What is Plagiarism?
Plagiarism is when you copy or use someone else's words or ideas and pass them off as your own. It is a form of cheating which involves "stealing" information and then "lying" by pretending you thought up the information yourself! So, as plagiarism is a combination of cheating, stealing and lying, you have probably already figured out that plagiarism is NOT a good thing!
How do people plagiarise?
Plagiarism can occur in a number of different ways and it can be either deliberate or accidental. These are some forms of plagiarism:
- Copying some text from a website and pasting it into your own report, WITHOUT using "quotation marks" and NOT noting the source of your information
- Paraphrasing (rewriting in your own words) some information you read but NOT noting the source (e.g. book, website, etc) of your information
- Copying work from another student (or anybody else)
How can you avoid plagiarising?
You avoid plagiarism by acknowledging the sources of your information.
Whenever you use words or ideas that you have not thought up yourself, but that you read somewhere else (e.g. in books, websites, articles, etc) then you must indicate where you found your information by providing details of the original source, (e.g. the author and title); this is called a CITATION. When you include citations in your work you are "citing a source".
Steps to avoid plagiarism:
To begin with...
Then when you are ready to write your assignment/report, you can incorporate the information you have found in two ways...
Finally you must CITE YOUR SOURCES of information...
Whenever you use words or ideas that you have not thought up yourself, but that you read somewhere else (e.g. in books, websites, articles, etc) then you must indicate where you found your information by providing details of the original source, (e.g. the author and title); this is called a CITATION. When you include citations in your work you are "citing a source".
Steps to avoid plagiarism:
To begin with...
- BE ORGANISED - give yourself plenty of time to do your research. Accidental plagiarism often happens when you are rushed for time.
- TAKE GOOD NOTES - make a note of all the information sources you use as you go along! You may want to paraphrase (rewrite in your own words) the information as you record it, or if you are copying words exactly, then use "quotation marks". But always remember to note down the source of your information. You may want to use a note taking method like "Dot and Jot" to help you record information effectively.
Then when you are ready to write your assignment/report, you can incorporate the information you have found in two ways...
- USE QUOTATIONS
- PARAPHRASE
Finally you must CITE YOUR SOURCES of information...
How to cite your sources
You cite your sources of information in two ways:
- in the body of your report use "In-text citations"
- at the end of your report provide a Reference List
In-text Citations
When quoting directly from a source, copy the words exactly, put quotation marks around the copied words, and then put the author's surname and date of publication in brackets.
For example:
"For thousands of years, humankind's greatest enemies were neither wolves nor snakes, but the mice that ate food stores and carried diseases" (Allen, 2006).
When paraphrasing from a source, you can do either of the following:
Paraphrasing Example 1:
For a long time, mice were one of people's worst enemies because they ate food supplies and spread diseases. (Allen, 2006).
Paraphrasing example 2:
Allen (2006) states that for a long time, mice were one of people's worst enemies because they ate food supplies and spread diseases.
For example:
"For thousands of years, humankind's greatest enemies were neither wolves nor snakes, but the mice that ate food stores and carried diseases" (Allen, 2006).
When paraphrasing from a source, you can do either of the following:
Paraphrasing Example 1:
For a long time, mice were one of people's worst enemies because they ate food supplies and spread diseases. (Allen, 2006).
Paraphrasing example 2:
Allen (2006) states that for a long time, mice were one of people's worst enemies because they ate food supplies and spread diseases.
Creating a Reference List
A Reference List goes at the end of your report/assignment. It is a list containing the details (citations) of all the books, websites, articles, or other sources that you have used for information. A Reference List can also be called "Sources Cited". A Bibliography is similar to a Reference List, but it includes details of all sources you have read during your research, whether or not you have actually cited them in your work.
The purpose of the Reference List is to give credit to the authors of the information you have used in your research. A Reference List also shows your teacher how many information sources you have consulted while doing your research.
Each entry in the Reference List should provide enough detail so that anybody reading your report can follow up and find your original sources of information.
Reference List entries (citations) are written in a very particular way and there are a number of different citation styles that dictate the format you should use. APA, MLA and Harvard are some different citation styles that are used by students at High School or University.
At Heaton Intermediate though, we use a simplified version of the APA Style to create a Reference List. But always check with your teacher first about what they expect from you regarding how you cite your sources.
The purpose of the Reference List is to give credit to the authors of the information you have used in your research. A Reference List also shows your teacher how many information sources you have consulted while doing your research.
Each entry in the Reference List should provide enough detail so that anybody reading your report can follow up and find your original sources of information.
Reference List entries (citations) are written in a very particular way and there are a number of different citation styles that dictate the format you should use. APA, MLA and Harvard are some different citation styles that are used by students at High School or University.
At Heaton Intermediate though, we use a simplified version of the APA Style to create a Reference List. But always check with your teacher first about what they expect from you regarding how you cite your sources.
An example Reference List for Heaton students
Following are examples of how to format citations for a simple Reference List.
- The basic format is: author's name (Surname, First initial.), publication date, and the title.
- If there is no author, put the title of the source first, followed by the date of publication.
- If the source is a webpage, include the URL (web address).
- If the source is a newspaper or magazine, include the issue details, e.g. the volume number or date of the issue.
- Once you have put your citations together, list them in alphabetical order in your Reference List.
TYPE OF INFORMATION SOURCE
Book with one author Book with two authors Book with no author Webpage with an author Webpage (two authors) on Te Ara Webpage with no author, e.g. Wikipedia Article Article (no author) from online database |
EXAMPLE OF ENTRY IN REFERENCE LIST
Allen, J. (2006). The Encyclopedia of the Unexplained. Hunt, D. & Tulloch, S. (2010). The Naughty Kid's Book of Nature. World Book Encyclopedia. (2006). Krumpett, H. (2013). Fun facts about snakes. http://www.hkrumpett.com/blog-2/ Mullan, B. & Gentry, K. (2012). "Climate change", Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/climate-change "Australian and New Zealand Army Corps" (2013). Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ANZAC De Seve, K. (2012). "Snowy owls, stealthy hunters", National Geographic Kids. November 2012. "Graffiti busters" (2013). The Press. March 19, 2013. Retrieved from Australia / New Zealand Reference Centre. |
Further reading...
Plagiarism 101 with Year 6 - LIRC Productions
Quoting, Paraphrasing & Summarizing - Lauren's The Write Way
How to avoid plagiarism: tips for students, YouTube clip from Bainbridge College
You Quote It, You Note It!, an interactive tutorial from Vaughan Memorial Library, Acadia University.
A Plagiarism Guide for Students
Plagiarism - from InformED, an Open Colleges blog
Quoting, Paraphrasing & Summarizing - Lauren's The Write Way
How to avoid plagiarism: tips for students, YouTube clip from Bainbridge College
You Quote It, You Note It!, an interactive tutorial from Vaughan Memorial Library, Acadia University.
A Plagiarism Guide for Students
Plagiarism - from InformED, an Open Colleges blog
My Bibliography for writing this webpage on "Avoid Plagiarism and Cite Your Sources"
Bainbridge College. (2012). How to avoid plagiarism: tips for students. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsAQOnjk_To&safe=active
Cherry, K. (2013). How to write an APA format bibliography. http://psychology.about.com/od/apastyle/a/apa-format-bibliography.htm
Crisci, L. (2012). Introduction to plagiarism. http://www.libwit.com/lesson-plans/?p=234
Harris, R. (2012). Anti-plagiarism strategies for research papers. http://www.virtualsalt.com/antiplag.htm
KidsHealth. (2013). What is plagiarism?. http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/school/plagiarism.html#
Lesson Plan 76. (2011). Interface. Issue 36, December 2011. http://www.interfacemagazine.co.nz/lesson_plans.cfm
Netsafe (2008). How to avoid plagiarism. http://www.netsafe.org.nz/archive/kids/how_to_avoid_plagiarism.html
Robertson Library. (2010). Referencing with APA: a quick guide. http://www.otago.ac.nz/library/robertson/pdf/APA%20referencing%20guide.pdf
Snyder, M. (2011). Plagiarism: what it is and how to prevent it. http://www.lycoming.edu/library/instruction/tutorials/plagiarism.aspx
Thompson, S. & Olivas, T. (2008). Plagiarism prevention for students. http://library.csusm.edu/plagiarism/index.html
Vaughan Memorial Library, Acadia University. (2008). You quote it, you note it! http://library.acaddiau.ca/tutorials/plagiarism/
Bainbridge College. (2012). How to avoid plagiarism: tips for students. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsAQOnjk_To&safe=active
Cherry, K. (2013). How to write an APA format bibliography. http://psychology.about.com/od/apastyle/a/apa-format-bibliography.htm
Crisci, L. (2012). Introduction to plagiarism. http://www.libwit.com/lesson-plans/?p=234
Harris, R. (2012). Anti-plagiarism strategies for research papers. http://www.virtualsalt.com/antiplag.htm
KidsHealth. (2013). What is plagiarism?. http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/school/plagiarism.html#
Lesson Plan 76. (2011). Interface. Issue 36, December 2011. http://www.interfacemagazine.co.nz/lesson_plans.cfm
Netsafe (2008). How to avoid plagiarism. http://www.netsafe.org.nz/archive/kids/how_to_avoid_plagiarism.html
Robertson Library. (2010). Referencing with APA: a quick guide. http://www.otago.ac.nz/library/robertson/pdf/APA%20referencing%20guide.pdf
Snyder, M. (2011). Plagiarism: what it is and how to prevent it. http://www.lycoming.edu/library/instruction/tutorials/plagiarism.aspx
Thompson, S. & Olivas, T. (2008). Plagiarism prevention for students. http://library.csusm.edu/plagiarism/index.html
Vaughan Memorial Library, Acadia University. (2008). You quote it, you note it! http://library.acaddiau.ca/tutorials/plagiarism/