WHAT IS MEANT BY ACADEMIC HONESTY?
Citing or documenting your sources means systematically showing what information or ideas you are quoting or paraphrasing, and where they come from. You are entitled to use someone else's words, ideas or information in your work. In fact you are required to document all sources. You must show that they are not your own by indicating their source.
Citation systems vary between different fields of study and between different journals or publishers within a field of study. Despite this variation, all referencing systems have the same basic components:
E.G. In recent years, there has been a rapid increase in car sales in Thailand (Honda 1995). OR
In recent years, there has been a rapid increase in car sales in Thailand (Honda, 1995).
OR
In recent years, there has been a rapid increase in car sales in Thailand (Honda 135). OR
In recent years there has been a rapid increase in car sales in Thailand [1].
OR
In recent years there has been a rapid increase in car sales in Thailand 1.
The reader then uses the in‐text reference to find full bibliographic information (about when and where the source was published, and by which publisher) either at the end of the page or more usually at the end of the paper (as a footnote), thesis or book (depending on the citation system used).
A citation system that in the text uses the author's family name will always list sources on the references page alphabetically by author's family name; a referencing system that uses numerical in‐text references will usually list sources in the order in which they appear in the writing (not by author's name). This enables the reader to find sources easily.
HOW TO QUOTE A SOURCE AND HOW TO PARAPHRASE
Guide to Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing is the process of changing an author's words into your own words. Paraphrasing may be used as a study technique or as a writing technique.
1. As a study technique
Paraphrasing tests a person's understanding of a writer's ideas. It is a way of testing your comprehension. Moreover, because it requires a much deeper mental processing than less active kinds of reading or study, you're able to learn better.
2. As a writing technique
Paraphrasing allows you to summarize another writer's ideas, to fit them smoothly in with your own ideas, or to use another person's ideas to prove your own thesis.
3. Give credit.
When you paraphrase a writer in your paper, you must give credit to the original author of the ideas (if you fail to mention the source of the ideas, you become guilty of plagiarism).
An example of paraphrasing
Paragraph from the original source:
"I had to explain to him that I was deaf. I said, 'Wait; I can't hear; please talk slowly.' He looked at me and said, 'What?' I told him again I was deaf, and he said, 'Oh.' He pointed to a door and told me to go through that door. I followed his instructions. I opened the door and walked through it, closing the door behind me. I found that I was in the hallway near the elevator where I had just come up. I was shocked! He had rejected me without any explanation. I got into the elevator, and as it descended, I felt very letdown. I couldn't understand why he didn't give me a chance to explain that I could do the job well. It didn't require hearing!"
Bernard Bragg, My First Summer Job,
A Handful of Stories, 19.
A possible paraphrase for the above paragraph:
In A Handful of Stories, Bernard Bragg tells a story of trying to get a job. One time he told a potential employer he was deaf, and the man just pointed to the door. Mr. Bragg, not realizing the man was telling him to leave, opened the door and stepped out. Not until he went out the door did he realize he had been rejected because he was deaf (19).
Bragg, Bernard. "My First Summer Job." A Handful of Stories. Eds. L.G. Lenoard and I.B. Pittles. Washington DC: Gallaudet College, 1981.
REMEMBER! Paraphrasing means putting an author's ideas or information into your own words: ORIGINAL "This has led to the conclusion that, out of the US population at large, 90% watch television to excess" (Wu, 1994). PARAPHRASED "In contradiction to Suzuki’s claim, Wu argues that 90% of Americans watch too much television (1994)". There is no need to use Wu's exact words as it is his information (not his words) that is important here. Notice too that with paraphrasing it is easier to comment on the work you are referring to (e.g. here it is compared to Suzuki's). You should be careful to indicate which are your ideas and which are the author's by careful use of references and by where and how you break sentences. This is a subtle art and you should look at published work for examples for how to do this effectively. Paraphrasing must include page references. This is necessary, as you are claiming that the quote you are reproducing is authoritative; the reader needs to be able to check the exact point in the text to which you refer. Paraphrasing is more generally used than quoting as it enables you to comment on, evaluate and summarize information; Paraphrasing can be used with quotations (i.e. you can quote within a paraphrase); Paraphrasing must always be referenced (because you are using someone else's ideas or information); Paraphrasing is never enclosed by quotation marks or indentation; Paraphrasing does not mean a word‐for‐word rewrite of the original (usually you are summarizing your source or highlighting one or more points).