Written assignment

ESL Workshop: What is Plagiarism and How Can I Avoid It?

What is plagiarism?

In order to avoid plagiarism, it is important to understand what plagiarism means. The following is the definition of plagiarism that can be found in the St. Charles Community College English Department Handbook:

Plagiarism: To present someone else’s work or ideas as your own is plagiarism. A student commits plagiarism in the following circumstances:

· When the student copies word for word someone else’s writing and does not put that passage in quotation marks and identify the source.

· When the student takes someone else’s writing, changes some of the words, and does not identify the source.

· When the student takes someone else’s ideas and puts them into his or her own words and does not identify the source.

In each instance, either through ignorance or with intent, the student takes credit for the work of others.

In the English Language and Culture Institute Handbook, it is explained as the following:

Plagiarism is the inclusion of someone else's words, ideas, or data as one's own work. When a student submits work for credit that includes the words, ideas, or data of others, the source of that information must be acknowledged through complete, accurate, and specific documentation, and, if verbatim (exact) statements are included, through separation from the rest of the paper by indentation or quotation marks (“….” ) as well. By submitting work for credit, the student certifies the originality of all work not otherwise identified by appropriate acknowledgments.

What are some examples of plagiarism?

· Copying and pasting anything from the Internet to your assignment without using proper citation

· Copying anything word for word from sources such as books, magazines, journals, movies, audio materials, or personal interviews without using proper citation

· Using another person’s writing assignment as your own

· Translating any written or audio material from another language to English without using proper citation

What will happen if I plagiarize?

The penalties for plagiarism vary depending on the instructor, the class, and the institution. They can range from a warning not to do it again to being expelled from school. Regarding the punishment for plagiarism at St. Charles Community College, the English Department handbook states the following:

Punitive action may include a grade of “F” on the assignment, or an “F” on the course. The Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs is notified of all incidents of plagiarism.

The recent availability of papers for sale on the internet has created new temptations for students. Students should be aware that there are also sites and searches which enable their instructors to identify those papers. This form of plagiarism is an intentional attempt to substitute a purchased paper for a student’s own work. These papers receive an F or even 0.

How can I avoid plagiarism?

· Don’t wait until the last minute to work on your writing assignment.

· Begin writing your paper BEFORE you start your research. Prepare an outline and write what you already know and want to know about your topic.

· Learn how to properly take notes, paraphrase (write the information in your own words—the length of your paraphrase will be about the same as the original), and summarize (write only the main points, but also using your own words—your summary will be shorter than the original) when you are doing research.

· Find out which citation style your instructor wants you to use, and learn how to use it properly.

What should I cite?

· Sentences or parts of sentences from a source need to be cited with quotation marks.

· Paraphrased or summarized information from a source need to be cited, but without quotation marks.

· Statistical information, including numbers and percentages.

· Any facts that are not considered common knowledge.

· Graphs, illustrations, charts, and other such images.

How should I take notes while doing my research?

· Start by writing down all important information about your source, including the title, author, publisher, date of publication, and page numbers.

· If you find a sentence you want to include without changing it, write it down word for word and put quotation marks around it. Don’t forget to write the page number next to the quote.

· Read and understand the information from your source first; after that, write notes without looking at the source. This way, you are less likely to use the author’s words. This information still must be cited, but without quotation marks.

Check out this great website for more information on plagiarism and how to avoid it:

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/using_research/avoiding_plagiarism/is_it_plagiarism.html

Name __________________

Paraphrasing and Summarizing Practice

Read the following paragraph, taken from an earlier edition of The Write Start: Sentences to Paragraphs (109). Below, paraphrase and then summarize the paragraph.

After graduation from high school, prospective college students are faced with the dilemma of which college to attend. All things being equal, should a local or out-of-state school be considered? Of course, financial concerns are always a factor in the decision. Most important, should the money come from parents, loans, scholarships, grants, or some combination of all four sources? After all, accumulating debt prior to graduating just adds to the pressure of finding a job afterward.

Your Paraphrase:

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.

Your Summary:

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________.

Feng-Checkett, Gayle and Lawrence Checkett. The Write Start: Sentences to Paragraphs. Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2010. Print