nelly
Jun 13, 2012 | #1
The term plagiarism refers to the practice of using somebody's ideas and/or words in a piece of academic writing without acknowledging where the ideas or words came from (Gibaldi, 2003). Meanwhile it is not necessary to cite common knowledge such as the fact that there are twelve months in a year or seven days in a week, other ideas that appear in a piece of academic writing such as theories, models and people's ideas must be fully referenced to prevent plagiarism (Greer). Plagiarism can be avoided through proper paraphrasing, citing and quotation of ideas used in a piece of writing such as an essay or a dissertation (Anderson et al, 2007). Methods used to prevent plagiarism shall be discussed in the next segment of this essay.
Paraphrasing is reading ideas and then re-writing them in one's own words (Hexham). In proper paraphrasing, the author must avoid using more than two words in a row. In the case where more than two words must be used, the author has to use quotation marks to indicate that those words are directly drawn from another author's work (Green). In this case, the name of the author and the year in which the idea was published must be cited within the text and on the reference page at the end of the essay.
Citing is another effective way of avoiding plagiarism (Clarke). Citing the author of an idea is acknowledging the fact that the idea has been borrowed from another source. When citing, students must format their work using the citation guidelines as stipulated by their academic institution such as APA, MLA or Chicago to name just these few (Hexham, 2005). In-text citations normally include the name of the author(s), the date of the publication and the page number in which the idea appears in the publication. Although citing is quite simple, when it is not properly done, it can be considered as plagiarism.
Quoting an author or a speaker is another way of preventing plagiarism. When quoting an author, it is necessary to use exactly the same words as they appear in the author's work (Green). It is ideal to ensure direct quotations do not exceed 40 words per quote or more than 5% of an essay. When quoting directly, students need to ensure that they include the page number from which the quote has been drawn in the in-text citation and put the words in quotation marks (Clarke). When the quotation is drawn from online material, the paragraph from which it has been drawn must be cited (Greer).
Students must also cite their own previously written material when writing essays (Hexham). For example, if some of the material which the student is using for a research paper was previously used in the current class or elsewhere, the student must cite his or herself. The idea must also be treated as if it was originally written by someone else. Failure to do so, it will also be considered as plagiarism.
Finally, a reference page must be added to every academic essay. All the works cited in the research paper or dissertation must be included in the reference page (Gibaldi). The research paper must be formatted in a way that is consistent with the referencing format that is recommended by the institution (Clarke). Amongst the information that is included in the reference page are names of author(s), dates of publication, titles of publications, cities of publication, publishers and, in the case of academic journals and other periodic publications, the volume and pages must also be cited (Green).
In conclusion, students must learn how to avoid plagiarism by using the above mentioned tips. Paraphrasing, quotations, in-text citations and a reference page are the key ways through which plagiarism can be avoided. In addition to that, plagiarism is a serious academic offence that leads to dismissal in most universities. Consequently, students must acquaint themselves with different citation methods such as MLA, APA and Chicago.
Reference List
Anderson, C. E., Carrell, A. T., & Widdifield, J. L. Citing sources with APA documentation. New York: Pearson.
Clarke, R. "Plagiarism by academics: More complex than it seems". Journal of the Association for Information Systems 7 (1): 91-121.
Gibaldi, J. MLA handbook for writers of research papers (6th ed.). New York: Modern Language.
Green, S. P. "Plagiarism, Norms, and the Limits of Theft Law: Some Observations on the Use of Criminal Sanctions in Enforcing Intellectual Property Rights". Hastings Law Journal 54 (1), pp 234-241.
Greer, M. Citing sources with MLA documentation. New York: Pearson.
Hexham, I. "The Plague of Plagiarism: Academic Plagiarism Defined". UCalgary.
How To Prevent Plagiarism
Paraphrasing is reading ideas and then re-writing them in one's own words (Hexham). In proper paraphrasing, the author must avoid using more than two words in a row. In the case where more than two words must be used, the author has to use quotation marks to indicate that those words are directly drawn from another author's work (Green). In this case, the name of the author and the year in which the idea was published must be cited within the text and on the reference page at the end of the essay.Citing is another effective way of avoiding plagiarism (Clarke). Citing the author of an idea is acknowledging the fact that the idea has been borrowed from another source. When citing, students must format their work using the citation guidelines as stipulated by their academic institution such as APA, MLA or Chicago to name just these few (Hexham, 2005). In-text citations normally include the name of the author(s), the date of the publication and the page number in which the idea appears in the publication. Although citing is quite simple, when it is not properly done, it can be considered as plagiarism.
Quoting an author or a speaker is another way of preventing plagiarism. When quoting an author, it is necessary to use exactly the same words as they appear in the author's work (Green). It is ideal to ensure direct quotations do not exceed 40 words per quote or more than 5% of an essay. When quoting directly, students need to ensure that they include the page number from which the quote has been drawn in the in-text citation and put the words in quotation marks (Clarke). When the quotation is drawn from online material, the paragraph from which it has been drawn must be cited (Greer).
Students must also cite their own previously written material when writing essays (Hexham). For example, if some of the material which the student is using for a research paper was previously used in the current class or elsewhere, the student must cite his or herself. The idea must also be treated as if it was originally written by someone else. Failure to do so, it will also be considered as plagiarism.
Finally, a reference page must be added to every academic essay. All the works cited in the research paper or dissertation must be included in the reference page (Gibaldi). The research paper must be formatted in a way that is consistent with the referencing format that is recommended by the institution (Clarke). Amongst the information that is included in the reference page are names of author(s), dates of publication, titles of publications, cities of publication, publishers and, in the case of academic journals and other periodic publications, the volume and pages must also be cited (Green).
In conclusion, students must learn how to avoid plagiarism by using the above mentioned tips. Paraphrasing, quotations, in-text citations and a reference page are the key ways through which plagiarism can be avoided. In addition to that, plagiarism is a serious academic offence that leads to dismissal in most universities. Consequently, students must acquaint themselves with different citation methods such as MLA, APA and Chicago.
Reference List
Anderson, C. E., Carrell, A. T., & Widdifield, J. L. Citing sources with APA documentation. New York: Pearson.
Clarke, R. "Plagiarism by academics: More complex than it seems". Journal of the Association for Information Systems 7 (1): 91-121.
Gibaldi, J. MLA handbook for writers of research papers (6th ed.). New York: Modern Language.
Green, S. P. "Plagiarism, Norms, and the Limits of Theft Law: Some Observations on the Use of Criminal Sanctions in Enforcing Intellectual Property Rights". Hastings Law Journal 54 (1), pp 234-241.
Greer, M. Citing sources with MLA documentation. New York: Pearson.
Hexham, I. "The Plague of Plagiarism: Academic Plagiarism Defined". UCalgary.