Avoiding Plagiarism

Plagiarism: Neglecting to give credit to the sources from which you gathered information

Plagiarism can range from a simple forgotten citation error to full-blown word-for-word copying. Plagiarism often occurs in the form of inadvertently forgetting citations, including incorrect citations, and/or using improper forms of paraphrasing, quoting, and summarizing.

In the case of inadvertent citing errors, your professor may require that you correct the problem before credit is given. If the situation is more grievous, you may receive a failing grade (or worse) on your paper.

Check out St. Kate's Student Code of Conduct Policy. Read the sections entitled Community Expectations and Code of Conduct for information relating to academic honesty and plagiarism.

Sometimes plagiarism occurs when assignment deadlines are looming and, in order to finish the assignment on time, a student plagiarizes someone else's work. Using the Assignment Calculator is a great way to prevent procrastination and last minute panic on an assignment.

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From The Library: Uncatalogued -- The Real (Library) World: Avoiding Plagiarism

Take a plagiarism tutorial!

Developed at Indiana University and the University of Maryland, these tutorials provide painless and interactive ways to learn the about plagiarism and how to avoid it.

How well do you understand plagiarism??

Read the information of these pages, then take a short QUIZ to test how well you understand plagiarism. The quiz was developed at IU by Ted Frick.

Tips for Avoiding Accidental Plagiarism

  • Cite every piece of information used that is not your own original idea. Results from your own research and information considered common knowledge do not need to be cited.
  • Use quotation marks every time you copy or include another person's work.
  • Allow yourself plenty of time to research, gather, read and write. As stated above, procrastination can cloud your otherwise good judgment.
  • Include in the first sentence in which you intend to quote, paraphrase, or summarize, information that lets the reader know that the idea originated with someone else.

    Examples:
    According to the MLA Handbook... Hemingway said...
  • End your sentence with a parenthetical citation (in the format dictated by the style you are using) to credit the original author. MLA uses (author page#) while APA uses (author, date).

    Example:
    According to the MLA Handbook, when composing a research paper or creating a presentation, it is extremely important to "remember that you must document everything that you borrow—not only direct quotations and paraphrases but also information and ideas" (Gibaldi 69).

Two common forms of accidental plagiarism

  • Paraphrases lacking Citation
    A paraphrase is your summary of another author's ideas. Paraphrases should not contain your own opinions or commentary.
    Avoid presenting information in the exact same order as the original author, and avoid using the author's words, writing style, sentence structure, and most importantly, remember to give credit where credit is due. Put quotation marks around any unique phrases you'd like to use.

    Example: attempting to paraphrase the sentences above.
    When one attempts to correctly paraphrase the work of another author it is important to neutrally present the author's ideas without copying words verbatim, writing styles, or idea order (citation).
  • Misplaced Citations
    Be sure to place the citation after all of the information you have paraphrased, quoted, or summarized from another author. If you cite a quote mid-paragraph and continue on paraphrasing, your reader will assume the additional ideas are your own. Good notetaking is very important! Be sure to always mark in your notes when you are quoting someone, using a source to gather information, and what information is from your own insight.

    Example:
    A handy note-taking tip mentioned in the MLA Handbook is to "distinguish among three types of material" including quotations, your summaries of others' works, and your own ideas (Gibaldi 69). By placing your citation at the end of the material cited, your reader will know that all ideas before the citation should be credited to, in this case, Mr. Gibaldi (70). The reader can then logically assume that this sentence, since it follows the citation, was originally created and authored by you, with no help from Mr. Gibaldi.

Citing your Sources

  • Remember, any time your paraphrase the work of another author or use a direct quotation, you must give credit to the source!
  • Also, consider using RefWorks to manage and format your citations. Go to our RefWorks page for instructions.
  • Should you encounter citing problems, feel free to get assistance at the Reference Desk, or call 615-690-6652.
  • Remember that every source you use to write your paper should be listed on your References or Works cited page. Conversely, every source on your References page should be cited in your paper. In other words, the two must match.
  • In case any of your work is challenged, it is a good idea to hang onto all of the printouts of the sources you used to write the paper until after your paper is returned.
  • Remember that copyright and intellectual property rights DO pertain to works you find on the Web. Citing Web pages can be tricky, so refer to guides for examples and be sure to ask when you need help.
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