PLAGIARISM & PARAPHRASING--

PRACTICING CONVENTIONS OF ACADEMIC WRITING

Portions of this presentation are adapted from:

•The Writing Resources Center: http://wrc.uncc.edu/

•They Say/I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing, 1st ed., pp. 39-47, by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein.

•DePaul University School for New Learning: Teaching Resources

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AVOIDING PLAGIARISM

Writers need to understand current definitions of plagiarism, which havechanged over time and differ from culture to culture.

Plagiarism is a cultural concept:

Many cultures do not recognize Western notions of plagiarism, which rest on the belief that language and ideas can be “owned” by writers.

In many countries other than the U.S., using the words and ideas of others without attribution is considered a sign of respect as well as an indication of knowledge.

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What is “Plagiarism”?

What is NOT “Plagiarism”?

Most current discussions of plagiarism fail to distinguish between plagiarism and misuse of sources.

A student who attempts (even if clumsily) to identify and credit a source, but who misuses a specific citation format or incorrectly uses quotation marks, has not plagiarized.

In an instructional setting, plagiarism is when a writer deliberately uses someone else’s language, ideas, or other original (not common-knowledge) material without acknowledging its source.

Definition applies to print or online texts, to manuscripts, and to the work of other students.

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UNDERSTAND WHY TO CREDIT SOURCES…CORRECTLY

BUILD ETHOS-- Show you are a knowledgeable and credible researcher. Demonstrate fairness—that you have considered multiple points of view. Provide background for your research by placing it in the context of the work of others (joining the conversation). Help readers follow your thoughts and understand how your ideas relate to those of others. Point readers where to go to find more information on your subject.

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Materials That Require AcknowledgementQuotations,

paraphrases, summariesFacts not widely known

or claims that are arguable

Help provided by others

Materials That Do NOT Require AcknowledgementCommon knowledge

Ideas available in a wide variety of sources (like news events or Wikipedia type information)

Your own findings from primary or field research

Note: LANGUAGE ALWAYS COUNTS. If you use exact wording of ANYTHING, even something that is found multiple places, you MUST cite it.

OUTSIDE MATERIAL = IDEAS OR WORDS FROM SOURCES

Possible Review-- Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing

Quoting (Writing to Repeat): presenting ideas and wording of a source unchanged from the original (placed within quotation marks and cited).

Paraphrasing (Writing to Translate): presenting ideas of a source unchanged but expressing them in your own writing style (doesn’t need quotation marks, but still should be cited)

Summarizing (Writing to Condense): presenting important ideas of a source in briefer form and in your own writing style (doesn’t need quotation marks, but still should be cited)

WHAT MAKES A GOOD PARAPHRASE?

Frequently, students unintentionally misuse sources when they attempt to paraphrase: to

rephrase someone else’s ideas into your own words and sentence patterns.

A good paraphrase…• Expresses someone else’s ideas in your own words and in your own style:

• word choice• sentence structure• organization of ideas

• Includes a citation- both in-text and bibliographic.

TIPS FOR PARAPHRASING--1. Review the original material until you understand it

completely.2. Put the original material away.3. Write out what the original material said using your own

words.• Avoid looking at the source!

4. Compare the original to yours to check for the same meaning.5. Attach a citation.

Original

The rise of industry, the growth of cities, and the expansion of the population were the three great developments of late nineteenth century American history. As new, larger, steam-powered factories became a feature of the American landscape in the East, they transformed farmhands into industrial laborers, and provided jobs for a rising tide of immigrants. With industry came urbanization, the growth of large cities (like Fall River, Massachusetts, where the Bordens lived), which became the centers of production as well as of commerce and trade.”

Too Close

The increase of industry, the growth of cities, and the explosion of the population were three large factors of nineteenth century America. As steam-driven companies became more visible in the eastern part of the country, they changed farm hands into factory workers and provided jobs for the large wave of immigrants. With industry came the growth of large cities like Fall River where the Bordens lived, which turned into centers of commerce and trade as well as production.

An Unacceptable Paraphrasing Is Too Close to the Original

Original

Students frequently overuse direct quotations in taking notes, and as a result they overuse quotations in the final [research] paper. Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript should appear as directly quoted matter. Therefore, you should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking notes.

Too Close

Students often use too many direct quotations when they take notes, resulting in too many of them in the final research paper. In fact, probably only about 10% of the final copy should consist of directly quoted material. So it is important to limit the amount of source material copied while taking notes.

Black= Same as Original Red= Synonyms added while maintaining

sentence structure Blue = An Added Transition… The Only

New Material

An Unacceptable Paraphrasing Is Too Close to the Original

OriginalStudents frequently overuse direct quotations in taking notes, and as a result they overuse quotations in the final [research] paper. Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript should appear as directly quoted matter. Therefore, you should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking notes.

GoodIn research papers, students often quote excessively, failing to keep quoted material down to a desirable level. Since the problem usually originates during note taking, it is essential to minimize the material recorded verbatim (Lester 46-47).

Good rule of thumb: If it can be color-coded to show similarities, then it is too close to the original.

Paraphrasing Examples

PATCHWORK PLAGIARISM

Direct "patchwork" plagiarism is when a writer copies material from several writers and rearranges that material with no attempt to acknowledge the original sources.

This also happens by copying material in multiple places from a source and then trying to piece them together, again without proper acknowledgement or paraphrasing appropriately.

Patchwork Plagiarism Sample 1

Patchwork Plagiarism Sample 2

Bad Paraphrase Sample

It is a misconception that plagiarism relies on a percentage.