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Research Guide: Avoiding Plagiarism

Information and tools to assist students during the research process.

Resources

Websites:

Purdue OWL : Is it Plagiarism Yet?
Visit the Purdue Online Writing Lab for more information on plagiarism and citations.

MLA Style Center : Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty
Provides a concise understanding of plagiarism

Plagiarism.org
This website provides a thorough explanation of plagiarism and its implications. Many additional resources are provided for student use.

Remember...

  • Plagiarizing is a form of academic dishonestly. 
  • If you use an author's ideas or words you must give the source credit.
  • If the information is not recognized as common knowledge, you need to cite the source.
  • Using quotations without providing source information is plagiarism.
  • Buying papers and using them as your own is plagiarism.
  • Copying another student's work is plagiarism.

Avoiding Plagiarism

  • While taking notes for your research make sure to record the citation information so you don’t have to track down the source later on.
  • When taking notes, rephrase the text in your own words so you can draw freely on the information during the writing phase.
  • If you're afraid you mistakenly plagiarized and do not have time to talk to your teacher take that portion of writing out of your paper.

Practice

Passage from Gods, Goddesses, and Monsters by Sheila Keenan (23): 

Japan's mythology celebrates two important concepts: nature and nation.

Example of student work: Two important concepts that are celebrated in Japanese mythology are nature and nation. 

After reading the book passage (in red), would the example of student work (in blue) be considered plagiarism?
Yes: 3 votes (33.33%)
No: 6 votes (66.67%)
Total Votes: 9

Practice

Passage from the book Gods, Goddesses, and Monsters by Sheila Keenan: 

No one had a greater impact on the Western world than the Greeks. 

Example of student work: According to Keenan, Greeks impacted the Western world more than any other civilization (57).

Is the above passage an example of plagiarism?
Yes: 1 votes (14.29%)
No: 6 votes (85.71%)
Total Votes: 7