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Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is using the ideas and writings of others and representing them as your own. Even if you do not copy another source word-for-word, but rather rephrase the source without attributing it to the original author by including a footnote, you are guilty of plagiarism.

The increasing availability of electronic information has unfortunately made it easy to copy another author's works.

Citing your sources - a good thing !

gives due credit to the creator of the work you are using allows readers to easily find the sources you have referred to in your work documents the amount of research you have done (resulting in more details, a wider range of perspectives, more up-to-date information) Even when you do not quote directly from another work, if reading that source contributed to the ideas presented in your paper, you must give the authors proper credit by including their work in your bibliography.

Not citing your sources - indefensible!
implies you have independently thought of all the ideas in your paper. means you have not increased your knowledge base of your topic by incorporating others' thoughts and perspectives indicates you have not applied the ethics expected of a college level student or professional writer If you do not cite the sources , you will be guilty of plagiarism. So what? college policy

Strategies to Avoid Plagiarizing

If you are including information that is not "common knowledge", then:

1. Quote it, put in quotations, everything that comes directly from the text especially when taking notes.

2. Paraphrase it, restate the idea, but be sure you are not just rearranging or replacing a few words. (Read and remove the text from your view, and then say it in your own words. Cite the source in your paper since you have used its ideas.)

3. Link it, include citation links or a resource box if your paper is in HTML form.

	OK to Use common knowledge - facts that can be found in numerous places and are likely to be known by a lot of people.
	Millions of drivers use cell phones while driving.
	Not OK to Use another person's ideas, opinions, theories, statistics facts or spoken words which are not common knowledge.
	Cell phone use while driving is dangerous Fionnuala Sweeney, "Cell Phone Use in Cars is Risky Business" CNN London Bureau. May 2001. http://www.cnn.com/2001/HEALTH/05/24/cell.phone/

Strategy 1

Quotation - using someone else's words verbatim (word for word.) When quoting a sentence, put the person's words in quotation marks when quoting longer amounts, put the quote in an indented paragraph. Include the source either within the text of your paper or in a footnote.

Quote:
"It may be that we're using a different part of our brain," said Vivien Nathenson of the British Medical Association.

Longer quote: (block quote)
(The indented excerpt below is quoted from a CNN writer, Fionnuala Sweeney. Within the indented quote is another quote in quotation marks which the writer took from another writer V. Nathenson.)

It may be that we're using a different part of our brain. It may be just that we are concentrating so much that we are not taking in and juggling all the other messages -- the things that we see and the things that we hear while we're driving.

Given the dangers, the BMA says phone calls while driving should be kept to an absolute minimum.

- Vivien Nathenson of the British Medical Association

Fionnuala Sweeney, "Cell Phone Use in Cars is Risky Business" CNN London Bureau. May 2001. http://www.cnn.com/2001/HEALTH/05/24/cell.phone/

Strategy 2

Paraphrasing - using someone's ideas, but putting them in your own words.

Here's the ORIGINAL text, from page 1 of Lizzie Borden: A Case Book of Family and Crime in the 1890s by Joyce Williams et al.:

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 farm hands 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.

Here's an UNACCEPTABLE paraphrase that is plagiarism:

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.What makes this passage plagiarism?

The preceding passage is considered plagiarism for two reasons:

• the writer has only changed around a few words and phrases, or changed the order of the original's sentences.
• the writer has failed to cite a source for any of the ideas or facts.

Use quotation and cite your source.

Indiana University, "How to Recognize Unacceptable and Acceptable" http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml (external link)

Harris, Robert, "Virtual Salt: Anti-Plagiarism  Strategies for Research Papers".  17 Nov 2004, http://www.virtualsalt.com/antiplag.htm

Strategy 3

Cite your source - use a standard form of citation such as the MLA citation given in the next section of this module.

During the semester an instructor sees several samples of student work. If an assignment appears to be an atypical example of a particular student's work, the instructor can conduct a search or ask the student to do the assignment in class.

1. An instructor can do an advanced phrase search in Google placing the phrase in quotations. Try it:     (Paste the sentence in quotes into the Google search field.)
     "This palace, the largest known in Crete, with an area of 22,000 sq. metres (26,000 sq. yards), was excavated by A. Evans between 1899 and 1932, and spectacularly restored, sometimes excessively."
   
   Even better - use multiple search engines: InfoPeople

2. An instructor can do an in-depth search in library databases. Cañada Library Databases | CSM Library Databases | Skyline Library Database Resources |

3. An instructor can do a phrase search in web directories such as: Infomine. (About Web Directories)

4. An instructor can turn an essay intoTurn It In www.turnitin.com (free trial) which will do a thorough search of not only digital and printed works, but also of previous essays submitted by students around the country. Also, check out My Drop Box http://www.mydropbox.com/.

5. An instructor can ask a student to write the essay in class or to write a summary of the "questionable" paper. If the writing style and depth of knowledge differ, then the instructor can enforce the college plagiarism policy.

College Policies on Plagiarsim (So What?)  

College San Mateo Policy

Skyline College Policy

Judge for Yourself  Continue!

Centers for Teaching and Learning, San Mateo Community College District, CA USA    Updated  9/7/2008  by Sevastopoulos