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Plagiarism

Plagiarism

There are some common forms of plagiarism. Learning what they are is the first step towards avoiding them.

  • Copying, word for word, something from another source -- book, article, encyclopedia, the Internet -- without using quotations or citing where you found the information

  • Submitting someone else's work, in it's entirety (think a paper you bought on the Internet), as your own work.

  • Cutting & pasting from one or several Internet sources (or any other source for that matter) without quoting or giving proper credit

  • Paraphrasing -- changing some of the words, but keeping the meaning -- without citing your source

  • Borrowing ideas from others without giving proper credit

  • Or  re-using papers or content from other classes

Some unintentional forms of plagiarism can happen when you forget to put the quotation marks for a direct quote around the entire quotation or if you cite sources inaccurately or incompletely.

Lastly --  Self-plagiarism: submitting your own work, in part or as a whole, for a different project then was originally intended without the permission or notification of your professors. 

Tip: It is not plagiarizing when you say something that is considered common knowledge. Common knowledge is information that is generally known and usually includes things like widely known facts and dates.For example, you wouldn't need to cite a statement like  -- Abraham Lincoln was our 16th President. This is a known historical fact that can be verified in many sources. This can be a fuzzy area so a good rule of thumb is to cite something if you aren't sure or ask your professor for guidance.

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th edition,MLA, 2009.

There are some strategies that will help you to avoid plagiarizing. Here are a few tips:

  • Make sure you understand what it is and what constitutes plagiarism. When in doubt ask.

  • Keep detailed, specific notes when you are researching and be sure to put quotes around anything in your notes that is a direct quote. This should make it easier to remember to quote when you put the material in your paper.

  • Keep track of your sources so that you can cite them properly, but also so that you can refer back to them to see what you've used and how

  • If you're paraphrasing or getting ready to quote you can start a statement by using the name of the individual who you are quoting or paraphrasing       i.e.:       "Acccording to Carl Sagan..........."

The Purdue OWL web site has a good section on how to avoid plagiarism.

The ESU Student Code of Conduct doesn't specifically use the word plagiarize but it does outline a range of things that are considered to be academic misconduct. The 5th item on that list of violations is the following:

"Presenting as one's own the ideas or works of another person(s) - scholastic, literary, or artistic - in whole or in part, without customary acknowledgement of sources"

Retrieved from the East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania 2014-2016 Student Handbook, http://www4.esu.edu/students/documents/pdf/student_handbook.pdf,  Sept. 8, 2014

Many of your professors will have a statement about plagiarism included with their course syllabi. Plagiarism can result in failing a course, academic suspension or even expulsion from the University. Your Professors take this issue seriously -- so should you!

Check out the entire student code of conduct in the Student Handbook.