Plagiarism and ways to avoid

plagiarism : citing skills

What to discuss?
Plagiarism in Academic
Writing
Citing skills: quotation,
paraphrase, and summary

Plagiarism in Academic
Writing

Group work
Read the article Plagiarism in the
Academic Community and answer
the given questions on:
Definition of plagiarism
Penalties for plagiarism
3 categories of plagiarism

Definitions
the wrongful appropriation or
purloining, and publication as ones
own, of the ideas, or the expression of
ideas (literary, artistic, musical,
mechanical, etc.) of another
(Imhoof, Maurice and Herman Hudson,
1975)

Definitions
Copying of another
persons ideas, words or
work and pretend that
they are your own.
( Oxford Advanced Genie)

Definitions
You are kidnapping or
stealing someone elses
ideas or words and
presenting them as if they
were your own.
( the University of
Melbourne)

Definitions
Plagiarism means using
another's work without
giving credit
(
http://sja.ucdavis.edu/avo
id.htm
)

Definitions
Plagiarism is the
unacknowledged use of
somebody elses words or
ideas.
(http://owl.english.purdue.edu)

Task: Decide whether the following

actions in academic writing are
plagiarism or not
Buying a paper from the
printing service shop and
handing in as your work.
Using common knowledge in
your work without
documenting.
Paraphrasing the source with
some minor changes.

 Hiring someone to write

your thesis because you
are so busy teaching.
Using your own
experience and findings
Carelessly forgetting to
include quotation marks
or a reference to show
whose words or ideas you
are using.

Types of plagiarism

Discussion
Why Asian students are
more likely to plagiarize?

Cultural reasons
Confucianism appreciates
your wide knowledge of
others ideas
Community sense
advocates common use

Academic reasons
Text-based learning
creates rote learners
Traditional teaching
approach creates passive
learners
No emphasis in proper
citations in writing, both
in Vietnamese and TLs

Why plagiarism bad?

You are cheating yourself
by plagiarizing.
Plagiarism devalues
others' original work.
Plagiarism is a serious
offence in scholarship.
Plagiarism is unethical.

Punishments for plagiarism

Berne Convention
Article 2
Protected Works:
The expression literary and artistic
works shall include every
production in the literary,
scientific and artistic domain,
whatever may be the mode or form of
its expression, such as books,
pamphlets and other writings;
lectures, addresses, sermons and
other works of the same nature;
dramatic or dramatico-musical works

Punishments for plagiarism

(6) The works mentioned
in this Article shall enjoy
protection in all
countries of the Union.
This protection shall
operate for the benefit of
the author and his
successors in title.

Punishments for plagiarism

Postgraduate studies, CFL,
VNU:
The plagiarism policy will
be strictly enforced.
Suspected plagiarism will
be checked and cases
referred to the
Postgraduate Studies
Department.

Common errors that could

be considered
plagiarism
No quotation marks around
borrowed language
Paraphrase that uses the
exact language or sentence
structure of a source
Inaccurate or incomplete
references

How to avoid unintentional

plagiarism?
(1) Knowing what to
acknowledge:
Three sources: (1) your
independent thoughts and
experiences; (2) common
knowledge, the basic
information people share;
and (3) other peoples
independent thoughts
and experiences.

How to avoid unintentional

plagiarism?

(2) Give credit for copied,

adapted, or paraphrased
material:
If you repeat another's
exact words, you MUST
use quotation marks and
cite the source.
If you adapt a chart or
paraphrase a sentence,
you must still cite.

How to avoid unintentional

plagiarism?
(3) Avoiding using others
work with minor cosmetic
changes, for instance:
Using "less" for "fewer
Reversing the order of a
sentence,
Altering a spread-sheet
layout.

How to avoid unintentional

plagiarism?
(4) When in doubt, cite.
Better to be safe than not
give credit when you
should!
http://sja.ucdavis.edu

Task: Detect any plagiarism (if any) in

the following writing
" In research writing, sources are
cited for two reasons: to alert
readers to the sources of your
information and to give credit to
the writers from whom you have
borrowed words and ideas."
In research writing, sources are
cited to alert readers to the
sources of your information and
to give credit to the writers from
whom you have borrowed words
and ideas.

 " In research writing, sources

are cited for two reasons: to
alert readers to the sources of
your information and to give
credit to the writers from whom
you have borrowed words and
ideas."
In research writing, we cite
sources for a couple of reasons:
to notify readers of our
information sources and give
credit to those from whom we
have borrowed. (Hacker).

 " In research writing, sources

are cited for two reasons: to
alert readers to the sources of
your information and to give
credit to the writers from whom
you have borrowed words and
ideas."
A researcher cites her sources
to ensure her audience knows
where she got her information,
and to recognize and credit the
original work. (Hacker, 1995:
260 )

Citing skills

Definition - Paraphrase
To paraphrase = to restate a portion of a text
with the purpose, usually, of clarifying it.
A paraphrase is about the same length as the
original passage.
A paraphrase should not include any of the
words from the original passage, nor should it
follow the same sentence structure as the
original passage, just changing vocabulary.
Paraphrased information must be accompanied
by a citation, or in-text reference to the source
Failure to provide citation will be interpreted by
others as plagiarism, even if you list the source
in your bibliography.

Definition of Summary

To summarize = to restate a portion of a text in

a shortened form.
A summary should bring out the main ideas of
the passage, and this means that it need not
follow the same order as the original text.
The requirements of the summary are that it be
clear, concise, and accurate in representing the
original text.
Summarized information must be accompanied
by a citation, or in-text reference to the source
Failure to provide citation will be interpreted by
others as plagiarism, even if you list the source
in your bibliography

Definition
To quote = to copy
exactly a portion of a text,
with the purpose of
presenting the author's
actual words

Examples
Original Text
"If you're coping with an illness or want
to exchange views about a medical
topic, you'll want to find your way to a
newsgroup. Despite the name, these are
not collections of news items. They are,
in effect, virtual bulletin boards open to
anyone who cares to participate. The
messages generally consist of plain text"
(Schwartz 28).

Example of Paraphrase
In a recent Consumer Reports article,
the author suggests finding a
relevant newsgroup if you have a
particular medical problem or if you
want to talk with others about a
medical subject. Newsgroups are
online bulletin boards that are
available to anyone; in spite of their
name, they are not news reports.
Anyone who wishes to may join in a
newsgroup discussion
(Schwartz 28).

Example of Attempted Paraphrase That

Is Classified as Plagiarism
Based on the quotation above:

Whenever you are dealing with a disease or

need to talk about a medical subject, you
should look for a newsgroup. . . .

Example of summary
Newsgroups, online discussion
groups open to any participant, are a
useful resource for anyone concerned
about specific medical issues.
(Schwartz 28).

Example of quotation
People concerned about medical
issues may find it helpful to look
for a relevant newsgroup.
Schwartz (28) points out that,
"Despite the name, these are not
collections of news items. They
are, in effect, virtual bulletin
boards open to anyone who cares
to participate. "

Quotations

When to quote material?

Quote passage when the
author has said something in
a distinctive or especially
insightful or interesting way.
Quote material that supports
the assertions you make in
your paper.
Quote authorities who
disagree with a position you
are advocating or who offer
alternative explanations or
contradictory data.

When not to quote material?

Do not quote passage
merely to fill in space
Do not quote passages as
a substitute for thinking.
Do not quote passages
because you do not
understand the authors
ideas well enough to
paraphrase them.

How much should I quote?

Consider quoting a passage from one
of your sources if any of the
following conditions holds:
The language of the passage is
particularly elegant or powerful or
memorable.
You wish to confirm the credibility of
your argument by enlisting the
support of an authority on your topic.
The passage is worthy of further
analysis.
You wish to argue with someone
else's position in considerable detail

Alternatives to quotations
If an argument or a factual account
from one of your sources is
particularly relevant to your paper
but does not deserve to be quoted
verbatim, consider
paraphrasing the passage if you
wish to convey the points in the
passage at roughly the same level of
detail as in the original
summarizing the relevant passage
if you wish to sketch only the most
essential points in the passage

Integrating quotations into your writing

Block quotations:
Use with longer quotations.
Follow APA guidelines (see
handout on APA guidelines)

Integrated quotations
Introduce the quotation with
appropriate verb
Precede with a coma
Employ a verb of saying
that fits the overall tone
of your essay

Reporting verbs
Pattern 1: reporting verb + that + subject + verb
Pattern 2: reporting verb + somebody/something
+ for + noun/gerund
Pattern 3: reporting verb + somebody/something
+ as + noun/gerund/adjective

Pair work
List the reporting verbs of
the three patterns
Check your list with other
pairs lists

Introduce a quotation without a verb

A more formal way of quoting
Precede with a colon
Run your sentence and the quotation together
Pick out only certain words to quote.
There are other ways to begin quotations:
Eg. In the words of X, . . .
According to X, . . .
In X's view, . . .

Vary the way you introduce quotations to avoid

sounding monotonous. But never sacrifice
precision of phrasing for the sake of variety

Paraphrase vs. Summary

Paraphrase

Both

Summary

Re-states the
authors words
Covers a short passage

Covers a longer passage

Includes all the points in

the original passage

Includes only the main

ideas of the original
passage
Uses your own
words

Is about the same

length as the original
passage

Is about 60% shorter

than the original passage
Preserves the
emphasis of the
original passage

Discussion
When should I paraphrase,
and when should I
summarize?

 Consider relying on either tool when

an idea from one of your sources
is important to your essay but the
wording is not.
You should be guided in your choice
of which tool to use by
considerations of space.
But above all, think about how much
of the detail from your source is
relevant to your argument.
If all your reader needs to know is the bare
bones, then summarize.

Ultimately, be sure not to rely too

heavily on either paraphrase or
summary. Your ideas are what matter
most

How to write a
paraphrase?
1. Read, reread, and annotate
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

the material.
Change words in the
passage.
Change the verbs
Change the sentence
structure in the passage.
Combine sentences found in
the source text.
Unpack sentences found in
the source text.

Qualities of a good
paraphrase

Thorough: It attempts to
include all of the authors
primary ideas or findings.
Accurate: It attempts to
reflect what the author
actually wrote.
Fair: It attempts to employ
even-handed language
and content.
Objective: It attempts to
avoid voicing the writers
opinion on the topic or the
quality of the source text.

How to write a summary?

1. Read, reread, and annotate the
material, paying particular attention to
the content and structure of the piece.
Be sure to note:
The thesis.
The primary assertions, arguments, or
findings and,
The primary means of support for each point.

2. Write one-sentence summaries of each

section of the text.
3. Write the first draft of your summary
4. Check the rough draft of your summary
against the source text
5. Rewrite the summary.

Qualities of a good
summary

Comprehensive: it conveys all the

important information in the reading.

Brief: It conveys this information

concisely

Accurate: It correctly conveys the

authors ideas, findings, or arguments

Neutral: It avoids judgments concerning

the readings topic or style.

Independent: It makes sense to someone

who has not read the source text.
(Adapted from Wilhoit, 2000)

Enjoy
writing!