Avoiding Plagiarism

David Runyon, M.L.I.S., M.S.

HU on plagiarism:
Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to,
failure to indicate the source with quotation
marks or footnotes, where appropriate, if
any of the following are reproduced in the
work submitted by a student:
i. A phrase, written or musical
ii. A graphic element
iii. A proof
iv. Specific language, OR

HU on plagiarism:
v. An idea derived from the work,
published or unpublished, of another
person.
-Harrisburg University Student Handbook, pg. 44

HU on Academic
Honesty
We, as student members of the Harrisburg
University community, individually and collectively
pledge that:
(1) We will conduct ourselves in a manner consistent
with the highest standards of honesty and integrity;
(2) We will not cheat, plagiarize, steal or lie in
matters related to any form of academic work
HU Student Handbook, pg. 38

Consequences
Sanctions for violations of Academic Code of
Conduct
a. Failing grade in the course at issue
b. Warning. Written notice to the student.
c. Withdrawal from course.
d. Temporary suspension from the University.
e. Expulsion.
f. Withholding of a diploma.
-HU Student Handbook, pg. 47

Intentional
Turning in a paper written
by another student
without permission.
Turning in a paper a peer
has written with
permission.
Turning in a paper
purchased from a term
paper service.
Turning in a paper from a
free online term
paper service.

Inadvertent
Copying from the source but
failing to provide
appropriate
documentation.
Copying from the source,
providing appropriate
documentation but failing
to use quotation marks.
Paraphrasing from source but
failing to provide
appropriate
documentation.
Incorrectly quoting,
paraphrasing or citing.

What needs to be
cited?
Any idea that did not originate in your own brain,
from whatever source:
Movies, newspapers, TV shows, websites, radio,
books, music, etc.
Speeches, conversations, interviews
Verbatim passages from a source (with quotation
marks)
Paraphrases from a source
Purdue University, (2007). Is it plagiarism yet? The OWL at Purdue.
<http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/02/>

What does NOT need to be cited?

Your own, original thoughts, opinions,

experiences
Common knowledge and generally
accepted facts
Purdue University. (2007). Is it plagiarism yet? The OWL at Purdue.
<http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/02/>

When in doubt, cite!

Always cite:
Phrases you rewrite from another
source
Verbatim passages that youve put
quotation marks around
Ideas that come from others

Cite your sources by:

Including in-text citations (Smith,
2000)
Including all sources in your
bibliography at the end of the paper
Consistently using an accepted
citation format such as APA

Patch writing is
plagiarism.
Patch writing = stringing together
sentences from more than one
source, without paraphrasing.
Principle: Academic writing means
using your own words!

Dont rely on others

words.
Strive to keep your use of other
peoples words to a minimum.
Excessive use of quotations = lack of
effort, lack of understanding of your
subject
Limit use of quoted material to 10%
or less of your final product.

Can you plagiarize

yourself?
Yes!
Always cite your sources, even if its
your previous work.

Is this plagiarism?
Original Source:
Opponents of the death penalty often argue that people commit crimes
because they have suffered from bad past circumstances, such as
childhood abuse. However, this reasoning is wrong because human beings
are free moral agents who can make choices, and they need to be held
accountable for the choices they make. By punishing criminals, society
reaffirms that individuals do not have to react mechanistically to their past
but are capable of choosing between good and evil.
Thomas, K. (2000). The death penalty: Why we need it. Los Angeles:
Porter Books.
Version 1:
People who are opposed to the death penalty often believe that those who
commit crimes do so because of their past history, such as childhood
abuse. Most would believe that that reasoning is wrong because we
humans are free moral agents and have the ability to make our own
decisions, with that in mind we should be held accountable for our actions.
When punishing the criminal, society confirms that people do not have to
respond mechanistically to their past but are proficient enough of choosing
between what is good and what is evil (Thomas, 2000, p. 200).

Is this plagiarism?
Original Source:
Opponents of the death penalty often argue that people commit crimes
because they have suffered from bad past circumstances, such as
childhood abuse. However, this reasoning is wrong because human beings
are free moral agents who can make choices, and they need to be held
accountable for the choices they make. By punishing criminals, society
reaffirms that individuals do not have to react mechanistically to their past
but are capable of choosing between good and evil.
Thomas, K. (2000). The death penalty: Why we need it. Los Angeles:
Porter Books.
Version 2:
According to Thomas (2000), we should punish those who commit crimes
because everyone has the option of choosing their actions, so they should
be punished when they choose evil (p. 200).

Is this plagiarism?
Original Source:
Opponents of the death penalty often argue that people commit crimes
because they have suffered from bad past circumstances, such as
childhood abuse. However, this reasoning is wrong because human beings
are free moral agents who can make choices, and they need to be held
accountable for the choices they make. By punishing criminals, society
reaffirms that individuals do not have to react mechanistically to their past
but are capable of choosing between good and evil.
Thomas, K. (2000). The death penalty: Why we need it. Los Angeles:
Porter Books.
Version 3:
Thomas (2000) makes the point perfectly in his work that when we punish
criminals, society reaffirms that individuals do not have to react
mechanistically to their past but are capable of choosing between good
and evil (p. 200).

Practice Paraphrasing!
Can a mortal ask questions which God finds unanswerable?
Quite easily, I should think. All nonsense questions are
unanswerable. How many hours are there in a mile? Is
yellow square or round? Probably half the questions we ask
half our great theological and metaphysical problemsare
like that (Lewis, 1961, p. 81).
Lewis, C. S. (1961). A Grief Observed. New York: The
Seabury Press.

Sample Paraphrase
Lewis suggests that our limited understanding of reality leads
us to pose questions that make no sense and, consequently,
have no answer, even when asked of God. (1961, p. 81).
References
Lewis, C. S. (1961). A Grief Observed. New York: The
Seabury Press.

Scenarios
5 Groups
One person reads the scenario
One person records the group
analysis
One person reports back

Scenario #1
Source: Davidson, R. (1973). Genesis 1- 11.
Cambridge: Cambridge UP.
Original Wording: "Such 'story myths' are not
told for their entertainment value. They provide
answers to questions people ask about life, about
society and about the world in which they live"
(p.10).
Marys Paper: Specifically, story myths are not
for entertainment purposes rather they serve as
answers to questions people ask about life, about
society and about the world in which they live.

Using Scenarios to Teach Undergraduates About Copyright, Fair Use and Plagiarism
http://www.lib.usf.edu/ref/SAA/loextest.html

Scenario #2
George has a presentation tomorrow for his public
relations class. While searching the Internet, he
found the perfect graphic to illustrate one of his
key points. Even though hes pretty sure the
graphic is copyrighted, he decides to cut and paste
it into his PowerPoint presentation anyway. He
decides to list the website and date he visited the
site below the graphic. Did George do anything
wrong?
Using Scenarios to Teach Undergraduates About Copyright, Fair Use and Plagiarism
http://www.lib.usf.edu/ref/SAA/loextest.html
Flickr.com Community Guidelines http://flickr.com/guidelines.gne

Scenario #3
Source: Grossman, E. (2002). Watershed: The
Undamming of America. New York: Counterpoint.
Original Wording: When I ask him about the
Matilija Dam, Babbitt says that he tends to favor
taking it down a brick at a time and letting the
runoff shape the stream," (p.135).
Marys Paper: Babbitt indicated that Matilija
Dam should be dismantled, allowing nature to
run its course.

Scenario #4
Original Wording: More than half the animal images in the play are
Iago's, and all these are contemptuous or repellent: a plague of flies, a
quarrelsome dog, the recurrent image of bird-snaring, leading asses by the
nose, a spider catching a fly, beating an offenceless dog, wild cats, wolves,
goats and monkeys.
(Caroline F. E. Spurgeon, Shakespeare's Imagery (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1935), p. 335).

Stans Paper: The majority of the animal images in the play are Iago's,
and all of these are contemptuous or repellent. He refers to a plague of
flies, a quarrelsome dog, bird-snaring, leading asses by the nose, a spider
catching a fly, beating an offenceless dog, wild cats, goats and monkeys.
(Spurgeon, 1935, p. 335).
Using Scenarios to Teach Undergraduates About Copyright, Fair Use and Plagiarism http://www.lib.usf.edu/ref/SAA/loextest.html

Scenario #5
Jane has a final economics paper due on Monday.
One of her sources, a journal article, uses a quote
from a book. Jane likes the quote and wants to use it
in her paper, but cant find the book in the library.
Since its already Sunday and her paper is due the
next day, she doesnt have time to get the book
through interlibrary loan. Even though she doesnt
have the original book, she has the quote from the
journal article, so she decides to use the quote and
cite the book. Has Jane done anything wrong?
Using Scenarios to Teach Undergraduates About Copyright, Fair Use and Plagiarism http://www.lib.usf.edu/ref/SAA/loextest.html

Scenario #6
Leslie has a research paper due in her English
composition class. She is allowed to choose any
topic she would like covering a controversial
issue. Leslie was also just assigned to write a
paper on affirmative action for her sociology
class. She carefully cites all of her information
correctly and writes an excellent paper covering
the topic. She decides to turn in the paper to
both classes. Did Leslie do anything wrong?

Gregory Koukl, "Capital Punishment: Is Man a Machine or a Moral

Agent?
www.str.org, Stand to Reason, March 22, 1996.

Opponents of the death penalty often argue that

people commit crimes because they have suffered
from bad past circumstances, such as childhood
abuse. However, this reasoning is wrong because
human beings are free moral agents who can make
choices, and they need to be held accountable for
the choices they make. By punishing criminals,
society reaffirms that individuals do not have to
react mechanistically to their past but are capable
of choosing between good and evil.

References & Contact Info

VandenBos, G. R. (Ed.). (2010).
Publication manual of the American
Psychological Association.
Washington, D.C.: American
Psychological Association.
Facebook: David Runyon
Twitter: @husatlib
Office 250 (behind the library)

Based on an original presentation by Kathleen Conley, HACC, with

elements from Nancy E. Adams, Harrisburg University, and Jessica See,
Harrisburg University.