How do you avoid plagiarism?
Since plagiarism is
the use of another person's work without giving proper credit, the
best way to avoid plagiarism is to make sure that you always give
credit to others for the work they have done.
- Make sure that direct
quotes are enclosed in quotation marks. This is even necessary
when the quoted material is just a few words or a brief phrase.
- Make sure that paraphrased
and summarized material is truly changed into your words, not
just the original repeated with a few words changed. To fail to
truly rephrase the original is to wander into "patchwork
plagiarism", where it looks as though you've changed the
original more than you have.
- Since paraphrased
and summarized material is not enclosed in quotation marks, you
must show in the text of your report where the information from
a particular source begins. Using the author's last name (As in
"However, Jones claims that...") before the information
is an easy way to do this.
- To accurately cite
any information, whether you've quoted it, paraphrased it, or
summarized it, you must provide a link (in the form of a citation)
to a resource appearing on your works cited list. Usually this
will appear as the author's last name and the page number where
the information can be found.
- Keep in mind that
information considered "common knowledge" does not need
to be cited. Common knowledge can be tricky to define, but it's
basically information the most people who are knowledgeable about
a certain subject would know, or, it's information that you would
reasonably expect to find in multiple sources on the subject.
For example, "Columbus set sail for the New World in 1492"
would be considered common knowledge. The contents of Columbus'
ship's cargo hold and the names of his crewmen would not be.
Remember, because plagiarism
can happen as a result of a conscious effort to deceive, or as a
result of careless research methods, you need to be very careful
when reporting your research to others. Pay close attention to original
sources of your information, and how you choose to take notes; mistakes,
sloppiness, and deception all look the same in the end.
A good rule of thumb
is: "When in doubt, cite it."
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