What is Plagiarism and Why is it Important?
In college courses, we are continually engaged with other people's ideas; we read them in texts, hear them in lectures, discuss them in classes, and incorporate them into our own writing. As a result, it is very important that we give credit where it is due. Plagiarism is using others' ideas and words without clearly acknowledging the source of that information. The most common way to give credit is to cite the sources in your paper using one of the standard citation formats (MLA, APA, etc.).
How Can You Avoid Plagiarism?
To avoid plagiarism you need to recognize when credit is due. Types of plagiarism include direct copying, paraphrasing, and using another person's idea, opinion, or theory. Take a look at the table below:
You Must Give Credit When Using:
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Credit Is Not Needed When Using:
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- Summaries, paraphrases, or direct quotations from a source
- Reprints of diagrams, charts, illustrations, or pictures
- Little-known facts
- Other people's opinions
- Results of other people's research (opinion polls, case studies, statistics, etc.)
- Quotations or paraphrases from people you interview
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- Common knowledge (facts that can be found in many places and are likely to be known by many people)
- Your own ideas, opinions, experiences, and conclusions
- Your own research (surveys or observations)
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Examples of Plagiarism
Example
One: Paraphrasing from
the original source.
Original Text
(from Democracy in America
By Brian P. Janiskee and Ken Masugi , 2003).
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The
influence of the entertainment industry on
state politics is limited. Because the federal
government has jurisdiction over the entertainment
industry via the Federal Communications Commission,
most of the entertainment industry’s
lobbying efforts focus on federal issues.
Also, many Hollywood stars parlay their high
visibility into elected office or positions
of political influence.
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Plagiarism
Unacceptable Paraphrase
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The power of the entertainment industry on state
and local politics is inadequate. The
reason why is that the federal government has jurisdiction
over the entertainment industry through the
FCC, most of the entertainment industry’s
lobbying efforts look at federal issues.
Also, many Hollywood actors use their fame
to move into elected offices or influence
politicians.
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Why is it Plagiarism?
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Only a few words were changed or the order of words was altered.
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The source of the text is not cited at the end.
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Acceptable Paraphrase
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The
influence the entertainment industry has
on state politics is narrow. The entertainment
industry however tends to have more of
an impact on federal issues due to the
fact that the entertainment industry has
oversight from the Federal Communications
Commission. "Hollywood stars parlay their
high visibility into elected office or
positions
of political influence. The late Sonny Bono
became mayor of Palm Springs and then was
elected to Congress" (Janiskee 36).
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Why is it Acceptable?
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- The passage was rewritten in the writer's own words while maintaining the meaning of the original text.
- The
source of the text is cited at the end.
Note: You can use paraphrase and quotations together. This is particularly useful for phrases which you don't wish to reword because that would alter the meaning.
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Example
Two: Quoting from
the original source.
Original Text
(from Conservatism an Anthology of Social and Political Thought from David Hume to the Present by Jerry Z. Miller,
1997).
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Both
American liberals and conservatives in
the 1960s embraced the notion of a “culture
of poverty,” a phrase coined by the
anthropologist Oscar Lewis. To liberals,
the concept suggested that the culture
of the poor, which limited their upward
social mobility, could be transformed by
government agencies such as schools, enrichment
programs for pre-school children, and job
training programs.
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Plagiarism
Unacceptable Quote
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"Both
American liberals and conservatives in
the 1960s embraced the notion of a culture
of the poor. To the liberals, the concept
suggested that the poor, who had limited
social mobility, could rely on government
programs to transform their social class."
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Why is it Plagiarism?
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The passage has not been quoted accurately.
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The source of the quotation is not cited at the end.
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Acceptable Quotation
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It
is believed that American liberals during
the 1960s embraced the phrase a
"culture of poverty." "To liberals,
the concept suggested that the culture
of the poor, which limited their upward
social mobility, could be transformed
by government agencies such as schools,
enrichment
programs for pre-school children, and
job training programs" (Miller 336).
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Why is it Acceptable?
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- The first sentence is an acceptable paraphrase.
- The second sentence is quoted accurately.
- The whole passage is cited.
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Further Assistance
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The VVC Writing Center (located on the lower campus in Humanities Rm. 5) has tutors available to help you with citation formats and many other aspects of writing assignments.
Note: VVC Students should be aware that plagiarism violates the proscribed student conduct code and may result in possible consequences as stated in the VVC Student Handbook (p.36 D).
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