Plagiarism and how to avoid it

From the USC student handbook:

Standard of Performance Students share responsibility for maintaining standards of academic performance and classroom conduct conducive to the learning process. It is the responsibility of the student to uphold the academic integrity of the university. Cheating on examinations, plagiarism, improper acknowledgment of sources in essays, and the use of a single essay in more than one course are considered very serious offenses and shall be grounds for disciplinary action. (See Part B. University Student Conduct Code)

For a quick lesson on this topic check out this interactive video-style tutorial produced by the USC library.

For examples of plagiarism please visit this page.

What is plagiarism?

Plagiarism involves taking someone else’s work and presenting it as your own. The work can be writing, speech, video, image, drawing, or data figures.

Plagiarism includes the following offenses:

• Copying, quoting, paraphrasing, or summarizing from any source without giving proper credit.

• Submitting someone else's work as your own.

• Purchasing or downloading a paper and turning it in as your own work.

In what context do I need to be aware of plagiarism?

ALL contexts: an exam answer, a video or oral presentation to your class, a written assignment, a webpage that you self-publish, and of course a piece of work you are submitting for publication.

Types of Plagiarism

The Harvard College Writing Program notes six common forms of plagiarism:

1. Verbatim plagiarism: Copying someone else’s work word for word.

2. Mosaic plagiarism: You use pieces from one or more sources and fail to sufficiently paraphrase or directly quote information.

3. Inadequate paraphrase: Your paraphrase closely resembles the original content.

4. Uncited paraphrase: You paraphrase someone else’s work but cite the original source.

5. Uncited quotation: You quote text but don’t provide the citation.

6. Using another author’s work: You submit and take full credit for another person's work.

Plagiarism can be intentional or unintentional. Unintentional plagiarism occurs when you unknowingly cite a source inaccurately or improperly. Intentional plagiarism is when you chose not to cite a source or try to pass off someone else’s ideas as your own.

How can I avoid plagiarism?

To avoid plagiarism, you need to cite your source whenever you:

• quote another person's written or spoken words. Enclose these words and/or sentences in quotations marks.

• paraphrase another person's spoken or written words. Paraphrase means to re-write in your own words; merely reordering or substituting words is still considered plagiarism!

• use theories, ideas, opinions, research, etc. that are not your own.

• use historical, statistical, or scientific facts or data that are not your own.

The key to avoiding plagiarism is learning how to properly include your research into your writing. According to the Plagiarism Information page on the Purdue Global Writing Center website, use these techniques:

• Quoting: If you don’t want to alter a source, use quotation marks to enclose all verbatim phrases.

• Summarizing: If you find multiple relevant points in a lengthy text, simplify them into your own words.

• Paraphrasing: If you want to use a source’s information, restate it in your own words through “new wording and phrasing in just as many words or slightly more words than the original.”

In addition, as you are doing your research. Keep your notes separate from the project, you are working on. Never copy and paste text from your source into the document you are creating.

What Is Paraphrasing?

While many writers may understand that they need to cite properly, many struggle with paraphrasing .

Paraphrasing Tips

A good way to determine if you understand something is to see if you can restate the ideas to someone else. If you are able to do this, you are in a better position to create effective paraphrases.

Here are some tips to help you paraphrase:

• Re-read the passage until you fully understand its meaning.

• Write your own summary of the passage.

• Check that your summary accurately captures the context of the original passage.

• Document the source information whether it’s in a digital file, a note card, or piece of paper.

• Use quotes around verbatim information.

Remember, you still need to cite your paraphrases.

For more examples of plagiarism please visit this page.

What Requires Citation?

Any time you use information that isn’t common knowledge or you didn’t come up with yourself, you must cite it. The following requires citation, typically through in-text citation:

• Quotes: If you are quoting the actual words, enclose the words in quotation marks and cite the source.

• Information and ideas: If you obtain ideas or information, cite it through an in-text citation or in a reference list at the end. Include an in-text citation if you paraphrase the original content.

• Illustrations: If you use someone else’s graphic, table, figure, or artwork, you must credit the source. It is best to credit the image with an in-text legend or in a 'list of figures' section. For publication or public dissemination, these items may also require permission from the author or artist and a copyright notice.

Common Knowledge Exception: You don’t need to cite information that’s considered common knowledge in the public domain. According to the Purdue Global Writing Center’s Basic Citation Guidelines page, information must have the following traits to be considered common knowledge:

• The reader would already be aware of it.

• It’s a widely accepted fact; for example, "The sky is blue".

• It’s accessible via common information sources.

• It originates from folklore or a well-known story.

• It’s commonly acknowledged in your field and known by your audience.

Why Citation Is Important

According to the Purdue Global Writing Center’s Plagiarism Information page, citation:

• Distinguishes new ideas from previously generated ideas and information

• Reinforces arguments regarding a particular topic

• Allows readers to find your sources and conduct additional information

• Maintains ethical research and writing

• Ensures attribution of ideas, avoiding plagiarism

Additionally, proper citation enhances your credibility, displays critical thinking skills, demonstrates your strong writing ability, and displays your professionalism.

Consequences of Plagiarism

The consequences of plagiarism can vary, but could get you expelled or dropped from a course. In less severe instances, plagiarism—both intentional and unintentional—may result in a grade penalty, fine, or suspension. Beyond the academic consequences, plagiarizing also damages your reputation and your integrity.

The below guides were used to build the above page and are also provided here as resources:

• "Using Research" (From the Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Perdue University)
• "Best Practices in Research: Plagiarism" (From Ithaca College Library)
• "Avoiding Plagiarism - A Guide for Students" (From University of Oregon Libraries)
• "You Quote It, You Note It" Online Tutorial (From Vaughan Memorial Library, Acadia University)
• "Plagiarism" Research Guide (From McKillop Library, Salve Regina University)
• "Plagiarism and paraphrasing" (From Purdue Global University blog on online learning)
• "What is plagiarism" (From EasyBib Guides)
• "Preventing Plagiarism: A Guide for Students" (From the Staley Library at Millikin University)
• "Plagiarism: What It is and How to Recognize and Avoid It" (From Writing Tutorial Services at Indiana University)