Plagiarism: a Fancy Word for Unethical andor Foolish Behavior

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Plagiarism a Fancy Word for Unethical and/or
Foolish Behavior
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Let's Be Blunt About Plagiarism

• The Latin term for kidnapper was plagiarious.
  As aspiring engineers, you need to know that
  kidnapping the ideas of others has consequences
  beyond your own prospects and reputation
• it also damages your college and the honest
  members of your profession by loosening the bonds
  of trust that tie us all together.

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How does the University of Iowa define plagiarism?

• The University of Iowa has strict guidelines on
  plagiarism. See the Student Academic Handbook,
  which is posted on the College of Liberal Arts
  Sciences web site (http//www.clas.uiowa.edu/stud
  ents/academic_handbook/ix.shtml).
• Presentation of the ideas of others without
  credit to the source
• Use of direct quotations without quotation marks
  and without credit to the source
• Paraphrasing without credit to the source
• Participation in a group project which presents
  plagiarized material

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How does the University of Iowa define plagiarism?

• The University of Iowa has strict guidelines on
  plagiarism. See the Student Academic Handbook,
  which is posted on the College of Liberal Arts
  Sciences web site (http//www.clas.uiowa.edu/stud
  ents/academic_handbook/ix.shtml).
• Failure to provide adequate citations for
  material obtained through electronic research
• Downloading and submitting work from electronic
  databases without citation
• Submitting material created/written by someone
  else as one's own
• Accepting credit for a group project without
  doing one's share
• Submitting the same paper in more than one course
  without the knowledge and approval of the
  instructors involved

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Cite Your Sources

• Copying the written work of others or using any
  information without citing the source and listing
  that source on a reference page constitutes
  plagiarism.
• This may mean that you receive no credit for the
  assignment. In addition, you may be charged with
  plagiarism and your teacher or the University may
  take further action. Plagiarism may leave a
  permanent mark on your record and harm your
  credibility as a professional.

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A Source for Sources

• The Hanson CTC uses the American Psychological
  Association (APA) documentation style for all the
  written assignments we evaluate. No style is
  "better" than the other be it MLA or APA, the
  key is to stay consistent and give credit where
  credit is due.

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Using APA sample of in-text and Reference List
citations

• In-text
• Such a bridge is said to be in equilibrium,
  meaning that the net result of the forces and
  moments acting on the structure are equal to zero
  (Hibbeler, 2004).
• Reference list
• Hibbeler, R.C. (2004). Engineering Mechanics
  Statics. Upper Saddle River, NJ Prentice Hall.

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How to avoid plagiarism (1 of 5)

• "Quotations." Any time you use more than three
  words in a row from another source, you must put
  those words in quotes. Follow that quotation with
  a citation.

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How to avoid plagiarism (2 of 5)

• Paraphrasing means that you have taken someone
  else's ideas, concepts or language and put them
  in your own words. Since writers often build on
  other people's ideas or borrow from other
  people's work to support their own scholarship,
  this practice is perfectly acceptable.
• HOWEVER, you must give credit where credit is
  due. If you use someone else's material and
  rewrite it in your own words, you must provide a
  citation after that paraphrased information every
  time you paraphrase.

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How to avoid plagiarism (3 of 5)

• Material on the Internet often seems to be
  whirling anonymously through cyberspace.
  Nevertheless, it belongs to someone--an
  individual, a publication, or an organization.
  Therefore, you must acknowledge any material you
  take from the Internet.
• Check out the APA guideline link on HCTC's web
  site for information on correctly citing Internet
  material.

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How to avoid plagiarism (4 of 5)

• Any time you use someone else's design, graphics,
  illustration, or photograph, you must cite that
  material, too. Cite the source next to the
  caption that describes the graphic.

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How to avoid plagiarism (5 of 5)

• If you have any questions about documenting or
  citing material, ask questions, you can check
  with the CTC. They have individuals who can help
  you with documentation and citation questions.
• A final thought. Better to cite too often than
  not often enough. The road to academic hell is
  paved with plagiarized papers.

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Questions?

• Visit the Hanson Center for Technical
  Communication
• You can find the assignments, evaluation sheets,
  discussions of plagiarism, and other useful stuff
  on the Centers web site at http//www.engineering
  .uiowa.edu/ctc.
• Hours 130 430 p.m. Monday-Thursday, Sunday
  700-900 p.m.
• Location 2224 SC (in the Student Commons area)
• Scheduling Appointment sign-up sheet posted on
  window outside door of 2224 SC