Understanding Plagiarism

Purdue University Online Writing Center: Avoiding Plagiarism

California Lutheran University: Avoiding Plagiarism

Plagiarism: What is it?

The purpose of this guide is to provide you with examples of plagiarism and tips to avoid it. It also contains examples and an exercise.

Definition

Plagiarism or Academic Honesty are ideas you will hear a lot about and they should not be taken lightly. The Augsburg's Student Guide explains Academic Honesty in great detail. Class syllabi will repeat the message. What the Student Guide and course syllabi are lacking, are good examples of what plagiarism actually is and how to avoid it.

Diana Hacker in her Pocket Style Manual, a book widely used on campus, defines plagiarism in three ways: "1) failing to cite quotations and borrowed ideas, 2) failing to enclose borrowed language in quotation marks, and 3) failing to put summaries and paraphrases in your own words." (Hacker, pp157-158).Basically, avoiding plagiarism is giving credit where credit is due.

Examples:

If you are quoting from a source word for word you must put quotation marks around them or set them apart in the text (see your style manual for the particulars).

Original Source:

The DREAM OF INTELLECTUAL UNITY first became to full flower in the original Enlightenment, an Icarian flight of the mind that spanned the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. A vision of secular knowledge in the service of human rights and human progress, it was the West's greatest contribution to civilization. It launched the modern era for the whole world; we are all its legatees. Then it failed.

-Edward O. Wilson, Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge. P15

Proper use of quotations

Edward O. Wilson described the Enlightenment in his book Consilience as "vision of secular knowledge in the service of human rights and human progress, it was the West's greatest contribution to civilization"

Plagiarized version

Edward O. Wilson described the Enlightenment in book Consilience as vision of secular knowledge in the service of human rights and human progress, it was the West's greatest contribution to civilization.

Why is this plagiarism? It is plagiarism because you are presenting Wilson's words as your words. Quotes indicate that words are someone elses.

Failing to enclose borrowed language in quotation marks

Edward O Wilson argues so eloquently in his book, Consilience that the Enlightenment was an "Icarian flight of the mind" that heralded secularism over theological thought.

Why: "Icarian flight of the mind" is Wilson's description of the Enlightenment,that you are using in your discussion regarding the significance of the Enlightenment. Not using quotes, leaves the reader to believe that "Icarian flight of the mind" is your description of the Enlightenment.

Summaries and Paraphrases

This is the easiest way to fall into the trap of plagiarism because you are guilty of plagiarism if you half copy the author's words and phrases with your own without using quotation marks or using your own synonyms.

Acceptable (thanks to Dixie)

The dream of intellectual unity first became known during the Age of Enlightenment, an intellectual movement of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. A major contribution to civilization, the Enlightenment favored the use of reason in advancing cultural process and people's rights. The Enlightenment put the modern era in motion; we are its beneficiaries. But it did not succeed.

This is paraphrasing because you did not use the author's language and the success or failure of the Enlightenment is much debated and has been since the Enlightenment. Wilson was not first person to argue that is failed.

Unacceptable

The dream of intellectual unity was the goal of the Enlightenment. The flight of mind that occurred in the seventeenth and eighteenth century ultimately failed to use secular knowledge to further human rights and progress. The Enlightenment was the West's gift to civilization and we are its heirs. But ultimately, the Enlightenment did not succeed.

This is unacceptable for several reasons: changing a few words around or by adding synonyms does not disguise the fact that you are you using Wilson's argument.

Common knowledge and plagiarism

This is an area of plagiarism that is equally clear and murky at the same time. Information about historical facts, current events, famous people etc. are considered to be common knowledge and do not need to placed in quotations or cited such as Abraham Lincoln was president during the Civil War. Health care reform is a contentious debate. That is the easy part.

As you continue to research and learn more about your topic, what is considered to be common knowledge becomes less clear. Something might be very clear in your mind, because you have been immersed in your topic for sometime and you are becoming an “expert” in that area. For example, you say that James Joyce was a major modern novelist you don't need to cite that- but when you begin explain the reasons why Joyce is a modern novelist, then citations may be necessary.

Here are some tips for recognizing when something is common knowledge.

1) The information is found in three or more sources

2) Acknowledge ideas that are not common knowledge among your classmates

3) Something may be common knowledge in one area of study, but you are using it in a different area

4) If you are not sure, assume, it is not common knowledge, and provide a citation.

Test your knowledge of plagiarism

Georgia State University: Plagiarism Exercise