PLAGIARISM DONT DO IT

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PLAGIARISM DONT DO IT!!!

• A Presentation of theMountain Pointe English
  Department
• Carol Miller and June Olson
• 2005 - 2006

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District Policy

• The District Governing Board has made the
  following changes to its policies regarding
  student plagiarism
• Both plagiarism and cheating are listed as
  punishable offenses in each schools discipline
  policy.
• Plagiarism is specified as a violation in the
  Technology Use Agreement signed by all students
  and their parents.

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Plagiarism What is it?

• List as many examples of plagiarism and
  cheatingas you can think of.

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Plagiarismwhat is it?

• Based on the examples you brainstormed, what is
  your definition of plagiarism?

Heres Websters definition
Plagiarism
According to Webster's New World Dictionary, to
plagiarize is to "take the ideas, writings, etc.
from another and pass them off as one's own"
(570). When you do this, you are committing a
form of academic dishonesty, a form of cheating.
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Plagiarism can also be defined as
Cheating or Deception

If you attempt to use another person's work as if
it were your own, without adequate
acknowledgement of the original source, it is
plagiarism.
If this is done in work that you submit for a
grade, then you are attempting to deceive your
teacher, your parents, or anyone reading the
paper.
In other words, plagiarism is cheating, and it is
deceitful in that you are trying to claim the
credit for something that is not your own work.
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Why is plagiarism wrong?

• If you plagiarize, you are cheating yourself.
• Plagiarism is dishonest because it
  misrepresents the work of another as your own.
• You don't learn to write out your thoughts in
  your own words, and you don't get specific
  feedback geared to your individual needs and
  skills.
• Academic dishonesty affects others perception
  of your integrity.
• Unintentional plagiarism is still cheating.

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Is it really such a big problem?

• According to the website Plagiarism.org,
• Recent studies indicate that approximately 30
  percent of all students may be plagiarizing on
  every written assignment they complete.
• According to that same site, the problem is
  extensive in Arizona.

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Catching the plagiarist

• The internet has made plagiarism easier with
  access to term paper mills, search engines,
  encyclopedias, etc.
• In response, websites have been developed which
  help teachers analyze papers and develop
  strategies to prevent plagiarism.
• Your teacher will require you to submit your
  assignments to turnitin.com, a plagiarism
  analysis website.

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Guidelines for avoiding plagiarism

• Cite anything copied, adapted, or
  paraphrased.
• Avoid using others' work with minor
  "cosmetic" changes.
• Beware of "common knowledge."
• Although information on the internet is free,
  you are not free to use it without proper
  citation. There are no freebies.

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Guidelines for avoiding plagiarism

• Plan ahead. Dont leave assignments to the
  last minute!
• Use your own words and ideas.
• This is a skill that improves with practice.
• It requires an understanding of the topic
• It requires that you give yourself credit for
  your own abilities.

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Guidelines for avoiding plagiarism

• Give credit for copied, adapted, or paraphrased
  material.
• If you repeat another's exact words, you MUST use
  quotation marks and cite the source.
• If you adapt a chart or paraphrase a sentence,
  you must still cite.
• Paraphrase means that you restate the author's
  ideas, meaning, and information in your own
  words.
• WHEN IN DOUBT, CITE.

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Guidelines for avoiding plagiarism
Avoid using others' work with minor "cosmetic"
changes.

• Examples
• using "less" for "fewer"
• reversing the order of a sentence
• changing terms in a computer
• code
• altering a spread sheet layout
• WHEN IN DOUBT, CITE.

If the work is essentially the same, give credit.
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Guidelines for avoiding plagiarism

• There are no "freebies."
• ALWAYS cite words, information, and ideas you
  learned in your research.
• No matter where you find it even in an
  encyclopedia or on the Internet you must cite
  it.
• WHEN IN DOUBT, CITE.

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Guidelines for avoiding plagiarism

• Beware of "common knowledge."
• You don't have to cite "common knowledge, BUT
  the fact must really be commonly known. George
  Washington was the first U.S. president is common
  knowledge George Washington was an expert
  dancer is not common knowledge
• WHEN IN DOUBT, CITE.

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Other Forms of Academic Dishonesty

• Having a friend/other write a paper for you.
• Presenting false data or data that has been
  fabricated.
• Submitting the same paper for more than one
  course or purpose, without the expressed consent
  of all the instructors involved.
• Submitting individual work from a group
  assignment that is not in your own words.
• Borrowing all or part of another students paper
  or using someone elses outline to write your own
  paper with or without that students knowledge.
  turnitin.com will catch that your paper has been
  copied!

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Turnitin.com Sample
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How do I cite the sources?

• If you wish to avoid accusations of plagiarism,
  you must cite your sources properly. Consult
  resources, such as websites with current MLA
  format, for proper documentation. We suggest
  that you follow the examples listed on the
  schools website.
• Mountain Pointe http//tuhsd.k12.az.us/Mountain_P
  ointe_HS/
• Click on Academics, then English.

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In conclusion, dont get paranoid

• But when you present a work for a grade
• It must be entirely your own work, written by you
  in your own words, and containing your own
  interpretations, ideas, approaches, etc.
• It must state clearly where you got other
  people's words or major ideas.
• It must state clearly where you got your charts,
  diagrams, photos, graphics, and media (including
  sound, video and digital images.

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PLAGIARISM DONT DO IT!!!
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Recommended Resources

• http//www.hamilton.edu/academic/Resource/WC/Avoid
  ingPlagiarism.html
• http//www.indiana.edu/wts/wts/plagiarism.html
• http//www.virtualsalt.com/antiplag.htm
• http//alexia.lis.uiuc.edu/janicke/plagiary.htm

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Sources Cited

• Avoiding Plagiarism. Virtual Writing Center. 8
  August 2001. lthttp//www.madison.tec.wi.us/is/wri
  tingcenter/plagarism.htmgt
• Avoiding Plagiarism Mastering the Art of
  Scholarship. UCDavis Student Judicial Affairs.
  2001. 8 August 2001. lthttp//sja.ucdavis.edu/avoid
  .htmgt
• Plagiarism.org. 8 August 2001. www.plagiarism.org
• Special thanks to Sheila Walrath of Marcos de
  Niza for giving permission to adapt her
  plagiarism power point.