How to Avoid Plagiarism…not only is it wrong; it’s illegal!

What is plagiarism?Plagiarism is passing off the words or work of another person as your own.

It is not giving people credit for their ideas.

What if I get caught plagiarizing?In middle school, teachers are more lenient

because you are still learning about how to effectively research.

In high school, and definitely in college, if you plagiarize, you will get a 0 for the assignment and possibly a failing grade in the course. In some cases, you can even be expelled.

In real life, plagiarism can be considered either a misdemeanor or a felony, and you can be fined anywhere from $100 to $250,000 and can get up to 10 years in jail (depending on the severity)!

What if I don’t know that I plagiarized?Yes, there is a thing called “accidental plagiarism,” where you don’t mean to take credit for someone else’s work, but you do one of two things:You fail to cite your sources properly

You do not paraphrase, or put the material in your own words, well enough

Some tips to avoid accidental plagiarism:Every time you include material in your

writing that you needed to look up somewhere else (book, internet, etc.), you must cite the source you used.

The only time you don’t need to cite a source is if it is something that you already knew or something that is commonly known. Ex: Christopher Columbus had three ships:

the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.

Using someone’s words…If you are using someone else’s wording, you must put quotation marks around them and give credit.Ex: According to Jim Sharp, “Eli Roth is considered to be one of the most profitable directors in the early years of the new millenium” (Sharp 14)

ParaphrasingEven if you paraphrase, you still

need a citation because it though it is in your own words, it is not your own information that you found out without the help of someone else’s research.Ex: Eli Roth, director of such modern horror films such as Cabin Fever and Hostel, has made more money than most other horror directors since 2000 (Sharp 14).

Side by side view

Eli Roth is considered to be one of the most profitable directors in the early years of the new millenium

Eli Roth, director of such modern horror films such as Cabin Fever and Hostel, has made more money than most other horror directors since 2000

Jim Sharp’s words My words

Paraphrasing is important because it shows that YOU understand what you learned, and it also puts it in words that your intended audience will understand.

Change the wording and phrasing of the original text.Don’t just use a thesaurus and “plug in” words.

Ex:

ORIGINAL: William Shakespeare remains a mysterious figure with regards to personal historyPLAGIARIZED: William Shakespeare remains a mystifying figure with regards to his individual past.

PARAPHRASED: Even to this day, not a lot is known about the life of William Shakespeare.

6 Steps to Effective Paraphrasing1) Reread the original passage. Be sure that you

understand what you’ve read.2) Set the original document aside or look away

from the computer screen and write down what you learned in your own words.

3) Check what you wrote against the original to make sure that they don’t sound too similar.

4) Use quotes if you want to borrow any words directly from the source.

5) Record the information from the source so you can cite it properly when you write your paper.

SourcesDePauw University. Avoiding Plagiarism. 2000-10.

11 Jan 2010. http://www.depauw.edu/admin/arc/W-center/plag.asp.

Northwestern University. Avoiding Plagiarism. 23 Sept. 2005. 11 Jan 2010. http://www.writing.northwestern.edu/avoiding_plagiarism.html.

The Writing Lab at Purdue. Paraphrase: Write it in Your Own Words. 8 Jan 2010. 11 Jan 2010. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/619/01/.

Additional Sources“What is Plagiarism?” Plagiarism.org. 5 July

2009. 11 Jan 2010. http://www.plagiarism.org/learning_center/

what_is_plagiarism.html

Information compiled and Power Point designed by Lindsay Spotts, January 12, 2009.