Report (Business Communication)
Please remember that ideally you won’t use outside sources in your report. However, if you do you must familiarize yourself with ways to avoid plagiarism. As you get ready to draft your report, read and think about the following from the assignment: If you use outside source material, use it sparingly and use legitimate sources (do not use long quotes). Focus on developing your own ideas about the topic. If you use source material, cite both in text (parenthetically) and at the end in a Works Cited or Bibliography. You don’t need a separate page for the Works Cited or Bibliography (that’s an error on my part; it’s References) if you have enough room on the last page of the report. Reports without citations will receive a failing grade. You may use no more than two outside sources; if you use more than two I won’t grade your report and it will receive a failing grade. Be aware that any reports containing plagiarized material will automatically receive a failing grade.
SUNY Poly defines and responds to violations of academic integrity in the 2020-2021 SUNY Poly Student Handbook, located at: https://sunypoly.edu/sites/default/files/studentconduct/Student-Handbook2020-2021.pdf
Read pages 46-49 of the handbook which begin by defining standards of academic integrity and providing a summary of SUNY Poly’s academic integrity policy. The policy goes further to define prohibited behavior, that which violates the policy. The document also details the various penalties faculty may impose for violations to the policy (47).
The best way to avoid plagiarism is to remember that any time you use material that is not is not your own, leaving that material uncited constitutes plagiarism. Plagiarism not only applies to direct quotes it applies to incorrect (uncited) paraphrasing. There are two things you must do whenever you use a source: You must credit that source in the text of your report at the end of sentences containing the quoted or paraphrased material. For example, she said that “There are two things you must do whenever you use a source: You must credit that source in the text of your report at the end of sentences containing the quoted or paraphrased material” (Murphy 123). Or Murphy says “There are two things you must do whenever you use a source: You must credit that source in the text of your report at the end of sentences containing quoted or paraphrased material” (123). You also must include a Works Cited page at the end of your report that lists in alphabetical order your two sources (MLA).
APA differs from MLA in that you must include the year of publication of your source. For example, Murphy (2020) says “There are two things you must do whenever you use a source: You must credit that source in the text of your report at the end of sentences containing the quoted or paraphrased material” (p. 123). Rather than a Works Cited page APA requires a References page that lists sources in newest to oldest order.
The Purdue OWL has all the information you need to know about MLA and APA citation indexes. You can even put in your information and the OWL will build a citation for you. Just use the search function in the OWL at https://owl.purdue.edu/index.html to access the particular information you need.
I’m sending you this very brief document to get you to think about the importance of citing material that is not original to you. I don’t expect perfection, but if you do not at least attempt to write citations for all source material your report will receive a failing grade with no opportunity for a rewrite. As always, I am available via email or in Collaborate to answer any questions you have.