Chapter 18

Summarizing, Quoting, and Avoiding Plagiarism

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In this chapter you will learn what plagiarism is and how to avoid it. You will also learn and practice three excellent ways to use outside sources in your writing:

Summarizing Quoting directly Quoting indirectly

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Plagiarism is failing to give proper credit to an author whose words or ideas you have used.

Plagiarism means passing off someone else’s words or ideas as your own.

Whether intentional or careless, plagiarism is stealing.

A college student who plagiarizes a paper may be expelled from the course or from college.

In the business world, publishing material copied from someone else is a crime.

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To avoid plagiarism, you must give proper credit to the original author:

Always tell your reader the source of any words and ideas not your own. Give enough information so that a reader who wants to find your original source can do so.

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A summary presents the main idea and supporting points of a longer work in much shorter form.

A summary might be one sentence, one paragraph, or several paragraphs long, depending on the length of the original and the nature of yourassignment.

Summarizing is important both in college and at work.

In a persuasive essay, you might summarize the ideas of an expert whose views support one of your points. A professor might ask you to summarize a book, a market survey, or even the plot of a film.

Many essay exams also call for written summaries.

Writing a Summary

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Compare this short newspaper article—the source—with the summary that appears on the next slide:

Fido may be cute, cuddly, and harmless. But in his genes, he’s a wolf. Researchers tracing the genetic family tree of man’s best friend have confirmed that domestic dogs, from petite poodles to huge elkhounds, descended from wolves that were tamed 100,000 years ago. “Our data show that the origin of dogs seems to be much more ancient than indicated in the archaeological record,” said Robert K. Wayne of UCLA, the leader of a team that tested the genes from 67 dog breeds and 62 wolves on four continents. Wayne said the study showed so many DNA changes that dogs had to have diverged genetically from wolves 60,000 to more than 100,000 years ago. The study suggests that primitive humans living in a hunting and gathering culture tamed wolves and then bred the animals to create the many different types of dogs that now exist.

—Recer, Paul. “Dogs Tamed 100,000 Years Ago.”The Herald 13 June 1997: 9A. Print.

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Summary:

Dogs began evolving from wolves between 60,000 and 100,000 years ago, reports Paul Recer in The Herald. Apparently, humans tamed wolves far earlier than was previously thought. Researchers at UCLA, led by Robert K. Wayne, came to these conclusions after studying the genes of 67 breeds of dogs and 62 wolves on four continents (9A).

(Notice that sentence 1 states the author and source of the original article. Sentence 1 also states the main idea of the article. What is its main idea?)

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Your written summary should include the following:

The author, title, and source of the original The main idea or thesis of the original, in your

own words The most important supporting ideas or points

of the original, in your own words

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Use a quotation to stress a key idea. Use a quotation to lend expert opinion to your argument. Use a quotation to provide a catchy introduction or conclusion. Use a quotation about your topic that is wonderfully written and “quotable” to add interest.

Using Direct and Indirect Quotation

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Below is a passage from a well-known book. The following two slides show two different ways that students quoted the author:

On film or videotape, violence begins and ends in a moment. “Bang bang, you’re dead.” Then the death is over. This sense of action-without-consequences replicates and reinforces the dangerous “magical” way many children think. Do the twelve- and fourteen-year-olds who are shooting each other to death in Los Angeles, Chicago, or Washington, D.C., really understand that death ispermanent, unalterable, final, tragic? Television certainly is not telling them so.

—Prothrow-Stith, Deborah. Deadly Consequences.New York: Harper Perennial, 1991: 34.

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“This sense of action-without-consequences replicates and reinforces the dangerous ‘magical’ way many children think,” writes Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith in Deadly Consequences (34).

(The sentence gives Dr. Prothrow-Stith’s exact words inside quotationmarks. This is direct quotation. Note the punctuation.)

Direct Quotation

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In Deadly Consequences, Prothrow-Stith points out that TV and movie violence, which has no realistic consequences, harms children by reinforcing the magical way in which they think (34).

(The sentence uses the word that and gives the meaning of Prothrow-Stith’s words without quotation marks. This is indirect quotation, or paraphrase. Note the punctuation.)

Indirect Quotation

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On film and television, violence begins and ends in a minute, and then the death is over. Teenagers killing each other across the country don’t realize that death is “unalterable, final, and tragic” because they do not see its consequences on TV.

(Why is this passage is plagiarized? Both the ideas and many of the words are clearly Prothrow-Stith’s, yet the student never mentions her or her book. Four words from the original are placed in quotation marks, but the reader has no idea why. Instead, the student implies that all the ideas and words are his own.)

Example of Plagiarism of the Same Passage

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EXPLORING ONLINE

http://www.google.com

Search “purdue OWL, is it plagiarism yet?” Helpful advice on what constitutes plagiarism

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Chapter 19

Strengthening an Essay with Research

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Whenever you have a question and seek an answer from a source outside yourself, you are doing research.

We research every day when we gather facts and opinions about the cheapest local restaurant, the college with the best fire science program, the safest new cars, or various medical conditions.

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Compare two versions of this student’s paragraph

Inexperienced hikers often get in trouble because they worry aboutrare dangers like snakebites, but they minimize the very serious dangers ofdehydration and exposure to cold. For example, my brother-in-law once hiked into the Grand Canyon with only a granola bar and a small bottle of water. He became severely dehydrated and was too weak to climb back up without help.

(This paragraph makes an important point about the dangers that inexperienced hikers can face. The example of the brother-in-law supports the main point, but the paragraph needs more complete support.)

Improving an Essay with Research

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Inexperienced hikers often get in trouble because they worry about rare dangers like snakebites, but they minimize the very serious dangers of dehydration and exposure to cold. For example, my brother-in-law once hiked into the Grand Canyon with only a granola bar and a small bottle of water. He became severely dehydrated and was too weak to climb back up without help. He was lucky. According to the National Park Service website, over a hundred hikers die every year because they are not properly prepared for the environment. In addition, the NPS reports that over $4.7 million was spent in 2007 to perform 3,593 search-and-rescue operations, almost a third of them to save poorly prepared hikers like my brother-in-law (“Search and Rescue Report”).

(What facts from the National Park Service web site support the main point and add to the persuasive power of this paragraph?)

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Consider the facts in this chart from the U.S. Census:

What patterns do you see in this chart? How might you use this information in an essay?

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One way to visualize the research process presented in this chapter:

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1. Online Catalog or Card Catalog. This will show you what books are available on your topic. For every book that looks like it might be interesting, jot down its title, author, and call number (the number that lets you find the book in the library).

2. Periodical Indexes. The more current your topic, the more likely you are to find interesting information in periodicals—magazines, journals, and newspapers—rather than books. The Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature is a print resource, listing articles by subject. The library will also have computerized indexes like InfoTrac, EBSCOhost, and Lexis Nexis. Ask the librarian to help you explore these exciting resources.

3. Statistical Sources. If you are looking for statistics and facts, the library has volumes like The Statistical Abstract of the United States with fascinating information on population, education, immigration, crime, economic issues, and so on.

4. Encyclopedias and Reference Books. General books on subjects like geology or psychology can be helpful. Special reference books and encyclopedias exist for almost every area—for example, world soccer statistics, terrorism, or the birds of South America.

Finding and Evaluating Outside Sources: The Library

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Evaluate each source.

If you are writing about the space shuttle, a current article in the Chicago Tribune would more likely impress readers as a truthful source than a story in a tabloid called “Space Aliens Ate My Laundry.”

Look at the date of a book or article; if your subject is current, your sources should be current too.

Is the author a respected expert on this subject? Is the information balanced and objective?

The librarian can help you find strong sources.

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Take clear and careful notes, using 4 × 6 note cards or your notebook.

Write down everything you might need later.

Print or buy copies of an article or book pages that are important.

Don’t leave the library without this information:

Book: Author name(s), title and subtitle, year of publication, publisher and location of publisher, exact pages of material quoted or summarized.

Magazine: Author name(s), title of article, title of magazine or journal, year, month, day of publication, volume and number, page numbers.

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Finding and Evaluating Outside Sources: The Internet

The Internet is a wonderful source of information on just about everything: a great place to brainstorm, get ideas as you research, and find certain facts.

However, it is harder to evaluate information on the web than in print!

Who sponsors the site you are looking at? How balanced and unbiased is the information? Notice the date of the site and article.

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With practice, web researchers get better at spotting good and not-so-good sources of information.

One tip is the web address, or Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of each site. The last part of a URL says who owns the site:

.com = company (aims to sell something and make a profit)

.org = nonprofit organization (aims to promote a cause)

.gov = government (provides many public information sites)

.edu = college or educational institution (aims to inform the public and promote itself)

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As in the library—to avoid plagiarism later—take good notes, clearly marking words and ideas taken from your sources. Before you leave a web site you wish to quote, cut and paste or print the material you want to refer to, and make sure you have full information to cite the source later in your paper:

Web site: URL address, owner of site, author name(s), title of article, date written (if available), and date you accessed the web site.

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Adding Sources to Your Essay and Documenting Them Correctly

The MLA style (named after the Modern Language Association) is a good method for documenting sources quickly and clearly. MLA style is also called parenthetical documentation because it puts source information in the body of the essay, in parentheses, rather than in cumbersome footnotes or endnotes.

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A correct citation does two things:

1. It tells your reader that the material is from an outside source.

2. It gives your reader enough information to find the original source.

A correct citation appears in two places in your essay:

1. inside the essay in parentheses2. at the end in a Works Cited list

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The last page of your essay will be a list of all the sources you summarized, directly quoted, or indirectly quoted in your essay, in alphabetical order by the author’s last name.

If there is no named author, list the entry alphabetically by its title (in quotation marks).

Title the page Works Cited, and center the title.

If a citation goes beyond one line, indent any following lines five spaces to make it clear that the information belongs together.

At the End of Your Essay: List Works Cited

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Books

One author:Didion, Joan. The Year of Magical Thinking. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006. Print.

More than one author:Torre, Joe, and Tom Verducci. The Yankee Years. New York: Doubleday, 2009. Print.

Encyclopedia:“Panama Canal.” Encyclopedia Brittanica. 2009 ed. Print.

List Works Cited (continued)

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Periodicals

Article in a newspaper:

Revkin, Andrew. “Fossils of Largest Snake Give Hint of Hot Earth.” New York Times 5 Feb. 2009: 7. Print.

Article in a magazine:Ordoñez, Jennifer. “Taking the Junk Out of Junk Food.” Newsweek 8 Oct. 2007: 46. Print.

Article in a journal:Glezen, W. Paul. “Prevention and Treatment of Seasonal Influenza.” New England Journal of Medicine 359 (2008): 2579–2585. Print.

List Works Cited (continued)

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Website:“Global Warming.” National Geographic Society. National Geographic Society, 2009. Web. 21 Mar. 2009.

Article in an online periodical:Thurer, Shari. “The Working Mom Myth.” Salon.com. Salon Media Group, Inc., 6 April 1999. Web. 12 August 2008.

Work from a subscription service (give the name of the subscription service you used):Bell, Erin. “Intelligence and How to Get It.” Psychology Today 32–32. Academic Search Premier. Web. 21 Mar. 2009.

List Works Cited (continued)

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Multimedia

Film or video:March of the Penguins. Dir. Luc Jacquet. Narr. Morgan Freeman. Warner Independent Pictures, 2005. DVD.

Radio or television program:“Eyewitness: How Accurate Is Visual Memory?” Narr. Leslie Stahl. Sixty Minutes. CBS. WCBS, New York, 8 Mar. 2009. Television.

Personal interview:Santos, Mariela. Personal interview. 24 Apr. 2008.

List Works Cited (continued)

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1. Types of fat in foods2. The effects of (or solutions for) illegal

immigration3. Zoos4. Environmental topics, such as coral reef

destruction or green burial (in ecopods)5. Arguments for or against stem cell research6. Prisons in America7. Methods of persuasion in advertisements8. Media violence9. An idea to reform public schools10.Gun control

Suggested Topics for Research

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EXPLORING ONLINE

http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/mla/index.shtml

For a thorough review of the research-paper process, including a section on how to outline your research paper.

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Chapter 20

Writing Under Pressure:The Essay

Examination

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Throughout your college career, you will be asked to write timed papers in class and to take essay examinations.

Many English programs base placement and passing on timed essay exams.

An essay question requires the same writing skills that a student uses in composing a paragraph or an essay.

Even in history and biology, how well you do on an essay test depends partly on how well you write.

This chapter will improve your ability to write under pressure.

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Six Tips for Budgeting Your Time:

1. Make sure you know exactly how long the examination lasts.

2. Note the point value of all questions and allot time accordingly to each question.

3. Decide on an order in which to answer the questions.4. Make sure you understand exactly what each question

asks you to do; then quickly prewrite and plan your answer.

5. Time yourself. 6. Do not count on having enough time to recopy your

work.

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Before you begin writing, carefully examine each question to decide exactly what your purpose is: that is, what the instructor expects you to do:

This question contains three sets of instructions.

Using either Communist China or Nazi Germany as a model,

(a) describe the characteristics of a totalitarian state, and (b) explain how such a state was created.

Reading and Understanding the Essay Question

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First, you must use “either Communist China or Nazi Germany as a model.” That is, you must choose one or the other as a model.

Second, you must describe. Third, you must explain.

Your answer should consist of two written parts, a description and an explanation.

Reading and Understanding the Essay Question

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Many examinations will require you simply to illustrate, define, compare, and so forth. How well you answer questions may depend partly on how well you understand these terms.

1. Illustrate “behavior modification.”2. Define “greenhouse effect.”3. Compare Agee and Nin as diarists.

The key words in these questions are illustrate, define, and compare— Instruction words that tell you what you are supposed to do and what form your answer should take.

Choosing the Correct Paragraph or Essay Pattern

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A good way to ensure that your answer truly addresses itself to the question is to compose a topic sentence or a thesis statement that contains the key words of the question.

Writing the Topic Sentence or the Thesis Statement

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EXPLORING ONLINE

http://www.google.com

Do you get so anxious when taking tests that you don’t do your best? Search “test anxiety” to find tips, help, and a deeper understanding of the problem.