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Academic Integrity & the MLA

Dr Jon Buscall * August 2008 *

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Every game has rules

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Some folks obey them...

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Others don’t !

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At school, university, and in the real world...

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it’s not OK to pass other people’s work off as your own.

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Written work that does so is referred to as plagiarism

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plagiarism: the act of presenting the words, ideas, images, sounds, or the creative expression of others as your own.

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IEGS values academic integrity

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And thus requires

you to use the MLA

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Think of it as a way to document your essays, illustrating what is exactly your work and what information comes from established scholars...

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With the MLA your work will ooze professionalism...

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And it won’t cause you...

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...pain and ignominy

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Huh?

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Plagiarism is usually punished ...

• with suspension

• the sack

• the loss of your reputation

• the loss of face

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“So what do I have to do?”

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The first thing you need to know...

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...is how to format your essay

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Instructions...

• use A4 paper

• set the font to 12 point, New Times Roman

• 2.54 cm margins

• double-space your text throughout

• use a running header with your name: e.g. Buscall 1

• number pages consecutively, starting on the first page

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Indent the first line of each paragraph by five spaces (tab)

Indent the first line of each paragraph by five spaces (tab)

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Next up is...

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Parenthetical or in-text citation...

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Huh?

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To explain...

• Within the body of your text, you must cite your sources as you use them...

• You must cite any and all data, facts, information, opinions, ideas, tables, charts, photographs, etc, that you obtained in your research

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What’s more...

References in the text must clearly point to specific sources in the list of works cited and identify the location of the information referred to as specifically as possible

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and that means..?

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• E.g. Author’s name in text:

Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” (263).

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• E.g. Author’s name in reference:

Romantic poetry is characterised by the “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” (Wordsworth 263).

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• E.g. Author’s name in text:

Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263).

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Citations refer to the entry in the Works Cited page

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Works Cited

Wordsworth, William. Lyrical Ballads. London: Oxford UP, 1967.

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More Examples...

• Multiple Citations

... as has been discussed elsewhere (Burke 3; Dawson 21).

• Authors with the same surname:

“All dogs should be trained to sit before the age of five,” is a good approach to basic dog training (M. King 17).

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“Do I need to cite everything?”

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Common sense and ethics should determine your need for documenting sources.

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You do not need to give sources for:• familiar proverbs, • well-known quotations or• common knowledge.

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Works Cited...

• Under the heading “Works Cited” all sources mentioned in your paper must be listed

• List sources alphabetically e.g. Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication.

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Examples...

Works Cited

Heinerman, John. Heinerman’s Encyclopedia of Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs. Paramus, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1988.

Kowalchik, Claire and William H. Hylton. Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, 1998.

Wardlaw, Gordon M. and Anne M. Smith. Contemporary Nutrition. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2006.

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The purpose of the list is to...

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...identify and credit the sources you used...

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...and enable the reader to locate your sources.

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Some final thoughts...

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Formatting rules make essays uniform and easier to read...

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In-text citations document your sources, establish your credibility and help justify your argument.

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The “Works Cited” list allows readers to refer for themselves to scholarly material...

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If the goal is to prevent plagiarism...

• establish a climate where academic integrity is valued

• design assignments that require students to document their sources

• set up check-points in the form of drafts, outlines, preliminary Works Cited

• keep portfolios of student writing to refer to

• vary assignments and topic suggestions frequently

• clarify the extent to which collaboration is acceptable

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Resources

• MLA Style Guide

• IEG Södermalm MLA Style Guide handout