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Avoiding Plagiarism

 

Plagiarism is when people take someone else's words, phrases, or ideas and claim them as their own.

The citation style below is “MLA” style; for “APA” style—used in the sciences and social sciences—add the year of publication. Always check citation style handbooks for  possible updates.

If a sentence in a source reads,

       Plagiarism is not only illegal—it is unethical and often just plain lazy.

you MAY use it in your essay in any of the following ways:  

1.  FULL QUOTATION:

Reid says, “Plagiarism is not only illegal—it is unethical and often just plain lazy” (15).

(note: quote marks, then parentheses, then number only, then parentheses, then final period or if necessary a continuing comma, with full bibliography at end of essay)

2.  PARTIAL QUOTATION WITH PARAPHRASE OF GENERAL IDEAS:

Plagiarism, says Reid, as well as being illegal, is “unethical and often just plain lazy” (15).

3.  PARTIAL QUOTATION/ AUTHOR’S NAME NOT GIVEN IN SENTENCE ELLIPSES:

Some people argue that plagiarism is “unethical…and just plain lazy” (Reid 15).

4.  PARAPHRASE/SUMMARY OF THIS AUTHOR’S COPYRIGHTED IDEAS:

It has been argued that plagiarism demonstrates laziness as well as being legally and ethically wrong (Reid 15).  

(note: page number an option in APA style for above sentence)

5.  KNOW FACT—GENERAL INFORMATION NOT UNIQUE TO THIS AUTHOR:

        Plagiarism is illegal.  (no citation needed)

You MAY NOT use the information in any of the following ways:

1.  DIRECT, UNACKNOWLEDGED USE OF AUTHOR’S IDEAS AND PHRASING:

        It is clear that plagiarism is not only illegal—it is unethical

        and often just plain lazy.

2.  CITATION OF AUTHOR WITHOUT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF QUOTED MATERIAL:

        Reid argues that plagiarism in not only illegal but often just

        plain lazy.

  3.  BORROWING “JUST A FEW WORDS” THAT ARE UNIQUE TO THIS AUTHOR:

        In some cases, it can be said that plagiarism is just plain

          lazy.

4.  BORROWING “JUST A FEW WORDS” WITHOUT FULL QUOTATION AND CITATION:

        Reid feels that plagiarism is just plain lazy (15).

5.  “LAZY PARAPHRASE”:  BORROWING UNIQUE IDEAS AND/OR SENTENCE STRUCTURE:

         Some people believe that plagiarism is illegal, unethical, and

         even a show of laziness.

So…

  • When in doubt, give a full citation.

  • Even when paraphrasing or summarizing, if the idea isn’t yours, cite it.

  • Unless you did the counting yourself, cite nearly all statistics/numbers.

  • Always introduce the speaker/context of a quotation, at least the first time around.

  • In most cases, add a specific sentence explaining exactly how this quote fits into your specific argument and appeals to your specific audience.

  • Where possible, try to work a piece of the quotation into your own sentence; use only the best pieces of someone else’s words; paraphrase (with citation) the rest in your own words and voice for clarity and continuity.  

The above information was developed by Dr. Shelly Reid, professor of English, for use in her college level English classes. 

 


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