AVOIDING PLAGIARISM Ms Lissette Alvarez John A Ferguson

AVOIDING PLAGIARISM Ms. Lissette Alvarez John A. Ferguson Senior High

Taking someone’s property without permission is… stealing.

Taking someone else’s ideas without acknowledgement is called plagiarism.

Examples of Plagiarism Copying a friend’s work. n Buying a finished project from someone else. n Having your parents or relatives do the work for you. n Copying and pasting someone’s work into yours without citing the source. n

Academic Fraud Academic fraud is any action that can result in a false academic evaluation.

Examples of Academic Fraud n Using false data n Making up source information n Cheating on tests n Falsifying academic records n Plagiarizing someone else’s work

Examples of unintentional plagiarism • When a student is careless with their documentation. This can occur if one is not organized. • When a student turns in one of his/her previously submitted assignments.

Plagiarism can have serious consequences. n n n A student may fail an entire course for plagiarizing even just one assignment. A student may lose his/her scholarship. A student may be thrown off a school team. A student loses his/her academic integrity and is no longer trusted. In the work place, politicians have had their careers derailed. Employees have lost their jobs.

The work presented has to be honest and based on wellearned knowledge.

One can avoid plagiarism by focusing on: n organization of time and notes (use graphic organizers) n quotes, paraphrases, and summaries n documentation and citation

Examples of Graphic Organizers Effect Cause Civil War Effect

Your thesis or research paper will have: n n n Quotations give strong support to arguments, are effective for comparing and contrasting opinions, and highlight a powerful phrase. Quotes are copied word for word from a source. They must be placed within quotation marks and cited correctly. Paraphrases Writing, in your own words, the ideas or words of others. Sources used in paraphrases need to be documented. Summaries are used to establish background, present information from several different sources, or to present a main idea. Summaries present information from several sources and are shorter than the original information. Sources used in summaries need to be documented using correct citation.

Common Knowledge Information which is considered common knowledge (basic information) does not have to be cited.

Paraphrasing Be careful when rewriting someone else’s words. If your sentences use many of the same words and grammatical structure as the original source, it could be construed as plagiarism.

When Paraphrasing… n Be sure you are not just rearranging or replacing words. n Rewrite the idea in your own words and credit the original source.

Summarizing If it’s someone else’s idea, you need to include the citation, regardless of how many of your own words you used.

Citation Credit facts and ideas correctly and provide a full list of the sources you’ve used and consulted.

Citation Styles Make sure you know which style you need to use and make sure to follow it. n n n n APSA (American Political Science Association) ASA (American Sociological Association) Chicago Style MLA (Modern Language Association) Turabian Bluebook AIP (American Institute of Physics) AMS (American Mathematical Society)

Authority Documenting your work gives it more authority.

A researcher needs to gather and use credible information to support a research project, but it is dishonest to present the words and ideas of someone else as your own, without credit.

Students who follow the pointers discussed are regarded as having high academic integrity and are trusted in the academic world. Plagiarism is included in John A. Ferguson Sr. High’s Honor Code which can be found on our website.

Avoiding Plagiarism. Dir. Fabian-Baber, Inc. DVD. 2004. DVD.