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Using Sources in your Work:

Avoiding Plagiarism

Created by: Michelle Kramer and Sherri Miller, Mt. Lebanon High School

Why do students plagiarize?Here are some excuses…

Why does it matter? My (pick one of the following)

teacher/parent/guardian doesn’t care if I do it.

I had to. I need to have good grades.

I didn’t have the time to do the work on my own. I had work/rehearsal/practice/etc.

I didn’t understand the

assignment and I needed some help.

I didn’t know that I had to

cite my sources.

Everybody else does it. Why not me, too?

The assignment was dumb/boring/too hard/too easy/etc., so why should I put

my effort into it?

Why do students plagiarize?Here are some excuses…

Why does it matter? My (pick one of the following)

teacher/parent/guardian doesn’t care if I do it.

I had to. I need to have good grades.

I didn’t have the time to do the work on my own. I had work/rehearsal/practice/etc.

Have you heard anyof those before?

I didn’t understand the

assignment and I needed some help.

I didn’t know that I had to

cite my sources.

Everybody else does it. Why not me, too?

The assignment was dumb/boring/too hard/too easy/etc., so why should I put

my effort into it?

But those excuses don’t cut it…

There is no acceptable excuse for plagiarism.

Plagiarism is cheating(and it will be treated as such if it is

found in your work).Look at these real life examples…

Real Life Plagiarism Scandals

Doris Kearns Goodwin, a Pulitzer Prize winning historian, was forced to step down from the Pulitzer board after she was found to have accidentally used another’s words in one of her books.

Hostetter, Janet. 6 Apr 2006. Associated Press Images. 5 Aug 2008. <http://apimages.ap.org>

Kirpatrick, David D. “Author Goodwin Resigns from Pulitzer Board.” New York Times. (1 June 2002.) 5 Aug. 2008. <http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C06E7D7143AF932A35755C0A9649C8B63>.

Real Life Plagiarism ScandalsAs a reporter for the New York Times, Jayson Blair plagiarized or fabricated in more than 40 stories between 2002 and 2005. He was fired from his job. The top two editors of the newspaper resigned as a result of the scandal.

“Correcting the Record.” New York Times. 11 May 2003. The New York Times. 5 Aug 2008. <http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9403E1DB123FF932A25756C0A9659C8B63>

Image: Szymaszek, Jennifer. 12 May 2004. Associated Press Images. 5 Aug 2008. <http:// apimages.ap.org>

Real Life Plagiarism ScandalsBlair Hornstein was the valedictorian of her high school class and had earned admission to Harvard University. After articles Hornstein wrote for a local newspaper were discovered to have been plagiarized, Harvard University rescinded their acceptance. Capuzzo, Jill P. “MOORESTOWN JOURNAL; Seeing Crimson.” New York Times. (20 July 2003.) 5 Aug. 2008. <http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E00E6D61E3CF933A15754C0A9659C8B63&scp=4&sq=Blair%20Hornstein%20&st=cse>.

“Blair Hornstein.” The Gothamist. 14 July 2003. 5 Aug. 2008. <http://gothamist.com/2003/07/14/gothamist.php>.

So, as you can see,plagiarism is a serious offense.

This presentation is part of your class work so that you know

what plagiarism is and

how you can avoid it.

Definition of Plagiarism Plagiarism is:

• To steal the words or ideas of another person

• To pass off the words or ideas of another person as one’s own

Further:• It doesn’t matter whether the theft is

intentional or accidental. Either way, it is plagiarism.

Let’s look at some hypothetical situations.

For each, determine if the student plagiarized or did not.

Click on the arrow to move to the next page.

Jack’s SituationJack has an English paper due tomorrow. He

read the book and paid attention during class, but he has no idea what to write about.

Jack logs onto the Internet “just to get some ideas about topics for his paper.”

He finds a great idea and begins writing his paper using the topic he found. He is very careful to avoid copying any text or words from the Internet article he found.

Is this plagiarism? Yes No

You must choose from the blue buttons at the bottom of the page.

Read the situation and then choose one of the options presented.

Click here to return to previous slide

You said…Jack did plagiarize.

You are right. Jack’s actions constitute plagiarism.• Jack is committing plagiarism by taking

the ideas of the source without citing them in the paper.

• Even though he put the ideas in his own words, Jack is stealing the intellectual property of the source.

You are wrong. Jack’s actions constitute plagiarism.• Jack is committing plagiarism by taking the

ideas of the source without citing them in the paper.

• Even though he put the ideas in his own words, Jack is stealing the intellectual property of the source. You are wrong. Jack’s actions constitute plagiarism.

• He could avoid plagiarism if he cites the source of the ideas in his paper.

You said…Jack did not plagiarize.

Jill’s SituationDuring history class, Jill is asked to find

some background on Fidel Castro’s rise to power.

Jill does a Google search and arrives at Wikipedia’s article on Fidel Castro. Without using quotation marks, Jill cuts and pastes several sentences from Wikipedia into her assignment.





You said…Jill did plagiarize.

You are right. Jill’s actions constitute plagiarism.• By taking the words from the Wikipedia

article, Jill is committing plagiarism.• She can avoid plagiarizing by quoting

the article in her assignment and including an entry that describes the source in a bibliography at the end of her paper.

You are wrong. Jill’s actions constitute plagiarism.• By taking the words from the Wikipedia

article, Jill is committing plagiarism.• She can avoid plagiarizing by quoting

the article in her assignment and including an entry that describes the source in a bibliography at the end of her paper.

You said…Jill did not plagiarize.

Gretel’s SituationGretel is a freshman who feels

overwhelmed by the high school. When her science teacher assigns a short worksheet on genetics, Gretel is confused and frustrated.

During lunch, Gretel “borrows” her friend’s paper and copies the answers onto her own paper.





You said…Gretel did plagiarize.

You are right. Gretel’s actions constitute plagiarism.• Even if Gretel’s friend gave permission

for Gretel to copy her work, it is still plagiarism.

• Gretel is guilty of plagiarism. She tried to take credit for the words and ideas of another person.

You are wrong. Gretel’s actions constitute plagiarism.• Even if Gretel’s friend gave permission

for Gretel to copy her work, it is still plagiarism.

• When a student attempts to take credit for the words and ideas of another person without acknowledging the original source of the work

You said…Gretel did not plagiarize.

Think you’ve got it?

Read the following…

(and pay attention! There will be a quiz on this information at the end!)

How to Avoid Plagiarism Cite the source of any idea or words

you take from anyone else.

Carefully mark the beginning and end of the source’s words or idea.

Provide a bibliography to show where the borrowed material originated.

Four good reasons for citing sources in your work:

• Citing reliable information gives credibility to your work.

• Cheating is unethical behavior.• It is only fair to give credit to the

source—otherwise, you are stealing the source’s ideas.

• The consequences are severe—plagiarism is not worth the risk.

You probably have two questions:

(1) What do I need to cite?

(2) How do I cite?

Read on for the answers…

What do I need to cite?

This chart will help you decide what must be cited.• It was created by

Robert A. Harris in The Plagiarism Handbook.

Did youthink of

it?

No.

Yes.

Is itcommon

knowledge?

No.

Yes.

Cite it. Do not cite it.

So—the rule is:

If you created it without any help,you do not need to cite the source.

If you did not create the content, you must cite the source.

Did youthink of

it?

No.

Yes.

Is itcommon

knowledge?

No.

Yes.


The one exception to that rule is for “common knowledge.”

You do not need to cite the source of an unoriginal piece of information IF:

(1) an educated person should know the information,

OR

(2) it is a fact that could be found in an encyclopedia.

Did youthink of

it?

No.

Yes.

Is itcommon

knowledge?

No.

Yes.


So, you don’t need to cite a fact,

but you must cite the source of opinions and ideas that are not your own.

And, you must cite anytime you use the exact words of the source—even if the words are

presenting common knowledge.

So, you don’t need to cite a fact, for example: Harper Lee wrote To Kill a Mockingbird.

OR Harper Lee was born in 1926.

but you must cite the source of opinions and ideas that are not your own.

for example: Dorothy Gale believes that Lord of the Flies is an inspiring story (75). OR

According to Joe Smith, Piggy represents the human spirit (15).

And, you must cite anytime you use the exact words of the source—even if the words are

presenting common knowledge.You must always cite the source of ANY direct quotation.

Take one more look at this chart!

If the idea and the words are yours, you do not need to cite.

Did youthink of

it?

No.

Yes.

Is itcommon

knowledge?

No.

Yes.


So, you can identify what must have a citation…

Now you need to know how to use and cite a

source!

How to Cite a Source It’s easy. Just provide your audience with

the source of any ideas or words that are not your own. • First, carefully mark the beginning and end of

the source’s words or idea.• Then, provide a bibliography to show where the

borrowed material originated.

In fact, listing your sources shows your audience that you are an informed, well-researched writer!

But, they all mean the same thing…Provide a clear indication

of any words or ideas that are not your own.

It can be said in a bunch of different ways…

Mark the boundaries

Frame theusage

Enclose the borrowed

Fence the borders

Circumscribe the usageBracket the

borrowed

Can you identify plagiarism when you see it?

Try the following four examples. On each you will see the source material and the student’s usage of that material.

Use the buttons at the bottom of the screen to choose if the example shows acceptable use or plagiarism.

Acceptable Use or Plagiarism?Example 1

Original text from the source:

Student’s Text:

Student’s Bibliography:

One reason that Lincoln was well-liked during his lifetime was that his integrity was sincere. A person’s statements and dealings with the world allows that person to be judged as honest.

No references given.

Integrity must be sincere. That’s one reason Lincoln was so admired in his lifetime. Through an individual’s words, deeds, and actions, integrity can be judged to be genuine.

Donald T. Phillips. Lincoln on Leadership. (52)

Acceptable Use PlagiarismCHOOSE ONE:

You must choose one of the buttons at the bottom of the page.



You said that the example showed Acceptable Use

You are incorrect. Use the arrow at the bottom of this

screen to return to the example.

Reread the example and see if you can determine why it is plagiarism.

You said that the example showed Plagiarism

You are correct! The student put the author’s idea

into her own words; however, she did not give credit to the source of the idea.

Acceptable Use or Plagiarism? Example 2


Student’s Text:


Phillips believes that the populace’s admiration for Lincoln stems from his integrity and honesty (52).

Phillips, Donald T. Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times. Warner Books: New York, 1992.








You are correct! The student clearly marked the boundaries of the

paraphrase:• Providing the author’s name at the beginning of the

paraphrase shows where Phillips’ idea starts.• Providing the page number at the end of the paraphrase

shows where Phillips’ idea ends.

The reference on the bibliography page is accurate.


You are incorrect! Use the arrow at the bottom of this


Reread the example and see if you can determine why this usage is acceptable.



Student’s Text:


Lincoln was so admired in his lifetime because he had integrity. Integrity must be sincere. Through an individual’s words, deed, and actions, integrity can be judged to be genuine.

No references given.












You are correct! The student used the exact words of

the source without providing any indication of their origin.

A reader would believe that this passage is the work of the student.



Student’s Text:




During his lifetime, people admired Lincoln because his words, deeds and actions demonstrated his sincere, genuine integrity.

Phillips, Donald T. Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times. Warner Books: New York, 1992.










You are correct! The student changed the order of the

words and the structure of the sentences; however, he did not give credit to the Phillips’ book as the source of the idea.

So, to review… Plagiarism is a serious offense. Not

only does it carry heavy penalties, but your integrity is damaged when you plagiarize.

Plagiarism is easily avoidable—just cite the sources when you use the words or ideas of another person.

If you have any questions, see your teacher or school librarian!

Sources ConsultedDeSena, Laura Hennessey. Preventing Plagiarism:

Tips and Techniques. National Council of Teachers of English: Urbana, IL, 2007.

Harris, Robert A. The Plagiarism Handbook: Strategies for Preventing, Detecting, and Dealing with Plagiarism. Pyrczak Publishing: Los Angeles, 2001.

Valenza, Joyce Kasman. “What is Plagiarism? (And Why You Should Care).” Springfield High School Media Center Information Literacy Lessons. Springfield School District.