The Language Teacher
01 - 2002

A Student Guide to Plagiarism

Laura MacGregor,

Sophia University

This guide is designed for teachers of students who are new to academic writing in English and who may not know what plagiarism is and how to avoid it. It contains explanations and examples for teachers to use as starting points for designing tasks to help students learn how to incorporate the work of others into their academic writing while maintaining their integrity as authors. Stylistic rules for writers introduced here follow the conventions of the American Psychological Association (APA, 1994).

What Plagiarism Is

Plagiarism has been defined as "[using] another person's ideas or expressions in your writing without acknowledging the source" (Gibaldi, 1999, p. 30). While there is nothing wrong with using another person's ideas or expressions, failure to acknowledge the source can be a serious offense. Plagiarism is not only unethical, it is also disrespectful to the author. In North America, students who plagiarize their writing assignments face penalties ranging from failing the class to being expelled.

In simple terms, plagiarism is copying what someone else wrote without showing where it came from. It may take the following forms:

copying without using proper quotation conventions (quotation marks for short quotes of less than 40 words and an indented left margin for long quotes of 40 or more words) and/or failing to cite the source;
copying, but changing only a few words or phrases, or changing the order of the sentences in the original;
copying words and phrases from several different sources and arranging them into sentences and paragraphs (a tedious method resulting in a badly written text).

Examples for (i) and (ii) above are given here and are preceded by the original text. A sample worksheet to introduce plagiarism to students based on this section appears in the appendix.

Original text:

. . . some of the richness of Japanese culture is the result of influences from abroad, such as the introduction of Buddhism from Korea in the 6th century, the 6-3-3 structure of the American education system following World War II, and more recently, the Western work-at-home trend, SOHO (small office home office). (Source: MacGregor, L. (2001). The role of English in Japanese popular culture. Lingua 12, 47-76.)

Plagiarized text for (i):

It is clear that some of the richness of Japanese culture is the result of influences from abroad, such as the introduction of Buddhism from Korea in the 6th century, the 6-3-3 structure of the American education system following World War II, and more recently, the Western work-at-home trend, SOHO (small office home office).

Other than the first four words, this is a copy and paste version of the original. It is an obvious example of plagiarism since there has been no attempt made to change anything nor is there evidence of where this information came from.

Plagiarized text for (ii):

Japan's rich culture has been influenced by foreign countries, such as the introduction of Buddhism from Korea in the 6th century, the U.S. education system after WWII, and modern Western home offices (SOHOs).

Some words have been changed, but this version is still too close to that of the original and lacks a citation of the source. Thus, it is a plagiarized text.

What Plagiarism is Not

You will not be suspected of plagiarism for stating the following without citations:

your own ideas
common knowledge: facts and famous expressions or quotations that most people know.

Examples of facts:

Tokyo is one of the most expensive cities in the world.

George W. Bush was elected President of the United States in November, 2000.

Examples of quotations:

"I'll be back." (Arnold Schwarzenegger)

"I have a dream." (Martin Luther King)

How to Write Without Plagiarizing

Good academic writing should include other authors' findings and ideas in addition to your own -- they show that you have researched your topic and understand the issues involved. How can a writer do that? There are three ways: (1) quote it; (2) summarize it; or (3) paraphrase it. In all three cases, you must show where you got the information from (cite the source). How to do so will be explained below.

(1) Quoting

A quotation is an exact copy of the original text. It may be as short as one word or as long as several paragraphs. However, quotations should be used sparingly, since their purpose is to support your ideas, not replace them. Use quotations when:

the information is particularly relevant to your paper;
the information is written in a way that makes a special impact that you cannot create in your own words; or
the quoted author is an authority or expert whose words will strengthen your point.

Short quotations

Short quotations are 1-39 words long. Put quotation marks around the exact words and write the quotation within your paragraph. Begin the sentence with your own words to introduce the quotation. At the end of the quotation, give the citation: the author's last name, the year the material was published, and the page number, all separated by commas and enclosed in parentheses. Put the complete source information at the end of the paper in the reference list in alphabetical order by the author's last name.

Here is an example of a short quotation. In this case, the author's name is mentioned at the beginning of the sentence, so it does not need to be written in the citation:

According to John Holt, "our constant checking upon children's learning so often prevents and destroys learning" (1983, p. 140).

Another way to begin is:

John Holt claims that "our constant checking upon children's learning so often prevents and destroys learning" (1983, p. 140).

Adding words to the quotation

If "our" is not completely clear to the readers of your paper, replace it with interpolated text -- your own words -- enclosed in square brackets:

It has been suggested that "[parents' and teachers'] constant checking up on children's learning so often prevents and destroys learning" (Holt, 1983, p. 140).

Omitting words from the quotation

If you need to omit one or more words, use ellipsis points -- three periods separated by spaces ( . . . ) to indicate omitted text:

In fact, ". . . checking up on children's learning . . . destroys learning" (Holt, 1983, p. 140).

The complete reference for Holt looks like this:

Holt, J. (1983). How children learn (Rev. ed.). New York: Delta/Seymour Lawrence.

Long quotations

Long quotations are 40 or more words long. Do not use quotation marks for long quotes. Instead, tab five spaces from the left margin and single space the typing. Put a period at the end of the quotation and put the citation after it. Put the complete source information in the reference list. Introduce the quotation as in the following example of a long (54-word) quotation:

A Businessweek article gives a description of the incoming CEO:

The axman, as O'Neal is called by some in the firm, announced that he would cut 2,000 of Merrill's thundering herd of 15,000 U.S. brokers months after taking charge of them in February, 2000. Initially, O'Neal set out to beat back the likes of Schwab by matching their cheap trading fees. (Thornton, 2001, p. 39)

The complete reference looks like this:

Thornton, E. (2001, August 6). 'Reengineering' at Merrill Lynch. Businessweek (Asian Edition), p. 39.

(2) Summarizing

Summary writing is a "way to let your readers know the most important idea or ideas of a passage by restating those ideas in your own words" (Kennedy, Kennedy, and Halladay (1999, p. 727). Summarizing saves space; a page from the original source, or even an entire article can be summarized in one or two sentences.

To summarize effectively, first read the original material carefully to find the main ideas. Next, identify the most important evidence (examples or explanations) to support those ideas. Now, you are ready to write the summary. Begin by introducing the source (the article or book name, and the author's name). Write in the present tense, and keep the summary brief: include only the author's most important ideas.

The following example summarizes a 29-page research article in two sentences:

In the article, "The Role of English in Japanese Popular Culture," MacGregor (2001) examines how written English is used in advertising in Japan by examining TV commercials, newspaper and magazine advertisements, and American movie titles to determine in what contexts and to what extent English appears. Following detailed analyses of the visual, functional, linguistic, and syntactic roles of the language, the author concludes that English is used more as a means of communicating a message rather than as a decorative visual effect.

(3) Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing involves taking material from other sources, putting it into your own words, and identifying where you got it from. The important point to remember here is that the paraphrased text must be clearly different from the original -- the words, expressions, and order should be significantly altered. Below is an original text followed by a plagiarized version and an acceptable paraphrase.

The new cross-cultural studies are confirming what many observers have long noticed: that the cardinal American virtues of self-reliance and individualism are at odds with those of most non-Western cultures. They also suggest that the nature of American individualism has been changing toward a greater emphasis on raw self-interest, and that the rise of individualism in a society goes hand in hand with economic growth (Goleman, in Jason & Posner, 1995, p. 60). (Source: Goleman, D. (1995). The group and the self: New focus on a cultural rift. In K. Jason and H. Posner, Explorations in American culture: Readings for critical thinking, writing, and discussion (pp. 60-63). Boston: Heinle & Heinle Publishers.)

The following is a plagiarized version of the above text:

Recent studies in cross-cultural issues make it clear that two main American values, individualism and self-reliance, conflict with the values of non-Western cultures. Furthermore, the studies indicate that since individualism increases relative to economic growth, Americans are becoming more self-centered.

While some words and phrases have been changed, the structure is too close to that of the original, and the source has not been cited. Therefore, this is a clear example of plagiarism.

This is an acceptable paraphrase of the original text:

According to Goleman (1995, p. 60), academic studies now support the common belief that American "self-reliance" and "individualism" do not correspond to non-Western values. Americans are becoming more selfish, and this trend is explained by the fact that economic growth and individualism are closely connected.

This paraphrase is acceptable: the source is clearly identified, terms which are taken from the original text are put in quotation marks, and the words and expressions are sufficiently different from the original.

Troubleshooting

In closing, here are some tips for successful academic writing using quotations, summaries, and paraphrased text:

When you are taking notes in preparation for writing, put material you copy from sources in quotation marks and write down the page numbers so that you know it is quoted material. Also, note the full reference details (author name, title of work, year of publication, city and name of publisher) in case you decide to use it in your paper.

Summarize and paraphrase without looking at the original text. Instead, as you write your first draft, imagine that you are telling a friend about what you have read. A summary will be quite a bit shorter than the original, and therefore will give only the main points of information. A paraphrase will be longer, even as long as the original, and will include the main ideas as well as the details.

Table 1, based on a list found in Spencer and Arbon (1996, p. 146), gives verbs to introduce paraphrased or quoted text. They may be used in either the past or present tense, but should match the verb tenses of the surrounding text.

While it is not necessary to document points of common knowledge or well-known phrases, "you should document everything that you borrow -- not only direct quotations and paraphrases but also information and ideas . . . . If you have any doubt about whether or not you are committing plagiarism, cite your source or sources" (Gibaldi, 1999, p. 33).

Table 1: How to introduce paraphrased and quoted text

Phrases

An expert claimed that . . . (Smith, 2000, p. 56).
The data show that . . . (McQueen, 1978, p. 333).
Research by Desmond concludes that . . . (2001, p. 95).
As Carter points out, " . . . " (1998, p. 312).
According to Carter, " . . . " (1998, p, 312).

Verbs

report explain suggest argue

state find describe believe

Writing a good paper is a rewarding experience. Giving students training and practice in using quotations, summaries, and paraphrases correctly will allow them to accomplish their writing goals in an ethically sound and professional way.

References

American Psychological Association. (1994). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (4th ed.). Washington, D.C.: Author.

Gibaldi, J. (1999). MLA handbook for writers of research papers (5th ed.). New York: The Modern Language Association of America.

Goleman, D. (1995). The group and the self: New focus on a cultural rift. In K. Jason and H. Posner, Explorations in American culture: Readings for critical thinking, writing, and discussion (pp. 60-63). Boston: Heinle & Heinle Publishers.

Holt, J. (1983). How children learn (Rev. ed.). New York: Delta/Seymour Lawrence.

Kennedy, X. J., Kennedy, D. M., & Halladay, S.A. (1999). The Bedford guide for college writers (pp. 727-731). New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.

MacGregor, L. (2001). The role of English in Japanese popular culture. Lingua 12, 47-76.

Spencer, C. M., & Arbon, B. (1996). Foundations of writing: Developing research and academic writing skills. Chicago: National Textbook Company.

Thornton, E. (2001, August 6). 'Reengineering' at Merrill Lynch. Businessweek (Asian Edition), p. 39.

"...some of the richness of Japanese culture is the result of influences from abroad, such as the introduction of Buddhism from Korea in the 6th century, the 6-3-3 structure of the American education system following World War II, and more recently, the Western work-at-home trend, SOHO (small office home office)" (MacGregor, 2001, p. 47).

B. Next, read passage #2 and compare it to passage #1. Find two things that are different.

Passage #2

It is clear that some of the richness of Japanese culture is the result of influences from abroad, such as the introduction of Buddhism from Korea in the 6th century, the 6-3-3 structure of the American education system following World War II, and more recently, the Western work-at-home trend, SOHO (small office home office).

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

C. Now, read passage #3 and compare it to passage #1. Are the words mostly the same (S) or mostly different (D)?

Passage #3

Japan's rich culture has been influenced by foreign countries, such as the introduction of Buddhism from Korea in the 6th century, the U.S. education system after WWII, and modern Western home offices (SOHOs).

Original	Passage#3	S/D
some of the richness of Japanese culture is the result of influences from abroad	Japan's rich culture has been influenced by foreign countries	____
such as the introduction of Buddhism from Korea in the 6th century	such as the introduction of Buddhism from Korea in the 6th century	____
the 6-3-3 structure of the American education system following World War II	the U.S. education system after WWII	____
and more recently, the Western work-at-home trend, SOHO (small office home office)	and modern Western home offices (SOHOs)	____

Passages #2 and #3 are examples of plagiarism. Plagiarism means copying the exact words or almost the exact words that someone else wrote (in a book, magazine, newspaper, or on a web site) without telling the reader where it came from. This is not allowed in academic writing. You must show where you got the information from.

In this case, the original text is a quotation from an article in a journal.Look at the original and answer the following:

(a) How do you know it is a quotation?

(b) Who is the author of the article?

(c) When was it published?

Quoting is one of several ways to correctly use what someone else wrote.

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The Language Teacher
01 - 2002

A Student Guide to Plagiarism

Laura MacGregor,

Sophia University

What Plagiarism Is

What Plagiarism is Not

How to Write Without Plagiarizing

(1) Quoting

(2) Summarizing

(3) Paraphrasing

Troubleshooting

References

Further Reading

Appendix

The Language Teacher01 - 2002

A Student Guide to Plagiarism

Laura MacGregor,

Sophia University

What Plagiarism Is

What Plagiarism is Not

How to Write Without Plagiarizing

(1) Quoting

(2) Summarizing

(3) Paraphrasing

Troubleshooting

References

Further Reading

Appendix

The Language Teacher
01 - 2002