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Lesson 6: Learn what plagiarism is and how to avoid it.

When you have completed this lesson you should be able to:

Identify types of plagiarism and how to avoid them
Use style guides and form correct APA and MLA citations

Question: What is plagiarism?

Still concerned about what plagiarism really is? Here are a few examples.

Learn: The Types of Plagiarism

The writer turns in another's work, word-for-word, as his or her own.

The writer copies significant portions of text straight from a single source, without alteration.

The writer tries to disguise plagiarism by copying from many different sources, tweaking sentences to fit them together but keeping most of the original phrasing.

Although the writer has retained the essential content of the source, he or she has altered the paper's appearance slightly by changing key words and phrases.

The writer takes the time to paraphrase most of the paper from other sources and make it all fit together, instead of spending the same effort on original work.

The writer 'borrows' generously from his or her previous work, violating policies concerning the expectation of originality adopted by most academic institutions.

The writer mentions an author's name for a source, but neglects to include specific information on the location of the material referenced.

The writer provides inaccurate information regarding the sources, making them impossible to find.

The writer properly cites a source, but neglects to put in quotation marks text that has been copied word-for-word, or close to it.

The writer properly cites all sources, paraphrasing and using quotations appropriately. The catch? The paper contains almost no original work!

In this case, the writer properly quotes and cites sources in some places, but goes on to paraphrase other arguments from those sources without citation.

Types of Plagiarism (n.d.) Retrieved May 10, 2010

Learn: To identify instances of plagiarism on campus

Listen to each case and decide whether or not the student is guilty of plagiarism.

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Question: How do you cite sources for your paper?

There are a number of different styles or formats for citations. Which style you use depends upon the subject discipline you are working in. If you are uncertain about which style to use, ask your professor.

Play the citation game to learn the components of a citation.

This game requires that you enable Javascript, and that you download and use Adobe Flash.

Lesson 6 Quiz

The final section of this lesson is a 5 question quiz.

Choose your answer, then click the submit button. Sometimes, you may have to scroll down to find the submit button.
Searchpath will display a response to your answer. Read the response, then go to the next question.
You can take the quiz over again, but you must complete it before retaking any questions. Although you can change your answer to a question during the quiz, only your first response will be recorded.
The last page of the quiz displays a summary of your answers. You will be able to print your results, or email them to yourself or another person (your professor, perhaps).

Before We Start:

Your name: (For, you know, identifying yourself)

Your email: (We're not evil, this just allows you to email your results to yourself)

Lesson 6 Quiz: Question 1

Match the following terms with the correct meanings:

A. Periodical title
B. Abstract
C. Article title
D. Author
E. Date
F. Volume / issue number
G. Page numbers

1. the exact location of the article in the issue
2. the person who wrote the article
3. when the article was published
4. the name of the publication that contains the article
5. the specific issue where the article appears
6. the summary of the article contents
7. the words identifying the name of the article

Lesson 6 Quiz: Question 3

You and your friends are discussing upcoming paper assignments. Alicia says that she is working on her history paper and has discovered that the topic can be used for her sociology course as well. She decides she will write one paper and hand it in for both assignments. You and your friends have different reactions. Check all that are good responses:

A. Sean congratulates her on a great time-saving idea.
B. You react with alarm and tell her, "That's plagiarism."
C. Kelli decides to do the same thing with her English paper and hand it in for political science as well.
D. Matt is unsure what to think so he decides to ask for advice in the Writing Center.

Lesson 6 Quiz: Question 4

Here is a quote Angel wants to use in his research paper:

"Almost anyone who visits in the schools of East St. Louis, even for a short time, comes away profoundly shaken."

Kozol, Jonathan. Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools. New York: HarperPerennial, 1992. Print.

Which of the following uses of this quote is correct and properly cited?

"Almost anyone who visits in the schools of St. Louis, even for a little time, comes away profoundly shaken (Kozol 40)."

"Almost anyone who visits in the schools of East St. Louis, even for a short time, comes away profoundly shaken."

Almost anyone who visits in the schools of St. Louis, even for a little time, comes away profoundly shaken (Kozol, 40).

"Almost anyone who visits in the schools of East St. Louis, even for a short time, comes away profoundly shaken" (Kozol 40).

Lesson 6 Quiz: Question 5

Here is a paragraph that Rachael wants to use in her research paper:

A variety of surveys are beginning to indicate that Internet addiction is intensifying. Since 1994, the year that popular Internet browsers became widely available to the public, psychologists have been concerned about the power and appeal that the Internet has over our populace.

Davidson, Jeff. "Internet addiction is not pretty." Public Management 90.9 (2008): 40. Academic OneFile. Web. 15 Apr. 2010.

Which of the following paraphrases is properly paraphrased and cited?

A range of surveys are indicating that Internet addiction is getting worse. Since 1994, the year that the Internet was widely available to the public, psychologists have worried about the influence that the Internet has on our population (Davidson, 40).

A variety of surveys are beginning to indicate that Internet addiction is intensifying. Since 1994, the year that popular Internet browsers became widely available to the public, psychologists have been concerned about the power and appeal that the Internet has over our populace.

Internet addiction is intensifying. A variety of surveys say so. Since popular Internet browsers became widely available to the public in 1994, psychologists have been alarmed about the power and appeal that the Internet has over our citizens (Davidson, 40).

When the Internet became readily accessible in 1994 psychologists raised concern about how it might hold the American public under its thrall. A growing body of survey research demonstrates cause for this concern as Internet addiction increases (Davidson, 40).

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