$'&n#. ead thatsection sentence by sentence to clarify e"actly what the author is saying and use evidence charts to record#uotes and paraphrases you will be using.

In#ro!$%ing 4$o#&"0hen your client includes a paraphrase, summary, or direct #uotation in their paper, they must introduce it with a

signal phrasethat names the author of the source and provides some conte"t for the source material. $hese signalphrases are important to help give some background information about the #uotation and indicate the tone of the idea.0hen writers do not introduce a #uotation, it can often lead to confusion about the #uotations origin, author, orpurpose in the te"t. A dropped quotationis a #uotation that lacks a signal phrase.

$he signal phrase is underlined in the following samples*

>awn claims, $he sky will not be blue long enough today.!

$he only re#uirement was,! Halen and ;rovost note, that they pay the royal fifth, or quinto real! 3284.

$here are many strong verbs that your clients can use in signal phrases*

addsagreesadmitsadvocates

arguesassertsbelievescalls for

claimscommentscomparescomplains

complicatesconfirmscontendscontradicts

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8.28.12declaresdeniesdescribesdisputesemphasi%esendorses

grantsillustratesimpliesinsistsnotesobserves

points out#uestionsreasonsrecommendsrefutesre(ects

reportsrespondssuggeststhinksurgeswrites

E+plaining or 7ra'ing 4$o#&"

In addition to introducing #uotations, your clients must e"plain them. Guotations are not self+evident and do not makea point in and of themselves. $herefore, tell your clients to avoid dropping #uotations down into the middle of aparagraph in a free+standing manner. Instead, e"plain that they must frame and e"plain all #uotes, connecting them tothe point they are trying to make. 0hen your clients include a #uotation in their te"t, you should encourage them tofollow this basic guideline*

314 Fpening 324 #uotation signal phrase 3E4 closing

Fpening* Guotations need to be introduced and e"plained to help the reader understand why your client chose thisparticular #uote. $he sentence or two before the #uote should e"plain the speakers position, source of authority andthe so what! or conse#uences of that speakers position.

losing* $he sentence or two after the #uote should restate the essential meaning of the #uote to your clients thesis

or purpose for hisher paper.

S&l&%#ing 4$o#&" E+&r%i"& ,2- In the te"ts below, identify the opening, the #uote, and the closing for the #uotation.$hen, discuss each elements effectivenessD that is, discuss if the #uote is framed well.

1. $he @paniards came to the Jnew world in search of the richesD they viewed the colonies as a way to e"tractresources, such as gold and diamonds. In fact, the con#uistadors had the legal permission from the @panishmonarchy to e"ploit and steal the native peoples possessions. $he only re#uirement was,! Halen and ;rovost note,that they pay the royal fifth, or quinto real! 3284. In other words, as long as the con#uerors were loyal to the crown andpaid ta"es, they had free hands to gather as much fortune as possible & at the e"pense of indigenous people, ofcourse.

2. In The epu!li"by @ocrates, the philosopher wants to build a mock city with structures, governing bodies, andmorals to help him e"plain what (ustice in the individual is. $he task of e"plaining his philosophy of (ustice takes nearlyten books to complete and still leaves the reader wondering what (ustice is. @ocrates doest not overtly say from what(ustice is made or who it is constructedD however, @ocrates is able to lay claim to an important notion about thebeginnings of (ustice, e#uating (ustice with education by proclaiming, $he direction in which education starts a manwill determine his future life! 3epublic, E24. 5asically, @ocrates believes that the direction that (ustice should takeshould be through education.

Mho! o( A!!ing an! Cr&!i#ing So$r%& Ma#&rial ,3SUMMARI8ING

@ummari%ing is presenting information from others in your own words and in a more concise way. As noted before, byfocusing only on a single main idea, a summary is less detailed than a paraphrase. It often presents an authorsoverall argument rather than e"plaining each element of the argument. urthermore, a summary must at once be trueto what the original author says while at the same time emphasi%ing those aspects of what the author says thatinterest your client, the writer.

Introducing @ummaries*Cike with #uotations, your client needs to use vivid and precise signal verbsphrases to do (ustice to the authors whoseideas they are summari%ing. -ere are some templates for introducing summaries*

@he demonstrates that KKKKKKKKKKKKKKK.

In fact, they celebrate the fact that KKKKKKKKKKKKKKK.

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KKKKKKKKKKKKK, he admits.

ncourage your client to avoid bland formulas like he talks about,! she says,! or they believe.! @uch language oftenfails to capture accurately what the person has said. $hat is, the authors whom your client cares enough to write aboutnever simply say! or discuss! thingsD they urge,! emphasi%e,! and insist on! them. $herefore, to do (ustice to theauthors, your clients should use vivid verbs in their signal phrases. -ere are some recommendations*

V&rb" (or In#ro!$%ing S$''ari&"

or making a claim or e"pressing agreement or #uestioning ordisagreeing

or makingrecommendations

argueinsistassertbelieveclaimemphasi%e

insistobserveremind usreportsuggest

acknowledgeadmireagreeconcurcorroboratedo not deny

endorsee"tolpraisereaffirmsupportverify

complaincomplicatecontendcontradictdenydeplore

disavow#uestionrefutere(ectrenouncerepudiate

advocatecall fordemandencouragee"hort

implorepleadrecommendurgewarn

S$''ar E+&r%i"& ,1-

1. ead the following passage from* @tephen Fates #ur Fiery Trial: $!raham %in"oln& John 'ro(n& and the Ci)il *ar+ra,

6obody called him Abe++at least not to his face++because he loathed the nickname. It did not befit a respectedprofessional who'd struggled hard to overcome the limitations of his frontier background. rankly Cincoln en(oyed hisstatus as a lawyer and politician, and he liked money, too, and used it to measure his worth. 5y the 18L='s, thanks to acombination of talent and sheer hard work, Cincoln was a man of substantial wealth. -e had an annual income ofaround ML,===++the e#uivalent of many times that today++and large financial and real+estate investments.

6ow, read the following sample summaries and paraphrases. $hen, identify which one of the following is a correctparaphrase, an incorrectplagiari%ed paraphrase, and an acceptable summary. 0hy?

.A/ 6o one used Cincoln's nickname, Abe, because he detested it. It didn't go with a lawyer andpolitician who had worked to get away from the restrictions of his country heritage. Cincoln liked his newposition, and his wealth, and used it to gauge his status. 5y mid+century, his skill and labor had madehim a fairly wealthy man. -e had a yearly income of appro"imately ML,=== + e#ual to several times thatnow + and hefty business and land commitments.

.0/ 5y the middle of the century, Cincoln en(oyed life as a well+respected lawyer and politician, havingac#uired a position of status and wealth that was well removed from his early Nfrontier backgroundN. -enow was bringing in ML,=== a year 3this translates to M8:,L== in 199: dollars O>erks, 2P4, and hadsubstantial Nfinancial and real estate investmentsN. As a conse#uence, he disliked being called Abebecause of its association with his rural heritage. 3Fates, QL4

.C/ 0hen we think of Abraham Cincoln, the image of a wealthy lawyer is not the first that comes to mind. Aman, who worked hard, struggled, and came from a less than ideal background is often the picture weinvoke. -owever, it is an incomplete portraitD /r. Cincoln was successful both professionally andfinancially even by today's standards. 3Fates, QL4

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S$''ar E+&r%i"& ,2- @ummari%e the argument of this review of the documentary, *aiting for Superman*. )seproper in+te"t citations as you do so. After you write the summary, reflect on your process. @ource* illingham,/ontgomery 32=114. 0aiting for superman* 0aiting for a discussion of education. ducation 0eek, 12 314.

0hat I feel has been missed by this film is not the issue of money, but >)A$IF6. It seems more time is spent onsuperfluous piffle than on the NE sN of old, science, history civics. It is now the e"ception, not the rule, to find astudent who can properly handle our language, spoken or written, much less is adept at what was considered basic

education in the 18==s.

As someone whose Rrandmother taught in a one+room schoolhouse, I can tell you that they were all re#uired to dosome complicated math without paper, totally in their heads, whereas today, most young people cannot make simplechange without an electronic register. In Rrandmother's my /other's day, they understood the language, knew howit worked, as well as what proper usage was was not.

$he documentary missed the entire point* that we need to return to old fashioned education skip the vast ma(ority ofadditions, save those technological advances necessary to navigate in the world of education life. 0ere this nottrue, then how can home schooling parents spend ;66I@ per head on their children, yet turn out a far superiorproduct? I have been e"posed to public school freshmen, private school freshmen 3in many ways not much better4,and home schooled freshmen I can say without a doubt that the home schoolers 3educated for pennies per head4beat them all by miles. $hey have a better grasp of nglish, /ath, @cience, -istory, Rovernment, the Arts, as well as

being disciplined individuals, conscientious in regard to their education, not afraid of hard work they relate well totheir peers, their professors, even the (anitors.

Fne such student holds more patents in the sciences that I could begin to name, all before the age of 2=. Anotherassigned herself the memori%ation of the onstitution. )nknown to her, she had a discussion with an attorney, #uotedthe part of the onstitution he had misapplied, bringing him to go back check it. @he was rightD he was wrong.Another stumped an anthropology colleague, who taught accepted information in his field which proved to beincorrect. @he did her homework based on what he presented in class, came back with facts, figures, citing @cientificBournals proved her point, respectfully, but clearly. -e was shocked to reali%e the truth, but had enough character togive her credit for her findings.

In contrast, I find totally appalling the ignorance of traditionally educated college students on issues considered basiccivic knowledge in days past. -ow can you be a good citi%en if you do not know something about your history, your

form of government how it works? I am stunned to continually hear in print on television that we are a democracy.0e are 6F$ a democracy. 0e are a epublic 3which your ;ledge of Allegiance tells you4, which is not run by simplema(ority vote, but by rule of law a representative form of government. -owever, our students haven't even the mostbasic knowledge of where they came from, of their government how it works 3 what it was originally based upon,5lackstone's ommentaries of the Caws of ngland4, so how can we have a responsible voting public? 6or do theyhave any understanding of figures of speech based in classic works of literature or even what is considered the oldestliterary work an important basis of ). @. history, the 5ible.

@o again, if all the issues covered in this film do not cover returning to the type of material and the discipline of oureducational Nglory days,N then perhaps the documentary has totally missed the point that needed to be made. ;erhapsthe action to which they are pointing is missing the mark.

@ummary*

eflection*

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Avoiding Unintentional Plagiarism in the Research