(Adapted from the LAC Writing Lab handout, with additional material
by July Lewis – Bio 101A student Spring 2003)

 

Plagiarism is the unlicensed usage of another person's work. This can include:

q  Taking the words or ideas of another and either copying or paraphrasing without giving credit to the source (e.g. endnotes, quotation marks, in-text citations).

q  Copying a paper off the internet and turning it in as your own.

q  Cutting and pasting sections from an internet source into your own paper.

q  Letting someone else do your paper, or turning in a paper that has been heavily edited by a tutor.

 

What can I do to avoid plagiarism?

q  Cite all sources. Use quotation marks for direct quotes. It helps to write down the title, author and page number of your sources as you go along.

q  Paraphrase, don't copy. Restate the idea in your own words. Make sure to give an in-text citation for the use of the idea.

q  Understand the subject matter before writing your paper. If you are unclear about the subject, you are more likely to rely on the exact wording of the author. Also it is important that you understand each quote and fact from your source before you use it.

How can I tell if I'm paraphrasing or plagiarizing?

When paraphrasing sources, it is often difficult to judge how much we need to reword the source material in order to avoid plagiarism. Students who are learning English may have an especially hard time with rephrasing. What makes it even harder is that what is acceptable practice in other countries can be considered plagiarism in the U.S.! Here are some guidelines to follow when paraphrasing:

q  Use synonyms. Avoid using the same word choices as the source.

q  Vary sentence structure. Changing the words but not the structure can still be considered plagiarism.

q  Mix it up. Don't present the ideas in your paper in the same order as the source that you are using. Incorporate your own ideas and those of other authors (properly cited, of course) to make your writing as fresh and original as possible. And of course…

q  Cite your sources!

 

EXAMPLE—Here is a quote followed by three different paraphrases:

"The researchers reached the conclusion that undernourishment was the main cause of the decline in the mouse population."

Version 1: The researchers came to the conclusion that starvation was the major cause of the decline in the mouse population (Borgia 46).

Even though the source is cited, this is plagiarism. Only three words are changed.

Version 2: The group decided that starvation was the major reason for the decline in the numbers of mice (Borgia 46).

This one is better— most of the words are changed—but the form is the same. It isn't ideal, but you could probably get away with a few sentences like this in your paper.

Version 3: After analyzing the data, it was clear what had caused the decline: the mice weren't getting enough to eat (Borgia 46).

In this sentence, the form is changed, the words are changed, the tone is different (less clinical, more like a news article), and it includes the slightly different bit of information: "after analyzing the data". This is a good paraphrase!

 

Do I need to cite information that is common knowledge? 

No—the trouble is determining what is common knowledge and what is not. Original research and opinions are not common knowledge, and must always be cited. But what about established information?

To some degree, it depends on your level of expertise and on whom you are directing your paper to. For example, the fact that mosquitoes carry malaria is common knowledge for a college student, but a fourth-grader might have to cite this information. The details of the life cycle of Plasmodium vivax, an organism that causes malaria, are probably not common knowledge to the average BIO 101A student. Therefore, they would have to be cited. However, an expert in malaria writing for The Journal of Parasitology would not need to cite this information—for that group, it is common knowledge. A good rule of thumb is: if you had to look it up, cite it.

Other resources

There are a number of places to get more information on this topic. The Bedford Handbook and The Little, Brown Handbook that many English classes require have good sections on plagiarism and how to avoid it. The following websites are also good:

http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/wts/plagiarism.html

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/Files/151.htm

http://webster.commnet.edu/mla/plagiarism.htm

Finally, the writing tutors at the Learning Assistance Center in the Rosenburg Library are always available to help with students' writing assignments, including science papers.